2023 KS1 SATs Papers
Download all the 2023 KS1 SATs past papers, answers and mark schemes for free, including English reading, maths, and grammar, punctuation and spelling.
2023 was the last year the KS1 SATs were statutory - every pupil in a state primary school in England took them in Year 2. From 2024 they became optional (non-statutory), so 2023 was the final set of compulsory KS1 papers.
2023 KS1 English Reading SATs Papers
The KS1 English Reading test has two papers: Paper 1 (a combined reading prompt and answer booklet) and Paper 2 (a separate reading booklet and answer booklet).
| Year | Reading Booklet 1 | Reading Booklet 2 | Reading Answer Booklet | Additional Materials ⓘTest instructions for teachers | Answers ⓘFull answers and mark schemes | Scaled Scores / Levels ⓘRaw mark to Scaled Score conversion tables | Complete ZIP File ⓘZip file with all standard resources bundled together | Premium Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2023 English Reading Booklet 1Where Does Wool Come From? Sleepy Catⓘ 2023 KS1 SATs Paper English Reading Booklet 1 (Where Does Wool Come From? Sleepy Cat)This KS1 English reading assessment contains two texts with comprehension questions. Where Does Wool Come From? is a non-fiction text explaining how wool is obtained from sheep, processed into yarn, and used to make clothing and other items. Sleepy Cat is a fiction story about a girl named Anna who loses her cat Fluffy during a house move and eventually discovers him sleeping in a box in her new bedroom. Questions assess literal comprehension, vocabulary understanding, and inference skills. Questions: 20 | 2023 English Reading Booklet 2Houses Around the World and In a Minuteⓘ 2023 KS1 SATs Paper English Reading Booklet 2 (Houses Around the World, In a Minute)This KS1 English reading booklet contains two texts for assessment. Houses Around the World presents four children describing their unusual homes: a houseboat in France, a ger in Mongolia, a lighthouse in Scotland, and an underground house in Australia. In a Minute is a narrative story about a boy named Rory who always delays tasks, causing problems until his family teaches him a lesson about punctuality. | 2023 English Reading Answer Bookletⓘ 2023 KS1 SATs Paper English Reading Answer BookletThis is the answer booklet for KS1 English Reading Paper 2 from the 2023 national curriculum tests. It contains questions about two reading texts: Houses Around the World (pages 4-5), which describes different types of homes including Sara's house, Bora's ger, Tom's lighthouse, and Ella's underground house; and In a Minute (pages 6-7), a story about a boy named Rory who learns about punctuality when his family teaches him how long a minute really is. Questions assess literal comprehension, vocabulary understanding, and inference skills. Questions: 17 | 2023 English Reading Answers Explainedⓘ 2023 KS1 SATs Paper English Reading Answers ExplainedThis 2023 KS1 English Reading Answers Explained document provides detailed guidance for two reading papers. Paper 1 includes Where Does Wool Come From? (a non-fiction text about wool production) and Sleepy Cat (a story about Anna moving house and her missing cat Fluffy). Paper 2 includes Homes Around the World (accounts of children living in a houseboat, ger, lighthouse and underground house) and In a Minute (a story about Rory learning punctuality). Each answer includes retrieval, inference, vocabulary and sequencing explanations. Questions: 37 | ||||
| Source: Standards and Testing Agency (STA) | Open Government Licence |
About these 2023 KS1 English papers
- Where Does Wool Come From? Sleepy Cat
- This KS1 English reading assessment contains two texts with comprehension questions. Where Does Wool Come From? is a non-fiction text explaining how wool is obtained from sheep, processed into yarn, and used to make clothing and other items. Sleepy Cat is a fiction story about a girl named Anna who loses her cat Fluffy during a house move and eventually discovers him sleeping in a box in her new bedroom. Questions assess literal comprehension, vocabulary understanding, and inference skills.
- KS1 English 2023 Reading Paper 2 Answer Booklet
- This is the answer booklet for KS1 English Reading Paper 2 from the 2023 national curriculum tests. It contains questions about two reading texts: Houses Around the World (pages 4-5), which describes different types of homes including Sara's house, Bora's ger, Tom's lighthouse, and Ella's underground house; and In a Minute (pages 6-7), a story about a boy named Rory who learns about punctuality when his family teaches him how long a minute really is. Questions assess literal comprehension, vocabulary understanding, and inference skills.
