• Key Stage 2 • Year 6 SATs Revision
Good Year 6 SATs revision is steady practice spread over the year, not cramming in the last few weeks. This guide explains what to revise for each test, gives a term-by-term revision timetable from January to May and links to free practice for every paper.
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The Quick Answer
- The 2027 KS2 SATs run from Monday 10 May to Thursday 13 May.
- Pupils sit grammar, punctuation and spelling, reading and three maths papers.
- Start with short, regular practice in January, move to full past papers in March and finish with a mock week before Easter or early in the summer term.
- In the final week, light practice and rest help more than cramming.
What Is Tested in the Year 6 SATs?
| Day (2027) | Test | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 10 May | Grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 1: questions | 45 minutes |
| Monday 10 May | Grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 2: spelling | About 15 minutes |
| Tuesday 11 May | Reading | 1 hour |
| Wednesday 12 May | Maths Paper 1: arithmetic | 30 minutes |
| Wednesday 12 May | Maths Paper 2: reasoning | 40 minutes |
| Thursday 13 May | Maths Paper 3: reasoning | 40 minutes |
Results are available to schools on Tuesday 6 July 2027. See the full SATs week 2027 dates and timetable.
Year 6 SATs Revision Timetable
This timetable spreads revision across the spring term and the start of the summer term. Adjust it to fit your class or your child.
| When | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| January | Find the gaps | Use a past paper for each subject as a starting point. Note the question types pupils find hardest. |
| February | Build fluency | Daily arithmetic practice, times tables, spelling words and one short reading text a week. |
| March | Practise papers | One past paper a week, rotating maths, reading and SPaG. Go through every mistake. |
| Before Easter | Mock SATs | A full set of papers under test conditions with the real timings. |
| After Easter | Close the gaps | Short sessions on the topics the mock showed up. Keep arithmetic practice going. |
| Final week | Stay calm | Light practice only, early nights and a reminder of what to expect on each day. |
Tip: little and often works best. Fifteen minutes a day is more useful than a long session once a week. It also keeps revision from becoming stressful.
Maths Revision
- Arithmetic: practise all four operations, including long division and long multiplication, fractions, decimals and percentages. Try our 30 Year 6 arithmetic questions.
- Times tables: quick recall makes every paper faster. Brush up on the trickier ones, such as the 7 times table and 12 times table.
- Reasoning: read each question carefully, underline what it asks and show working on multi-step problems.
- Key facts: square and cube numbers, units of measure and the properties of shapes.
Reading Revision
The reading test has three texts and 50 marks. According to the test framework, retrieval and inference questions can each be worth up to half of the marks.
- Read a range of texts every day: stories, non-fiction and poetry.
- Practise finding evidence in the text to back up an answer.
- Learn to skim for the main idea and scan for key words.
- Practise with the reading papers on our Year 6 SATs papers page.
SPaG Revision
- Learn the key grammar terms and practise using them, not just naming them.
- Practise the Year 6 SPaG test questions.
- Learn the Year 5 and 6 statutory spelling words a few at a time.
Using Past Papers
Every Year 6 SATs paper and mark scheme from 2016 to 2026 is free on our Year 6 SATs papers page. Use different years so pupils see a range of questions. Our guide to running mock SATs covers timings and conditions.
How Parents Can Help
- Keep revision short and regular. Praise effort rather than scores.
- Read together and talk about what you have read.
- Practise times tables and spellings in spare moments, such as in the car.
- Make sure your child sleeps well and has breakfast in SATs week.
- Talk to your child’s teacher if you are unsure what to focus on.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should Year 6 start revising for SATs?
Regular practice through Year 6 helps most. A more focused revision plan usually starts after Christmas, about four months before the tests.
How long should Year 6 revise each day?
Short sessions of around 15 to 30 minutes work well. Little and often is better than long sessions.
What should Year 6 revise for SATs?
Arithmetic and maths reasoning, reading comprehension, grammar, punctuation and spelling.
When are the 2027 SATs?
From Monday 10 May to Thursday 13 May 2027.
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Sources: Standards and Testing Agency, KS2 test timetable, KS2 test administration guidance and the KS2 English reading test framework.
