The most challenging (and most mastered) SATs topics of 2022
We've examined the national LbQ data to bring you the maths SATs topics you need to focus on in 2022.
Where are the Y6 Class of 2022 being most successful in their SATs preparation – and where are they coming unstuck?
After enduring the most disrupted academic preparation imaginable with remarkable resilience, the Class of 2022 will be facing formal SATs tests in less than two months’ time.
So, how are things looking nationally for LbQ maths pupils?
We have analysed anonymised data from thousands of real Y6 pupils during January and February 2022 to bring you three areas of strength, and three topics where pupils are struggling, from the different papers available on LbQ maths.
SATs Paper 1: Arithmetic
The analysis of the arithmetic responses indicate that the majority of Y6 pupils responding on LbQ have a good level of skills proficiency overall. 12 of the 36 questions were answered correctly by more than 80% of pupils, and 25 of the 36 questions were answered correctly by more than 70% of pupils.
Here are the three questions answered correctly most often:
Here are the the questions where most pupils are currently struggling:
With long division and long multiplication questions usually being worth 2 marks each – as well as being used in various questions in the other papers – it is probably a good idea to practise these skills regularly in the next couple of months!
The following LbQ sets may be useful:
Divide Numbers up to 4 Digits by a 2-Digit Whole Number (Long Division) - click on the link to sample this Question Set. Be sure to give some wrong answers to see the unique feedback that your pupils will receive on the LbQ platform.
Practise Dividing a 4-Digit Number by a 2-Digit Number (Long Division)
Multiply a 4-Digit Number by a 2-Digit Number (Long Multiplication)
Practise Multiplying a 4-Digit Number by a 2-Digit Number (Long Multiplication)
Speed and completing the arithmetic paper is also possibly an issue for many pupils. There were only 794 responses for Q36, compared with 3,281 responses for Q1. This indicates that only approximately 1 out of every 4 pupils were completing the Question Set in the time permitted.
SATs Paper 2: Reasoning
Although it seems that, currently, Y6 pupils are relatively fluent in most arithmetic topics, the reasoning papers show more of a contrast in fortunes. When using LbQ, pupils will get immediate feedback based on their answers, and then they can retry. This means that most children get most questions right eventually. However, there are generally far fewer children who are answering correctly the first time on these questions – as would need to be the case in the actual tests.
Here are the three questions answered correctly most often during January and February 2022:
Here are the three questions currently being answered incorrectly most often:
You might find the following sets useful to help pupils consolidate their understanding in these areas:
Paper 3: Reasoning
One interesting observation from looking at the results for this Question Set is that only a handful of pupils in each class are finishing the set and attempting the final question. Whilst this is likely to be due in part to pupils reading feedback and retrying questions on LbQ, it could also indicate that it will be a real challenge for pupils this year to achieve the higher standard.
Pupils are tending to spend longer on easier questions, and therefore limiting their exposure to more cognitively demanding multi-step problems.
Here are the three questions answered correctly most often:
Here are the three questions on LbQ’s paper 3 that pupils are finding most challenging:
The following LbQ sets may be useful to help pupils improve their understanding in these topics: