KS2 SATs 2026: areas to prioritise

As we look ahead to the KS2 SATs 2026, it's helpful to reflect on trends from previous years to inform our planning, teaching, and revision. While we can never predict the exact makeup of the papers, past assessments provide valuable insight into what’s most likely to appear, and what isn’t.

In this post, we break down key findings from this year’s SATs and offer practical advice on what to prioritise in your teaching for the rest of the year. From consistently high-weighted content areas like Calculations and FDP in maths, to the recurring dominance of Retrieval and Inference in reading, and the value of strong grammar foundations in GPS - we’ve analysed it all. Whether you're a member of SLT, a classroom teacher, or a tutor, this guide will help you make the most strategic choices in the run-up to May 2026.

Pass marks

The raw scores required to reach expected standard (EXS – a scaled score of 100) and ‘higher standard’ (labelled here as GDS – a scaled score of 110) can be seen below.

All grade boundaries have increased this year from last year, apart from GDS in reading and EXS in GPS, which have both stayed the same. 

Maths: past paper analysis

There are three parts to the maths test, testing children on content from across KS2:

• Paper 1: arithmetic (30 minutes, 40 marks, usually sat on the Wednesday of SATs week)

• Paper 2: reasoning (40 minutes, 35 marks, usually also sat on the Wednesday)

• Paper 3: reasoning (40 minutes, 35 marks, usually sat on Thursday - the last test of the week!)

This means that there are 110 marks available in total. 

More than half of the content in every set of maths papers so far has been drawn from the years 3, 4 and 5 curricula. In theory, based on the pass marks of nearly all past papers, pupils could meet the expected standard (% required to ‘pass’) with a strong grasp of content from just years 3-5. 

Year 6 consistently contributes the largest proportion of questions in the SATs paper, ranging from 37% to 47%. In contrast, year 3 content makes up the smallest share, typically between 7% and 12%. Whilst we might expect a steady increase in the proportion of questions from year 3 to year 6, this is not always the case. Notably, in both 2017 and 2024, there were more questions drawn from the year 4 curriculum than from year 5.

Calculations (the four operations) have consistently accounted for the largest proportion of questions in the maths test, ranging from 22% to 41%. This is followed by FDP (fractions, decimals, and percentages), which typically make up between 14% and 26%. However, the lower end of that range (around 14%) hasn't been seen since 2018, so it’s likely that FDP will continue to represent roughly a quarter of the test, as has been the case since 2019. Pupils could theoretically meet the expected standard by knowing only the content from the Calculations and FDP domains. Algebra, Position and Direction, and Statistics are the least represented content domains in the maths test, each accounting for as little as 2% of the total marks.

It’s important to remember that each of the nine content domains are not weighted equally. Each content domain has a varying amount of substrands, ranging from three (Position and direction and Statistics) to 12 (FDP)​. Each substrand is split into objectives across year groups - for example, F1 comprises three Year 3 objectives and one Year 4 objective. Calculations and FDP (the highest-weighted domains) have 39 and 40 objectives respectively, partly explaining their larger mark share. However, this isn’t consistent: Measurement has 44 objectives but has only received a maximum of 11% of the marks over the past five years.

Maths: what about SATs 2026?

The ‘pass’ mark has consistently hovered around 50% each year (typically between 49% and 55%), which is useful to keep in mind as we look to SATs 2026. In theory, based on previous years' pass marks and the proportion of questions based on the years 3, 4 and 5 curricula, pupils should be able to ‘pass’ (achieve the expected standard) with a solid understanding of content from years 3-5.

Arithmetic

In every arithmetic paper so far, there has always been:

• 36 questions, 32 of which are worth 1 mark

• Two long multiplication questions, each worth 2 marks - one is 3-digits by 2-digits, one is 4-digits by 2-digits

• Two long division questions, both in the second half of the paper, each worth 2 marks - one is 3-digits by 2-digits, one is 4-digits by 2-digits

• Two or three percentage of amount questions

• One BIDMAS question

Using known facts to tackle multiplication and division problems has consistently been a key focus in the arithmetic papers, so it’s worth continuing to focus on this in maths lessons. 

The other arithmetic topics are fairly evenly spread - in fact, every arithmetic paper pretty much consists of exactly the same questions, with the format, order, and digits changed slightly each time!

Reasoning

These content domains haven’t been represented for four years in a row now – we could therefore assume that they may be a priority to appear next year:

• Scale factors (R3)

• Estimate, measure and read scales (M2)

In preparation for the 2026 SATs, focus your revision on Calculations and FDP, rather than spending too much time on the lesser represented topics such as Algebra, Position and direction or Statistics. Ensure a solid grasp of all year 3-5 maths curriculum content, as this will also provide an excellent foundation for any new year 6 material.

As 2025's maths analysis shows, the questions in Papers 2 and 3 are always rooted in knowledge children should already have, but they are presented in new and unfamiliar contexts. This is precisely what makes teaching reasoning and problem solving so challenging. Simply exposing children to back-to-back problem-solving questions isn’t enough to develop their ability to actually problem solve. Instead, it’s important to teach strategies that children can apply to a range of unfamiliar problems, like those they’ll encounter in the SATs.

Reading: past paper analysis

There is one reading paper lasting one hour, worth 50 marks, and usually sat on the Tuesday of SATs week. It comprises three texts (at least one fiction and one non-fiction), the third of which is the most difficult. 

Retrieval and Inference have been the most represented content domains in every SATs paper, collectively making up 70 - 82% of the paper. There has only been one Prediction question (worth one mark!) in any paper since 2017. 

