FOR PARENTS · YEAR 6
Year 6 SATs results explained: scaled scores, the expected standard and greater depth
Each test is reported as a scaled score from 80 to 120. A score of 100 or more means your child met the expected standard in that test.
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The Year 6 results letter is full of numbers and codes: scaled scores, 100, “EXS”, “greater depth”. This guide explains what each one means, when results arrive in 2027, and what to do next, whatever the scores say.
By the Litsee team · Last reviewed · About this guide
The short answer: 100 is the line, and it isn't pass or fail
Year 6 children take tests in reading, maths, and grammar, punctuation and spelling. Each is reported as a scaled score. The STA's leaflet for parents explains that a score of “100 or more means that your child is working at, or above, the expected standard for the key stage”, while a score “below 100 means that your child may need more support to help them reach the expected standard” (STA).
Writing and science aren't tested: teachers judge them from your child's work over the year. The same leaflet is clear about how to read it all: “Do not worry if your child is not working at the expected standard.”
When results arrive in 2027
The 2027 tests run from Monday 10 May to Thursday 13 May 2027 (STA). Then: “Schools can view KS2 test results online from Tuesday 6 July 2027.” And: “Your child’s school will decide how they issue test results and teacher assessment judgements to pupils and parents, but you should receive them by the end of the summer term.” (STA).
- You'll have a chance to talk. “Your child’s school will also discuss your child’s overall performance at the end of KS2 with you before the summer holidays”.
- Results can occasionally change. Schools can ask for papers to be reviewed. “In the rare cases where revisions to results are necessary, they are made once the review process is complete at the end of the summer holidays.”
- Secondary school will see them. “The secondary school your child is moving to will also be able to access your child’s results.”
- They stay private. “Your child’s individual results, from the tests or teacher assessment judgements, will not be published by your child’s school or the Department for Education (DfE).”
Scaled scores: what 100 and 110 mean
Each test has a fixed number of marks. The STA converts your child's marks into a scaled score because “the difficulty of tests may vary slightly each year. This means we need to convert the total number of marks a pupil gets in a test (their ‘raw’ score) into a scaled score” (STA). So the number of marks needed for 100 can move a little from year to year, but 100 always means the same standard. At KS2, the range of scaled scores is 80 to 120.
- English reading: 50 marks (1 reading paper).
- Grammar, punctuation and spelling: 70 marks (questions (50) and spelling (20)).
- Mathematics: 110 marks (arithmetic (40) and two reasoning papers (35 each)).
What about 110? In its national statistics the DfE says: “Pupils who meet the higher standard in reading are those who achieve a scaled score of 110 or more.” (DfE statistics). Maths and grammar work the same way. It isn't a separate pass mark or a grade on your child's report, just a way the DfE counts high scores. Our guide to the SATs reading paper shows how many marks made 100 and 110 in 2026.
Greater depth, and the teacher assessments
“Greater depth” causes the most confusion. It belongs to writing only. For writing, the STA says the judgement shows whether your child is working towards the expected standard, working at the expected standard, or “working at greater depth within the expected standard” (STA). Science is judged as met or not met, with no greater depth.
There's no teacher judgement for reading or maths at the end of Year 6: “The frameworks do not include English reading and mathematics because schools are not required to make statutory teacher assessment judgements in these subjects.” (STA). So if you see “greater depth reading” online, it's usually describing a high test score or a school's own wording, not an official Year 6 result.
Decode the results letter
Tap a word from your child's results to see what it means. Nothing you tap is saved, and you don't type in any scores.
“Scaled score” Test result
The number reported for reading, maths and grammar, punctuation and spelling. It runs from 80 to 120. Your child's raw marks are converted to it so that results mean the same thing from year to year.
Ask: Which parts of the paper went well, and which are worth practising before secondary school?
“100” Test result
The expected standard. A scaled score of 100 or more means your child met it in that test; 99 or less means they didn't yet.
“110 or more” Test result
In its national statistics, the DfE counts a scaled score of 110 or more as the “higher standard”. It isn't a separate grade on your child's result: the report shows the score.
“AS / NS” Test result
Codes schools receive with each test result: AS means expected standard achieved, NS means not achieved. If they appear on a report, that's what they mean.
