2016 Phonics Screening Check
Download the 2016 Year 1 Phonics Screening Check materials for free, including the practice materials, assessment materials, answer sheet, scoring guidance, word list, PowerPoint presentation and a complete ZIP file.
The 2016 check was given to all children in Year 1 in England in June 2016. Schools chose a day within the week commencing 13th June 2016, with larger schools spreading the check across several days. It included a mix of real words and pseudo-words.
2016 Phonics Screening Check Past Papers
Below are all the downloads for the 2016 Phonics Screening Check. You can download each resource individually or grab the complete ZIP, which bundles every PDF together with the word list and whole-class PowerPoint presentation published by Exam Ninja.
| Year | Practice Materials | Assessment Materials | Answer Sheet | Scoring Guidance | Spelling Materials | PowerPoint | Complete ZIP File ⓘZip file with all standard resources bundled together | Premium Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2016 Phonics Practice Materialsⓘ 2016 Phonics Screening Test Practice MaterialsThis practice sheet provides examples of real words and pseudo-words used to familiarise children with the format of the Phonics Screening Check. The real words include in, at, beg, and sum. The pseudo-words include ot, ect, osk, and vap. These sheets help children understand how the assessment works before taking the statutory check. Questions: 8 | 2016 Phonics Assessment Materialsⓘ 2016 Phonics Screening Test Assessment MaterialsThe official pupils' materials from the 2016 Phonics Screening Check. This booklet contains the 40 words children read aloud during the assessment, divided into Section 1 and Section 2. Each section includes a mix of real words (such as chin, queen, forest) and pseudo-words (such as gax, charb, phope) to assess decoding skills. Questions: 40 | 2016 Phonics Answer Sheetⓘ 2016 Phonics Screening Test Answer SheetThis is the teacher's answer sheet for the 2016 Phonics Screening Check. It provides a grid to record whether each of the 40 words (20 real words and 20 pseudo-words) was read correctly or incorrectly by the child. The sheet is divided into Section 1 and Section 2, with space for optional comments and a final total. Questions: 40 | 2016 Phonics Scoring Guidanceⓘ 2016 Phonics Screening Test Scoring GuidanceOfficial scoring guidance for the 2016 Phonics Screening Check. Lists all 20 pseudo-words from Section 1 and Section 2 with acceptable pronunciations and phonemic representations. Includes guidance on regional dialects and alternative pronunciations for graphemes such as 'ow', 'oo' and vowel digraphs ending in 'r'. Enables teachers to mark the check consistently. Questions: 20 | ||||
| Source: Standards and Testing Agency (STA) | Open Government Licence |
About these 2016 Year 1 Phonics papers
- KS1 Phonics 2016 Phonics Check Practice Materials
- This practice sheet provides examples of real words and pseudo-words used to familiarise children with the format of the Phonics Screening Check. The real words include in, at, beg, and sum. The pseudo-words include ot, ect, osk, and vap. These sheets help children understand how the assessment works before taking the statutory check.
- KS1 Phonics 2016 Phonics Check Assessment Materials
- The official pupils' materials from the 2016 Phonics Screening Check. This booklet contains the 40 words children read aloud during the assessment, divided into Section 1 and Section 2. Each section includes a mix of real words (such as chin, queen, forest) and pseudo-words (such as gax, charb, phope) to assess decoding skills.
- KS1 Phonics 2016 Phonics Check Answer Sheet
- This is the teacher's answer sheet for the 2016 Phonics Screening Check. It provides a grid to record whether each of the 40 words (20 real words and 20 pseudo-words) was read correctly or incorrectly by the child. The sheet is divided into Section 1 and Section 2, with space for optional comments and a final total.
- KS1 Phonics 2016 Phonics Check Scoring Guidance
- Official scoring guidance for the 2016 Phonics Screening Check. Lists all 20 pseudo-words from Section 1 and Section 2 with acceptable pronunciations and phonemic representations. Includes guidance on regional dialects and alternative pronunciations for graphemes such as 'ow', 'oo' and vowel digraphs ending in 'r'. Enables teachers to mark the check consistently.
2016 Phonics Screening Check Word List
Below are all 40 words used in the 2016 Phonics Screening Check. Each is either a real word or a pseudo-word (a made-up, nonsense word that checks a child's decoding skills rather than their vocabulary).
| Question | Word | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | lig | Pseudo |
| 2 | mep | Pseudo |
| 3 | gax | Pseudo |
| 4 | emp | Pseudo |
| 5 | beff | Pseudo |
| 6 | shup | Pseudo |
| 7 | doil | Pseudo |
| 8 | charb | Pseudo |
| 9 | fraz | Pseudo |
| 10 | criff | Pseudo |
| 11 | haps | Pseudo |
| 12 | barst | Pseudo |
| 13 | chin | Real |
| 14 | deck | Real |
| 15 | horn | Real |
| 16 | queen | Real |
| 17 | tram | Real |
| 18 | press | Real |
| 19 | self | Real |
| 20 | keeps | Real |
| 21 | jigh | Pseudo |
| 22 | woats | Pseudo |
| 23 | rird | Pseudo |
| 24 | phope | Pseudo |
| 25 | glips | Pseudo |
| 26 | floost | Pseudo |
| 27 | splam | Pseudo |
| 28 | stribe | Pseudo |
| 29 | stair | Real |
| 30 | haunt | Real |
| 31 | lied | Real |
| 32 | wove | Real |
| 33 | drank | Real |
| 34 | treats | Real |
| 35 | scram | Real |
| 36 | stroke | Real |
| 37 | arrow | Real |
| 38 | forest | Real |
| 39 | wishing | Real |
| 40 | brighter | Real |
20 real words, 20 pseudo-words.
2016 Phonics Screening Check Pass Mark & Threshold
The pass mark (threshold) for the 2016 Phonics Screening Check was 32 out of 40. A child needed to read at least 32 of the 40 words correctly to meet the expected standard.
Any child who did not meet the standard retook the check the following year, in Year 2. So children who missed the mark in the 2015 Phonics Screening Check sat this 2016 check in Year 2.
More Phonics Screening Past Papers
| Decade | Years |
|---|---|
| 2020s | 20222023202420252026 |
| 2010s | 20122013201420152016201720182019 |
FAQ
Is the 2016 Phonics Screening Check free to download?
Yes. The full 2016 Phonics Screening Check is free to download. It includes the Pupils' Materials booklet (with words for the child to read aloud) and the Answer Sheet for the teacher.
Where does the 2016 Phonics Screening Check come from?
The Phonics Screening Check is produced annually by the Standards and Testing Agency (STA), part of the Department for Education, and published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What was the pass mark for the 2016 Phonics Screening Check?
The pass mark (threshold) for the 2016 Phonics Screening Check was 32 out of 40. Any child who scored below 32 retook the check the following year.
Who sat the 2016 Phonics Screening Check?
Two groups sat the 2016 check: Year 1 children, aged 5 to 6 (born between 1 September 2010 and 31 August 2011); and Year 2 children who did not meet the expected standard in the 2015 check and were retaking it. For how the check works, see the Phonics Screening page.
What happened if my child did not pass the 2016 Phonics Screening Check?
A child who did not meet the expected standard (32 out of 40) in the 2016 check retook it in Year 2, the following year, in 2017.