- Houses Around the World, In a Minute
- This KS1 English reading booklet contains two texts for assessment. Houses Around the World presents four children describing their unusual homes: a houseboat in France, a ger in Mongolia, a lighthouse in Scotland, and an underground house in Australia. In a Minute is a narrative story about a boy named Rory who always delays tasks, causing problems until his family teaches him a lesson about punctuality.
- KS1 English 2023 Reading Answers Explained
- This 2023 KS1 English Reading Answers Explained document provides detailed guidance for two reading papers. Paper 1 includes Where Does Wool Come From? (a non-fiction text about wool production) and Sleepy Cat (a story about Anna moving house and her missing cat Fluffy). Paper 2 includes Homes Around the World (accounts of children living in a houseboat, ger, lighthouse and underground house) and In a Minute (a story about Rory learning punctuality). Each answer includes retrieval, inference, vocabulary and sequencing explanations.
2023 KS1 Maths SATs Papers
Paper 1 (Arithmetic) and Paper 2 (Reasoning).
| Year | Question Paper | Instructions Audio | Additional Materials ⓘTest instructions for teachers | Answers ⓘFull answers and mark schemes | Scaled Scores / Levels ⓘRaw mark to Scaled Score conversion tables | Complete ZIP File ⓘZip file with all standard resources bundled together | Premium Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2023 Maths Question PaperPaper 1ⓘ 2023 KS1 SATs Paper Maths Question Paper (Paper 1)This is the Paper 1: Arithmetic component of the 2023 Key Stage 1 Mathematics assessment. The paper contains 25 questions testing basic arithmetic skills including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Questions cover single and multi-digit calculations, finding fractions of numbers (halves and quarters), and missing number problems. Each question is worth 1 mark. Questions: 25 2023 Maths Question PaperPaper 2ⓘ 2023 KS1 SATs Paper Maths Question Paper (Paper 2)This KS1 Mathematics Paper 2: Reasoning assessment contains questions testing number operations, place value, shape recognition, data handling, and problem-solving. Questions include number comparisons using symbols, completing number patterns, matching numerals to words, identifying 3D shapes, interpreting block diagrams and tally charts, solving word problems involving addition and subtraction, working with fractions, calculating with money, and understanding turns and position. Questions: 32 | ||||||
| Source: Standards and Testing Agency (STA) | Open Government Licence |
About these 2023 KS1 Maths papers
- Paper 1
- This is the Paper 1: Arithmetic component of the 2023 Key Stage 1 Mathematics assessment. The paper contains 25 questions testing basic arithmetic skills including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Questions cover single and multi-digit calculations, finding fractions of numbers (halves and quarters), and missing number problems. Each question is worth 1 mark.
- Paper 2
- This KS1 Mathematics Paper 2: Reasoning assessment contains questions testing number operations, place value, shape recognition, data handling, and problem-solving. Questions include number comparisons using symbols, completing number patterns, matching numerals to words, identifying 3D shapes, interpreting block diagrams and tally charts, solving word problems involving addition and subtraction, working with fractions, calculating with money, and understanding turns and position.
2023 KS1 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling SATs Papers
Paper 1 (Spelling) and Paper 2 (Questions). The KS1 GaPS test has always been optional.