“N” Test result
Shown when a child didn't get enough marks for the lowest scaled score, 80. The STA says this means they haven't shown enough understanding of the KS2 curriculum in that subject in the test.
Ask: What did my child find hardest, and how will secondary school know what support they need?
“Working towards (WTS)” Teacher assessment
A writing teacher assessment: your child isn't yet writing at the expected standard for the end of Year 6.
Ask: Which parts of writing should we practise over the summer?
“Expected (EXS)” Teacher assessment
A writing or science teacher assessment: your child is working at the expected standard.
“Greater depth (GDS)” Teacher assessment
Writing only: “working at greater depth within the expected standard”. There's no greater depth for the reading, maths or grammar tests, and none for science.
“Pre-key stage standards” Teacher assessment
Used instead of the tests and usual teacher assessment for a child working below the standard of the national curriculum. The school will have told you if this applies.
How other children did in 2026
The STA says your child's report should let you compare their results with other Year 6 pupils in the school and across England. For reference, here are the 2026 national figures, the latest published. We'll update them when the 2027 figures come out.
- Reading (test): 75% met the expected standard; 31% reached the higher standard (scaled score 110+).
- Maths (test): 75% met the expected standard; 27% reached the higher standard (scaled score 110+).
- Grammar, punctuation and spelling (test): 74% met the expected standard; 30% reached the higher standard (scaled score 110+).
- Writing (teacher assessment): 73% met the expected standard; 13% reached the higher standard (greater depth).
- Reading, writing and maths combined: 63% met the expected standard; 9% reached the higher standard (in all three subjects).
Source: DfE, key stage 2 attainment 2025/26 (provisional). So about a quarter of children don't reach 100 in reading or maths. If yours is one of them, they're far from alone.
What to do next
Whatever the scores, the summer before secondary school is a good time for a few calm steps:
- Talk to the teacher before the holidays. Ask which areas to keep practising, and whether anything will be passed on to the secondary school.
- Celebrate the effort. Year 6 is a big year, whatever the numbers say.
- Keep reading over the summer. A little reading for fun every day keeps skills ticking over before secondary school.
- If you're worried about reading, tell the new school early, so support can start in September.
If reading has been hard for a while, our guide to getting support without a diagnosis explains what to ask for.
Questions parents ask
When do Year 6 SATs results come out in 2027?
Schools can see the results online from Tuesday 6 July 2027. Each school decides how to share them, but you should get them by the end of the summer term, and the school will discuss them with you before the holidays.
What is a good SATs score?
A scaled score of 100 or more means your child met the expected standard in that test. The range is 80 to 120. In its statistics the DfE calls 110 or more the higher standard; in 2026, 31% of pupils reached it in reading.
Is there greater depth in SATs?
Only for writing, which is a teacher assessment, not a test. The reading, maths and grammar, punctuation and spelling tests give a scaled score. Writing is judged as working towards, at the expected standard, or at greater depth.
What happens if my child doesn't meet the expected standard?
The STA's advice to parents is not to worry: results help teachers see where a child needs extra help. Talk to the teacher before the holidays. Your child's secondary school can also see the results, which helps it plan support.
Are SATs results published?
Not individually. The STA says your child's own results won't be published by the school or the DfE. They're used to work out school and national figures, which are published.
Sources
- 2027 key stage 2 national curriculum tests: information for parents Standards and Testing Agency, 1 September 2026, checked 3 November 2026
- Assessment results at the end of key stage 2: information for parents Standards and Testing Agency, 1 September 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 (provisional) Department for Education, 10 September 2026, updated 16 September 2026, checked 3 November 2026
- Teacher assessment frameworks at the end of key stage 2 Standards and Testing Agency, 2018/19 onwards, page updated 10 October 2022, checked 3 November 2026
- Primary assessments: future dates Standards and Testing Agency, updated 12 October 2026, checked 3 November 2026
About this guide
Written by the Litsee team and checked line by line against the sources listed on this page.
This guide explains the 2027 key stage 2 results in England using the STA's guidance for parents and the DfE's published statistics. Your child's school is the best source for what their own results mean.
Spotted something wrong or out of date? Email info@litsee.com and we will fix it. Last reviewed: .
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