Point 3.2 in the KS2 English reading test framework states that the paper will consist of ‘a selection of texts, [between] 1500–2300 words’. Point 6.2.1 in the framework says ‘a range of texts will be included in the tests, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry’. I think I’ve been predicting that a poem will appear for about three years now… only one poem has appeared in a SATs paper under the new curriculum! 

The test framework also states that there could be up to four 3-mark questions in the paper, but every year so far, we have only seen two.

Key: Fiction Non-fiction Poetry

Reading: what about SATs 2026?

Most questions in the reading papers have consistently focused on Retrieval (2b) and Inference (2d), a trend that continued in 2025 and is likely to remain the same for 2026 (of course, that doesn’t mean you should only offer Retrieval or Inference questions to your children!)

There has only ever been one poem in the ‘new’ SATs papers (since the introduction of the 2014 curriculum), so you could take this one of two ways: either, the more time that passes, the less likely it is that another poem will appear - or, vice versa! Either way, you can confidently rely on at least one fiction and one non-fiction extract appearing.

2025's reading paper analysis highlights the critical importance of vocabulary knowledge. Even in retrieval questions, many relied on the use of synonyms rather than direct wording from the question, making it difficult for children to rely solely on a straightforward ‘skim and scan’ approach.

As for the pass mark… what previous years’ experience has taught us is that we can’t possibly predict what may happen next year!

GPS (grammar, punctuation and spelling): past paper analysis

There are two parts to the GPS test, testing children on content from across KS2:

• Paper 1: questions (45 minutes, 50 marks, usually sat on the Monday of SATs week)

• Paper 2: spelling (20 marks, sat on the same day as Paper 1)

This means that there are 70 marks available in total. 

The English grammar, punctuation and spelling test framework details the profile of marks by content area.

• Punctuation (G5) is assigned 10-20 marks (which makes up 20-40% of Paper 1)

• Vocabulary (G6) is assigned 3-7 marks (6-14% of Paper 1)

• Grammar (the other five content domains) is assigned 25-35 marks (50-70% of Paper 1)

Punctuation (G5) has consistently accounted for the largest proportion of questions in Paper 1, ranging from 30% to 34%. This is followed by Grammatical terms and word classes (G1), which typically make up between 24% and 26%. Functions of sentences (G2) and Standard English and formality (G7) are the least represented content domains in Paper 1, each accounting for as little as two marks (4%) in total.

Within these seven content domains, there are 51 strands, ranging from G1.1 (nouns), to G7.4 (subjunctive). The proportion of marks assigned to each of these individual content domains makes sense as the most represented (G1 and G5) are also the largest in the curriculum (G1 and G5 have 12 and 15 strands within them, respectively).

G1 and G5 collectively make up over half of the SPAG paper. This proportion has also consistently been lower than the amount of marks needed to pass the paper meaning that, theoretically, you could achieve EXS by correctly answering questions from only these two content domains. 

To meet the expected standard in the spelling, punctuation, and grammar (GPS) papers, the pass mark has generally been similar to that of maths, around 50%.

The structure of the GPS test (50 marks awarded for Paper 1; 20 marks awarded for Paper 2) benefits strong spellers, as achieving full marks in spelling means only needing 15 out of 50 in the grammar test to reach the expected standard (20 marks + 15 marks = 35 marks, which is 50% of the test). Conversely, students who struggle with spelling can compensate by scoring higher in grammar.

In the SATs spelling tests, the most frequently assessed content domains are as follows:

• S38: adding suffixes that begin with vowels to multisyllabic words (a Year 3/4 spelling rule)

• S60: covering words with ‘silent’ letters (a Year 5/6 objective)

• S43: suffix -ly (a Year 3/4 objective)

• S47: endings that sound like /ʃən/, spelt -tion,. -sion, -ssion, -cian (a Year 3/4 objective)

• S61: homophones (an objective from across KS2)

In fact, across all the spelling papers (Paper 2) so far, 62% of the spellings have come from the Year 3/4 curriculum, and only 38% from the Year 5/6 curriculum.

GPS: what about SATs 2026?

These are the individual substrands that have been the most highly represented across previous SATs papers, and therefore worth making sure the children know confidently:

• Punctuation for parenthesis (G5.9)

• Synonyms and antonyms (G6.1)

• Apostrophes (G5.8)

• Verbs (G1.2)

As we know, most questions in the grammar test focus on Punctuation (G5) and Grammatical terms and word classes (G1). In fact, since 2017, children could pass the grammar paper by correctly answering questions solely from these two areas. This trend seems likely to continue for 2026, so don’t forget to nail those commas, apostrophes and verbs!

As with the maths, the pass mark is likely to be around 50%. If your children are weak spellers, focus on the grammar paper; if they are less confident at the grammar, try to nail the spelling. 

2025's GPS analysis underscored the importance of children having a deeper, functional understanding of grammatical concepts. For example, it’s not enough to identify a fronted adverbial simply by the comma that follows it - they need to understand its grammatical role within the sentence.

Final thoughts

While past SATs analysis can help inform planning and highlight useful trends, it isn’t a blueprint for success. High-quality teaching remains the single most important factor in preparing children for these assessments.

The value of this analysis lies in helping you make strategic decisions about where to focus your time and energy. It can guide curriculum planning, highlight heavily weighted content areas, and prevent disproportionate time being spent on rarely tested topics. But ultimately, it’s about supporting pupils to develop secure understanding and the confidence to apply what they know in unfamiliar situations.

Use these insights as a helpful reference alongside thoughtful, well-sequenced teaching that meets the needs of your class.

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