| Year | Paper 1 (Spelling) | Paper 2 (Questions) | Spelling Materials ⓘAudio listening tests for spelling test | Additional Materials ⓘTest instructions for teachers | Answers ⓘFull answers and mark schemes | Scaled Scores / Levels ⓘRaw mark to Scaled Score conversion tables | Complete ZIP File ⓘZip file with all standard resources bundled together | Premium Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2023 GaPS Paper 1 (Spelling)ⓘ 2023 KS1 SATs Paper GaPS Paper 1 (Spelling)This is the Paper 1: Spelling component of the 2023 Key Stage 1 English grammar, punctuation and spelling assessment. It contains a practice question followed by 20 numbered spelling items. Each item presents a sentence with a blank space where students must write the correct spelling of a word that completes the sentence. The test assesses students' ability to spell common words accurately in context. Questions: 20 | 2023 GaPS Paper 2 (Questions)ⓘ 2023 KS1 SATs Paper GaPS Paper 2 (Questions)This is the Key Stage 1 English Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Paper 2 from 2023, containing questions that test word classes (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs), sentence types (statements, questions, commands, exclamations), punctuation (capital letters, full stops, apostrophes, commas, question marks, exclamation marks), verb tenses (past and present), conjunctions, noun phrases, and plural endings. Students identify, select, and apply grammatical features across a range of sentence-level tasks. Questions: 20 | 2023 GaPS Spelling Transcriptⓘ 2023 KS1 SATs Paper GaPS Spelling TranscriptThis is the administrator's transcript for the 2023 Key Stage 1 English Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Paper 1: spelling test. It provides instructions for test administrators on how to read aloud the spelling words and their context sentences to pupils. The paper tests 20 spellings including common words, homophones, plural forms, suffixes, and words with silent letters such as five, helping, wave, lunches, knit, and dirtiest. Questions: 20 | 2023 GaPS Answers Explainedⓘ 2023 KS1 SATs Paper GaPS Answers ExplainedThis KS1 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling answers booklet explains how to approach and solve each question from the 2023 SATs paper. It covers co-ordinating conjunctions, sentence types, word classes (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs), punctuation marks (full stops, question marks, commas, apostrophes), verb tenses, apostrophes for possession and contraction, and plural endings. Each answer includes the correct response, an explanation of the grammar rule tested, and common errors to watch out for. Questions: 20 | ||||
| Source: Standards and Testing Agency (STA) | Open Government Licence |
About these 2023 KS1 GaPS papers
- KS1 English 2023 Grammar Punctuation Spelling Paper 1 Spelling
- This is the Paper 1: Spelling component of the 2023 Key Stage 1 English grammar, punctuation and spelling assessment. It contains a practice question followed by 20 numbered spelling items. Each item presents a sentence with a blank space where students must write the correct spelling of a word that completes the sentence. The test assesses students' ability to spell common words accurately in context.
- KS1 English 2023 Grammar Punctuation Spelling Paper 1 Spelling Teachers Version
- This is the administrator's transcript for the 2023 Key Stage 1 English Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Paper 1: spelling test. It provides instructions for test administrators on how to read aloud the spelling words and their context sentences to pupils. The paper tests 20 spellings including common words, homophones, plural forms, suffixes, and words with silent letters such as five, helping, wave, lunches, knit, and dirtiest.
- KS1 English 2023 Grammar Punctuation Spelling Paper 2 Short Answer Questions
- This is the Key Stage 1 English Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Paper 2 from 2023, containing questions that test word classes (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs), sentence types (statements, questions, commands, exclamations), punctuation (capital letters, full stops, apostrophes, commas, question marks, exclamation marks), verb tenses (past and present), conjunctions, noun phrases, and plural endings. Students identify, select, and apply grammatical features across a range of sentence-level tasks.
- KS1 English 2023 Grammar Punctuation Spelling Answers Explained
- This KS1 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling answers booklet explains how to approach and solve each question from the 2023 SATs paper. It covers co-ordinating conjunctions, sentence types, word classes (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs), punctuation marks (full stops, question marks, commas, apostrophes), verb tenses, apostrophes for possession and contraction, and plural endings. Each answer includes the correct response, an explanation of the grammar rule tested, and common errors to watch out for.
2023 KS1 Spelling Words
The words from the 2023 KS1 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling test (the Spelling paper), which were read aloud for pupils to spell.
| No. | Word |
|---|---|
| 1 | five |
| 2 | helping |
| 3 | wave |
| 4 | why |
| 5 | biker |
| 6 | sorry |
| 7 | stronger |
| 8 | ground |
| 9 | worm |
| 10 | monkey |
| 11 | photo |
| 12 | hear |
| 13 | lunches |
| 14 | raced |
| 15 | uncle |
| 16 | stuff |
| 17 | Thursday |
| 18 | fiction |
| 19 | knit |
| 20 | dirtiest |
20 spelling words.
2023 KS1 SATs Results
KS1 results were based on the teacher's overall assessment of each child, with the tests used as one piece of evidence to inform that judgement. The papers were marked by the school, not sent away to be marked externally.
