• Key Stage 2 SATs • Scaled Scores
KS2 SATs results are reported as scaled scores rather than marks or percentages. This guide explains how a raw score becomes a scaled score, why the marks needed change every year and what the 2026 conversion tables looked like.
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The Quick Answer
- A raw score is the number of marks your child scored. It is converted into a scaled score from 80 to 120.
- A scaled score of 100 or more means your child met the expected standard.
- The raw score needed for 100 changes each year because some tests are slightly harder than others.
- In 2026 a score of 100 needed 25 out of 50 in reading, 56 out of 110 in maths and 34 out of 70 in GPS.
What Is a Scaled Score?
The KS2 tests are written to the same specification every year, but the questions have to be different. That means one year’s test can be a little harder or easier than another. Scaled scores take this into account, so a score of 100 represents the same standard every year.
The standard itself was set in 2016, when panels of teachers decided the raw score needed to meet the expected standard. Since 2017, trialling data has been used to keep that standard the same.
How Raw Scores Are Calculated
A raw score is the total of the marks from each paper in a subject:
| Test | Papers | Total marks |
|---|---|---|
| Grammar, punctuation and spelling | Paper 1: questions (50) Paper 2: spelling (20) | 70 |
| Reading | Reading paper (50) | 50 |
| Maths | Paper 1: arithmetic (40) Paper 2: reasoning (35) Paper 3: reasoning (35) | 110 |
To receive a scaled score, a pupil must take every paper in that subject.
The Scaled Score Range
- 80 is the lowest scaled score. In 2026, pupils needed at least 3 marks to receive it. Below that, no scaled score is given.
- 100 to 120 means a pupil met the expected standard.
- 110 or more is the higher standard.
- 120 is the highest score possible.
Schools also receive AS (expected standard achieved) or NS (expected standard not achieved) for each test.
2026 Conversion Examples
This table shows the marks needed to reach at least each scaled score in 2026, taken from the official conversion tables:
| At least this score | Reading (out of 50) | Maths (out of 110) | GPS (out of 70) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | 11 | 22 | 14 |
| 95 | 17 | 37 | 23 |
| 100 | 25 | 56 | 34 |
| 105 | 32 | 77 | 45 |
| 110 | 39 | 94 | 55 |
| 115 | 44 | 104 | 61 |
| 120 | 47 | 109 | 66 |
Remember: the marks in this table apply to the 2026 tests only. When you use KS2 SATs practice papers from another year, use that year’s conversion table.
Why the Marks Needed Change Each Year
If a test is easier than previous years, more marks are needed to reach 100. If it is harder, fewer marks are needed. For example, a score of 100 in reading needed 28 marks in 2025 but 25 marks in 2026. In maths it needed 58 marks in 2025 and 56 in 2026.
The tables also show that two or more raw scores sometimes convert to the same scaled score. This happens when the pupils who scored those marks performed at a very similar level. Some scaled scores cannot be achieved in a particular year because of the number of questions in the test.
Average Scaled Scores in 2026
| Test | National average scaled score |
|---|---|
| Reading | 106 |
| Maths | 105 |
| Grammar, punctuation and spelling | 105 |
The average only includes pupils who took the test and were awarded a scaled score. To see what these scores mean for your child, read what is a good KS2 SATs score?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a scaled score a percentage?
No. A scaled score is not a percentage or a mark out of 120. It is a converted score where 100 always represents the expected standard.
What is the pass mark for KS2 SATs?
There is no pass or fail, but a scaled score of 100 means your child met the expected standard. In 2026 that needed 25 out of 50 in reading.
Why did my child not get a scaled score?
Pupils who score too few marks to reach the lowest scaled score of 80 do not receive one. Their result is shown as not meeting the expected standard.
When are the conversion tables published?
The Standards and Testing Agency publishes them on results day. For 2027 that is Tuesday 6 July.
Related Guides
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Sources: Standards and Testing Agency, Understanding scaled scores at KS2, 2026 KS2 scaled score conversion tables and 2027 KS2 assessment and reporting arrangements; Department for Education, Key stage 2 attainment 2025/26.
