2018 SATs Papers

Video Walkthroughs

Watch our video walkthroughs of the 2018 KS2 Maths SATs papers.

Paper 1 (Arithmetic)

Paper 2 (Reasoning)

Paper 3 (Reasoning)

Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling

What Was in the 2018 KS2 SATs?

2018 KS2 English Reading Paper

The 2018 Key Stage 2 English Reading assessment contains three texts for comprehension evaluation. The booklet includes The Giant Panda Bear, a non-fiction article covering panda characteristics, habitat, diet, and conservation efforts. Grannie by Vernon Scannell is a poem about a soldier's memories of his grandmother from childhood to adulthood. The third text, Albion's Dream by Roger Norman, is a fiction extract where Edward discovers a mysterious old game in his uncle's farmhouse.

The corresponding answer booklet features forty comprehension questions divided across the three texts. Questions assess understanding through retrieval, inference, language analysis, and summarization skills. The giant panda text is covered in questions 4-15, the Grannie poem in questions 16-29, and Albion's Dream in questions 30-40. The assessment tests pupils' ability to understand different text types including non-fiction articles, poetry, and fictional narratives.

2018 KS2 Maths Papers

The 2018 Key Stage 2 Mathematics papers consisted of three separate assessments covering arithmetic and reasoning skills. Paper 1 focused on computational skills including operations with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percentages, featuring long division and long multiplication calculations. Students completed all arithmetic questions without calculator use, demonstrating their ability to perform fundamental calculations using formal written methods.

Papers 2 and 3 contained reasoning and problem-solving questions that tested various mathematical concepts. Topics included number sequences, place value, properties of 3-D shapes, coordinates and geometry, ratio and comparison, time calculations, and operations with negative numbers. The papers also assessed students' understanding of fractions, estimation, measurement conversions, and their ability to solve multi-step word problems involving different areas of mathematics.

2018 KS2 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Papers

The 2018 KS2 English Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling assessment consisted of two papers that tested different aspects of language skills. Paper 1 was a questions booklet that assessed pupils' understanding of grammatical terminology and language conventions. It covered punctuation marks including commas, apostrophes, colons, dashes and question marks, along with word classes such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions. The paper also tested sentence types, verb tenses including past perfect and present progressive, and concepts like active and passive voice.

Paper 2 focused specifically on spelling accuracy through a structured test format. Students were presented with 10 sentences containing missing words that they needed to spell correctly. The spelling test included common spellings, homophones, and curriculum-appropriate vocabulary across different word types and patterns. This paper assessed students' ability to apply spelling rules and conventions to complete sentences with the correct spelling of target words, covering various spelling patterns and word formations appropriate for Key Stage 2 level.

About the 2018 KS2 SATs

Children in Year 6 (those aged 10-11 at the time) took their KS2 SATs tests in May 2018. The exams started on Monday 14th May 2018 and took place over four days.

The 2018 KS2 SATs were authored, produced and managed by the STA (Standards and Testing Agency) under the authorisation of the DfE (Department for Education).

KS2 SATs were taken in Maths, Reading and GaPS under formal exam conditions. These papers were marked externally whilst separate teacher assessments in Writing and Science were marked by their teachers.

Pupils with additional educational needs were offered support and/or extra exam time where available. Modified materials using braille and large print were available to eligible pupils and their teachers.

2018 was the third year of 'new-style' KS2 SATs tests under the new national curriculum.

To help prepare children for the 2018 KS2 SATs, children were able to download test papers from previous years free of charge. Whilst not working to the same curriculum, KS2 SATs Papers from 2015 (and before) were still useful to aid preparation.

Once marked, children's scores were converted to scaled scores:

• 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.

2018 KS2 SATs Scaled Scores Expected Standard and Greater Depth

Here you will find the Key Stage 2 raw/scaled conversion tables. You may find it easier and faster to use our free scaled score converter.

2018 English Reading KS2 SATs

The raw score required to achieve the "expected standard" (a scaled score of 100) was 28. Thus, the "pass mark" for pupils taking the 2018 KS2 English Reading SATs was 28/50 or 56%. In order to achieve "greater depth" (scaled score of 110) a child would have to score at least 40/50 or 80%.

See below for the full raw marks to scaled scores conversion table:

2018 Maths KS2 SATs

The raw score required to achieve the "expected standard" (a scaled score of 100) was 61. Thus, the "pass mark" for children taking the 2018 KS2 Maths SATs was 61/110 or 55.5%. In order to achieve "greater depth" (scaled score of 110) a child would have to score at least 96/110 or 87.3%.

See below for the full raw marks to scaled scores conversion table:

2018 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling KS2 SATs

The mark required to achieve the "expected standard" (a scaled score of 100) was 38. Thus, the "pass mark" for children taking the 2018 KS2 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling SATs was 38/70 or 54.3%. In order to achieve "greater depth" (scaled score of 110) a child would have to score at least 56/70 or 80%.

See below for the full raw marks to scaled scores conversion table:

Each school's KS2 SATs results were made available to their headteachers in July 2018 via the NCA tools website. Individual KS2 SATs results were fed back to parents some time after this date, normally within a child's end of year report.

Every school's KS2 SATs performance was made publicly available in December 2018 as part of the 2018 primary school league tables.