Each child's teacher-assessed outcome (for example, working at the expected standard) was reported by the school and fed into the national KS1 attainment figures for 2023. Individual results were not published; parents received them from the school, usually in the end-of-year report.
To see how a raw mark converts to a scaled score and the expected standard, see the 2023 KS1 SATs Scaled Scores section below, or use our free scaled score converter.
2023 KS1 SATs Scaled Scores
The Standards and Testing Agency published raw-score to scaled-score conversion tables for the 2023 KS1 tests. They give a consistent benchmark for the expected standard. You may find it easier to use our free scaled score converter.
2023 KS1 English Reading Scaled Scores
The raw score required to reach the "expected standard" (a scaled score of 100) was 25 out of 40, or 62.5%. To be working at "greater depth" (scaled score of 110) a child would have to score at least 36 out of 40, or 90%.
See below for the full raw marks to scaled scores conversion table:
Below Expected StandardRaw 1-24 = Scaled 0-99
| Raw | Scaled |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 0 |
| 3 | 85 |
| 4 | 85 |
| 5 | 85 |
| 6 | 86 |
| 7 | 87 |
| 8 | 88 |
| 9 | 89 |
| 10 | 90 |
| 11 | 91 |
| 12 | 91 |
| 13 | 92 |
| 14 | 93 |
| 15 | 93 |
| 16 | 94 |
| 17 | 95 |
| 18 | 95 |
| 19 | 96 |
| 20 | 97 |
| 21 | 97 |
| 22 | 98 |
| 23 | 99 |
| 24 | 99 |
Expected StandardRaw 25-35 = Scaled 100-108
| Raw | Scaled |
|---|---|
| 25 | 100 |
| 26 | 101 |
| 27 | 101 |
| 28 | 102 |
| 29 | 103 |
| 30 | 104 |
| 31 | 104 |
| 32 | 105 |
| 33 | 106 |
| 34 | 107 |
| 35 | 108 |
Greater DepthRaw 36-40 = Scaled 110-115
| Raw | Scaled |
|---|---|
| 36 | 110 |
| 37 | 111 |
| 38 | 113 |
| 39 | 115 |
| 40 | 115 |
2023 KS1 Maths Scaled Scores
The raw score required to reach the "expected standard" (a scaled score of 100) was 35 out of 60, or 58.3%. To be working at "greater depth" (scaled score of 110) a child would have to score at least 53 out of 60, or 88.3%.
See below for the full raw marks to scaled scores conversion table:
Below Expected StandardRaw 0-34 = Scaled 0-99
| Raw | Scaled |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 0 |
| 3 | 85 |
| 4 | 85 |
| 5 | 85 |
| 6 | 85 |
| 7 | 85 |
| 8 | 86 |
| 9 | 86 |
| 10 | 87 |
| 11 | 88 |
| 12 | 89 |
| 13 | 89 |
| 14 | 90 |
| 15 | 90 |
| 16 | 91 |
| 17 | 91 |
| 18 | 92 |
| 19 | 93 |
| 20 | 93 |
| 21 | 94 |
| 22 | 94 |
| 23 | 94 |
| 24 | 95 |
| 25 | 95 |
| 26 | 96 |
| 27 | 96 |
| 28 | 97 |
| 29 | 97 |
| 30 | 98 |
| 31 | 98 |
| 32 | 98 |
| 33 | 99 |
| 34 | 99 |
Expected StandardRaw 35-52 = Scaled 100-109
| Raw | Scaled |
|---|---|
| 35 | 100 |
| 36 | 100 |
| 37 | 101 |
| 38 | 101 |
| 39 | 102 |
| 40 | 102 |
| 41 | 103 |
| 42 | 103 |
| 43 | 104 |
| 44 | 104 |
| 45 | 105 |
| 46 | 105 |
| 47 | 106 |
| 48 | 106 |
| 49 | 107 |
| 50 | 108 |
| 51 | 108 |
| 52 | 109 |
Greater DepthRaw 53-60 = Scaled 110-115
| Raw | Scaled |
|---|---|
| 53 | 110 |
| 54 | 111 |
| 55 | 111 |
| 56 | 112 |
| 57 | 114 |
| 58 | 115 |
| 59 | 115 |
| 60 | 115 |
2023 KS1 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Scaled Scores
The mark required to reach the "expected standard" (a scaled score of 100) was 23 out of 40, or 57.5%. To be working at "greater depth" (scaled score of 110) a child would have to score at least 34 out of 40, or 85%.
