FOR PARENTS · YEAR 6
The Year 6 SATs reading paper: what's in it, how it's marked and how to help
It is one timed reading paper with a reading booklet and an answer booklet. Finding information and inference carry the most marks, and a scaled score of 100 or more meets the expected standard.
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The Year 6 reading test is on Tuesday 11 May 2027. It lasts 60 minutes, including reading time, and has 50 marks. This guide explains what's in it, which skills earn the marks, what the score means, and how to help at home without adding pressure.
By the Litsee team · Last reviewed · About this guide
The reading paper in one minute
- When: Tuesday 11 May 2027, the second day of the Year 6 tests (STA).
- How long: 60 minutes. “The testing time includes time for reading and responding to questions; there will not be separate reading time.” (STA test framework)
- What's in it: a reading booklet of texts, 1,500 to 2,300 words in all, and a separate answer booklet worth 50 marks. The framework says a range of texts is included, fiction, non-fiction and poetry, and “The texts will be ordered by increasing reading demand”: they get harder as the paper goes on.
- Results: schools can see them from Tuesday 6 July 2027, and you should receive them by the end of the summer term.
Which skills earn the marks
The framework lists eight reading skills, coded 2a to 2h, and sets the range of marks each can carry. Two stand out: finding information (retrieval) and inference can each be worth between 16% and 50% of the paper.
Each bar shows the range on a scale of 0 to 50% of the paper's marks, from the STA framework.
These are the same skills behind the “VIPERS” questions many schools use. Our guide to questions to ask about a book has ideas for practising them in conversation.
Try a practice text
A short text we wrote for this guide, with three questions in the style of the test and their answers. Gull Rock and Ada Penrose are made up. It's much shorter than the real paper, and isn't taken from any test.
The Lighthouse Keeper's Logbook
For forty years, the lighthouse on Gull Rock was kept by one family. Each evening the keeper climbed one hundred and twelve steps to light the lamp, and each morning they wrote in the logbook: the weather, the ships that passed and anything unusual.
Most entries are short. “Wind from the west. Two fishing boats. Calm.” But on 3 March 1911, the keeper, Ada Penrose, filled two whole pages. A storm had torn the lamp's shutter loose, and the light had gone dark just as a steamer approached the rocks.
Ada did not wait for help. She tied a rope around her waist, climbed onto the gallery outside the lamp room and held the shutter open with her own hands for three hours, until the steamer had passed. Her last line that night reads simply: “Ship safe. Hands cold.”
How many steps did the keeper climb each evening? 2b
Show the answer
One hundred and twelve (112).
A retrieval question: the answer is in the text, so the skill is finding it quickly.
“A storm had torn the lamp's shutter loose.” What does “torn … loose” tell you about the storm? 2a
Show the answer
It was very strong: it pulled the shutter away with force.
A word-meaning question: explain what the words suggest, not just what they mean.
“Ship safe. Hands cold.” What does this last line suggest about Ada? Use evidence from the text. 2d
Show the answer
Good answer: She was modest, because after a dangerous three hours she only wrote two short lines and put the ship first. She was also brave and tough, because she held the shutter with her own hands in a storm.
Weak answer: She was cold. (True, but it only repeats the text. It doesn't say what the line shows about her, and gives no evidence.)
An inference question: say what you think, then back it up with words from the text.
Scaled scores: what 100 means, and why the raw mark changes
Your child's raw mark (out of 50) is turned into a scaled score from 80 to 120. “Pupils scoring at least 100 will have met the expected standard on the test.” (STA), and 110 or more is the higher standard. Because each year's paper is a little different, the raw mark needed changes. Move the slider to see the 2026 table (STA, 2026 conversion).
In 2026, 75% of pupils met the expected standard in reading and 31% reached the higher standard (DfE statistics). You may see websites split scores into other bands, such as “100–110 expected” and “111–120 exceeding”; those bands aren't official.
Running out of time: building stamina without nightly rows
A common worry is not finishing the last text, because the hour includes all the reading. The best preparation is reading itself: longer books, read regularly, build the speed and stamina the paper needs.
- Keep reading for fun going, especially through spring. It's the practice that doesn't feel like practice.
- Short, calm practice: a text and a few questions, 15 minutes, a couple of times a week, then stop.
- Talk about “why” as well as “what”: inference questions ask for an idea plus evidence from the text.
Extra time and other access arrangements
Some children can have access arrangements, such as extra time or rest breaks, if that's how they normally work in class. The school decides and applies. Pupils with an EHC plan automatically qualify for up to 25% extra time, and for others “Reports from educational psychologists or other education professionals are not required.” (STA). Ask the school early in Year 6.
Is anything changing?
For 2027, no: “Assessment arrangements for the academic year 2026 to 2027 will remain unchanged.” (STA). After the 2025 Curriculum and Assessment Review, the government said the Year 6 tests continue, with changes to the grammar, punctuation and spelling test planned. It also announced something new for later: “We will therefore introduce a new statutory reading test for all children to be taken in Year 8, designed to check both fluency and comprehension.” (DfE).
Questions parents ask
How long is the Year 6 SATs reading paper?
60 minutes, including the time to read the texts: there is no separate reading time. The paper has 50 marks, with a reading booklet of texts and a separate answer booklet. In 2027 it is on Tuesday 11 May.
What is a good SATs reading score?
A scaled score of 100 or more means your child met the expected standard, and 110 or more is the higher standard. Scores run from 80 to 120. There are no official bands beyond that, and the raw mark needed for 100 changes each year: in 2026 it was 25 out of 50.
What happens if my child doesn't reach 100 in the SATs?
You'll receive the result by the end of the summer term, and the secondary school your child is moving to can see it, to help plan support. In 2026, 75% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, so a quarter didn't.
Can my child get extra time in the SATs reading test?
Yes, if they need it and it's how they normally work in class. The school applies to the Standards and Testing Agency, and a report from an educational psychologist isn't required. Pupils with an EHC plan automatically qualify for up to 25% extra time.
Sources
- Key stage 2: English reading test framework Standards and Testing Agency, 2015, for tests from 2016, checked 3 November 2026
- 2027 key stage 2 national curriculum tests: information for parents Standards and Testing Agency, 1 September 2026, checked 3 November 2026
- Key stage 2 tests: 2026 scaled scores (conversion tables) Standards and Testing Agency, 16 July 2026, checked 3 November 2026
- Understanding scaled scores at key stage 2 Standards and Testing Agency, updated 6 July 2026, checked 3 November 2026
- Key stage 2 attainment, academic year 2025/26 Department for Education (Explore Education Statistics), 10 September 2026, checked 3 November 2026
- 2027 key stage 2 access arrangements guidance Standards and Testing Agency, updated 12 October 2026, checked 3 November 2026
- Primary assessments: future dates Standards and Testing Agency, updated 12 October 2026, checked 3 November 2026
- Curriculum and Assessment Review final report: government response Department for Education, 5 November 2025, checked 3 November 2026
About this guide
Written by the Litsee team and checked line by line against the sources listed on this page.
Test facts are from the Standards and Testing Agency. The score slider uses the STA's published 2026 table, and the 2027 table will differ. The practice text and questions are our own, written in the style of the test; no test material is reproduced.
Spotted something wrong or out of date? Email info@litsee.com and we will fix it. Last reviewed: .
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