The Year 6 SPaG test: what it covers and how to prepare
In May of Year 6, children in England sit a grammar, punctuation and spelling test, often called the SPaG test. It has two short papers and takes about an hour. Here is what is in it, how it is scored, and how to help your child prepare.
What the test is
The key stage 2 English grammar, punctuation and spelling test is one of the national curriculum tests children take at the end of primary school. Schools give it to Year 6 pupils in May. In 2026 it took place on Monday 11 May.
It has two papers, worth 70 marks in total, and takes about an hour. Your child’s school will tell you the result.
The two papers
| Paper | What it is | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: questions | Between 40 and 50 short-answer questions on grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. Each is worth 1 or 2 marks. | 50 | 45 minutes |
| Paper 2: spelling | The teacher reads 20 sentences aloud. Each has a word missing, which the child writes in their answer booklet. | 20 | About 15 minutes, not strictly timed |
What is tested
The test follows the national curriculum for English, which sets out the grammar, punctuation and vocabulary children should know by the end of Year 6, and a statutory spelling word list for Years 5 and 6. Typical topics from that curriculum include:
- Grammar: word classes (nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions and conjunctions), verb tenses, the passive voice, relative clauses, modal verbs and the subjunctive in formal writing.
- Punctuation: commas, apostrophes for missing letters and for possession, inverted commas for speech, colons, semi-colons, dashes, hyphens, brackets and bullet points.
- Vocabulary: prefixes and suffixes, word families, and synonyms and antonyms.
- Spelling: the words on the Years 5 and 6 list, plus the spelling patterns and rules taught across primary school.
How it is scored
The raw mark out of 70 is changed into a scaled score. A scaled score of 100 or more means a child has met the expected standard, and 110 or more means they have met the higher standard.
In the Department for Education’s figures for 2025, 73% of pupils met the expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling, 30% met the higher standard, and the average scaled score was 105.
How to prepare at home
- Look at real past papers together. The Department for Education publishes them, with the spelling transcript and the mark schemes, so your child can see exactly what the questions look like.
- Practise one skill at a time. If commas in lists are fine but semi-colons are not, spend a few minutes on semi-colons and then test them with mixed questions.
- Use the words in real writing. Ask your child to put a new word or punctuation mark into a sentence of their own, because understanding sticks better than memorising a rule.
- For spelling, learn a few words from the Years 5 and 6 list each week: look, say, cover, write and check. Test them in a sentence, not as a list.
- For Paper 1, practise pace. There are up to 50 questions in 45 minutes, so a child who spends too long on one mark can run out of time. Skip a hard question, move on and come back.
- Keep it short. Ten minutes on four or five days is better than an hour on one evening, and it keeps practice calm.
Practise with Oakling Primary Scholars
The SPAG section of Primary Scholars has four skills (punctuation, grammar, spelling and vocabulary), each with fifty stages that start easy and get harder, as well as short SPAG clubs by year group. Every wrong answer shows the right one, and parents can see which skills need more work. It is practice only; it is not the official test and does not use its questions.
Common questions
When do children take the SPaG test?
In May of Year 6. In 2026 the grammar, punctuation and spelling papers took place on Monday 11 May.
How long is the SPaG test?
About an hour: 45 minutes for the questions paper and about 15 minutes for the spelling paper, which is not strictly timed.
What score does my child need?
A scaled score of 100 or more means they have met the expected standard, and 110 or more the higher standard. Your child’s school will tell you the score.
Where can I find past papers?
The Department for Education publishes past test papers, mark schemes and the spelling transcripts on GOV.UK, in its collection of past test materials.
Is the SPaG test part of the 11+?
No. The SPaG test is a national curriculum test taken in Year 6 for all pupils. The 11+ is a separate selective-school test, taken at the start of Year 6 in most areas.