See below for the full raw marks to scaled scores conversion table:
Below Expected StandardRaw 0-22 = Scaled 0-99
| Raw | Scaled |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 0 |
| 3 | 85 |
| 4 | 85 |
| 5 | 85 |
| 6 | 85 |
| 7 | 87 |
| 8 | 88 |
| 9 | 89 |
| 10 | 90 |
| 11 | 91 |
| 12 | 91 |
| 13 | 92 |
| 14 | 93 |
| 15 | 94 |
| 16 | 95 |
| 17 | 95 |
| 18 | 96 |
| 19 | 97 |
| 20 | 98 |
| 21 | 98 |
| 22 | 99 |
Expected StandardRaw 23-33 = Scaled 100-109
| Raw | Scaled |
|---|---|
| 23 | 100 |
| 24 | 101 |
| 25 | 101 |
| 26 | 102 |
| 27 | 103 |
| 28 | 104 |
| 29 | 105 |
| 30 | 106 |
| 31 | 107 |
| 32 | 108 |
| 33 | 109 |
Greater DepthRaw 34-40 = Scaled 110-115
| Raw | Scaled |
|---|---|
| 34 | 110 |
| 35 | 112 |
| 36 | 113 |
| 37 | 115 |
| 38 | 115 |
| 39 | 115 |
| 40 | 115 |
About the 2023 KS1 SATs
Children in Year 2 (those aged 6-7 at the time) took the 2023 KS1 SATs at some point during May 2023. Unlike the KS2 SATs, there was no fixed national timetable: schools administered the tests flexibly across the month, at a time that suited them.
The 2023 KS1 tests were authored, produced and managed by the STA (Standards and Testing Agency) under the authorisation of the DfE (Department for Education).
The KS1 tests were taken in English Reading and Maths, with Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (GaPS) as an optional extra. They were sat under informal conditions and marked by the child's own teacher, alongside teacher assessments in writing and science.
Pupils with additional educational needs were offered support and/or extra time where appropriate. Modified materials using braille and large print were available to eligible pupils.
Once marked, a child's score could be converted to a scaled score using the published conversion tables:
If a child's scaled score was below 100, they had not reached the expected standard.
If a child's scaled score was between 100 and 109, they had reached the expected standard.
If a child's score was 110 or over, they had exceeded the expected standard and were judged as working at greater depth.
More KS1 SATs Past Papers
| Decade | Years |
|---|---|
| 2020s | 202220232024202520262027 |
| 2010s | 2016201720182019 |
FAQ
When were the 2023 KS1 SATs?
There was no fixed national date. Schools ran the 2023 KS1 SATs at a time of their choosing during May 2023, often spreading the papers across several days to suit their Year 2 classes.
Were the 2023 KS1 SATs compulsory?
Yes. 2023 was the last year KS1 SATs were statutory, when every pupil in a state primary school in England took them in Year 2. From 2024 they became optional (non-statutory).
How are KS1 SATs results worked out?
KS1 results are based on the teacher's overall assessment, informed by the tests and marked by the school. In 2023 the teacher-assessed outcome was reported and fed into the national KS1 attainment figures.
What was the pass mark for the 2023 KS1 SATs?
The expected standard is a scaled score of 100. For the 2023 KS1 SATs, the lowest raw mark for a scaled score of 100 was 25 in English Reading, 23 in Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling, and 35 in Maths. Use our free scaled score converter to check any score.
What were the 2023 KS1 SATs papers?
The 2023 KS1 SATs were the Year 2 assessments in English Reading and Maths, with Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (GaPS) as an optional test that most schools also used. Download every paper above, or browse other years on the KS1 SATs hub.
Who took the 2023 KS1 SATs?
The 2023 KS1 SATs were taken by Year 2 children, aged 6 to 7 - which is why they are also called '2023 Year 2 SATs'. For how the tests work, see the KS1 SATs hub.
Are the 2023 KS1 SATs papers free to download?
Yes - every 2023 KS1 SATs paper is free to download, with its marking scheme, plus our Answers Explained for English Reading and GaPS.