2018 KS2 SATs Exam Timetable

The 2018 Key Stage 2 SATs started on Monday 14th May 2018. The full exam timetable is below:

Video Walkthroughs

Watch our video walkthroughs of the 2018 KS1 Maths SATs papers.

Paper 1 (Arithmetic)

Paper 2 (Reasoning)

What Was in the 2018 KS1 SATs?

2018 KS1 English Reading Papers

The 2018 Key Stage 1 English Reading assessment contains five texts across two booklets. Reading Booklet 1 includes a narrative story about a boy preparing for his baby cousin's farm visit and a non-fiction text explaining food production from seeds to factory processing. Reading Booklet 2 features three texts: a non-fiction piece describing playground games from five different countries, a poem about frost-covered spider webs observed on a winter morning, and a narrative following two ducks searching for a new habitat after their pond is drained.

The assessment covers both fiction and non-fiction reading comprehension through varied question types. Students encounter retrieval questions requiring them to locate specific information from the texts, alongside inference questions that test understanding of implied meaning. Additional question types assess vocabulary understanding and sequencing skills, requiring children to demonstrate comprehension of word meanings and logical text organization. The texts span multiple genres including narratives, poetry, and informational writing about topics ranging from family relationships to food production and international games.

2018 KS1 Maths Papers

The 2018 KS1 Mathematics assessment consisted of two paper types testing different mathematical skills. Paper 1: Arithmetic contained 25 calculation questions covering basic operations including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with numbers up to 100. Questions progressed from single-digit calculations to two-digit operations, missing number problems, and finding fractions of numbers such as halves and quarters. The paper also included multiplication facts from 2×, 5×, and 4× tables, along with money calculations involving pence.

Paper 2 assessed reasoning and problem-solving skills across multiple mathematical topics. Questions covered place value and number comparison, counting patterns, measurement including length, temperature, time and money, and shape properties with symmetry. The paper featured word problems requiring multi-step calculations, data interpretation from charts, and visual representations such as arrays, part-whole models, and number lines. Topics also included fractions expressed as halves, quarters, and thirds within practical problem-solving contexts.

2018 KS1 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Papers

The 2018 Key Stage 1 English Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling assessment consists of two papers that evaluate different aspects of language skills. Paper 1 focuses on spelling and contains 20 questions where students write words within sentence contexts. This paper tests spelling of common words including homophones, contractions, words with suffixes, and vocabulary from the KS1 curriculum. Each question presents a sentence with a blank space for students to complete with the target word.

Paper 2 assesses students' knowledge of grammar terminology, punctuation rules, and sentence structure. The paper covers identification of word types including nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Students select appropriate punctuation marks such as full stops, commas, apostrophes and question marks, and recognize different sentence types including statements, commands, exclamations and questions. Additional topics include verb tenses, suffix usage, contractions, and proper capital letter application.

About the 2018 KS1 SATs

Children in Year 2 (those aged 6-7 at the time) took their KS1 SATs tests throughout May 2018.

The 2018 KS1 SATs were authored, produced and managed by the STA (Standards and Testing Agency) under the authorisation of the DfE (Department for Education).

KS1 SATs were taken in Maths, Reading and GaPS (optionally) under informal exam conditions. These papers were marked by their teachers alongside the Writing and Science teacher assessments.

As with the KS2 SATs, pupils with additional educational needs were offered support and/or extra exam time where available. Modified materials using braille and large print were available to eligible pupils and their teachers.

2018 was the third year of 'new-style' KS1 SATs tests under the new national curriculum.

To help prepare children for the 2018 KS1 SATs, children were able to download test papers from previous years free of charge.

Once marked, children's scores were converted to scaled scores:

• 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.

2018 KS1 SATs Scaled Scores Expected Standard and Greater Depth

Here you will find the Key Stage 1 raw/scaled conversion tables. You may find it easier and faster to use our free scaled score converter.

2018 English Reading KS1 SATs

The raw score required to achieve the "expected standard" (a scaled score of 100) was 25. Thus, the "pass mark" for pupils taking the 2018 KS1 English Reading SATs was 25/40, or 62.5%. In order to achieve "greater depth" (scaled score of 110) a child would have to score at least 36/40, or 90%.

See below for the full raw marks to scaled scores conversion table:

2018 Maths KS1 SATs

The raw score required to achieve the "expected standard" (a scaled score of 100) was 36. Thus, the "pass mark" for children taking the 2018 KS1 Maths SATs was 36/60, or 60%. In order to achieve "greater depth" (scaled score of 110) a child would have to score at least 54/60, or 90%.

See below for the full raw marks to scaled scores conversion table:

2018 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling KS1 SATs

The mark required to achieve the "expected standard" (a scaled score of 100) was 24. Thus, the "pass mark" for children taking the 2018 KS1 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling SATs was 24/40, or 60%. In order to achieve "greater depth" (scaled score of 110) a child would have to score at least 35/40, or 87.5%.

See below for pupils taking the full raw marks to scaled scores conversion table:

Each school's KS1 SATs results were made available to their headteachers in July 2018 via the NCA tools website. Individual KS1 SATs results were fed back to parents some time after this date, normally within a child's end of year report.

2018 KS1 SATs Exam Timetable

The 2018 KS1 SATs took place at some point throughout May 2018.

The precise days of the tests varied from school to school as they are given a greater degree of flexibility than KS2 SATs. Thus they would have been completed at some point between 1 May 2018 and 31 May 2018.