Year 6 spelling: what you can still move before May

What is confirmed for the 2027 KS2 tests?

The statutory KS2 tests run from Monday 10 May to Thursday 13 May 2027. English grammar, punctuation and spelling Papers 1 and 2 are on Monday 10 May. The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) says assessment arrangements for 2026 to 2027 will remain unchanged. Test results reach schools on Tuesday 6 July 2027.

The test framework describes Paper 2 as 20 target words, each in its own sentence. The administrator reads them aloud from a script. The paper is not strictly timed, and the framework allows about 15 minutes. Paper 1 carries another 50 marks, so spelling is 20 of the 70 available.

The same gov.uk pages say future arrangements are under review after the Curriculum and Assessment Review. Check the STA page on primary assessments: future dates for any update. This post covers 2027 only.

What does the spelling paper actually sample?

Paper 2 samples spelling patterns and morphology from the national curriculum appendix. The framework says the test may use "words drawn from the key stage 2 word lists" but "will not be limited to these". So the 200 statutory words cover only part of what can appear. The rules behind them matter as much.

The content domain lists suffixes such as -ation and -ous. It names endings such as -able and -ible. It also lists silent letters, words containing ough and "homophones and other words that are often confused". Possessive apostrophes with plurals, hyphens and contractions are assessed only in Paper 1. Teach them in punctuation lessons. Pupils still need them right in their independent writing.

Our Year 5 and 6 statutory word list gives you the 100 words with the patterns they sit in.

What does teacher assessment say about spelling?

Spelling statements appear at working towards and at the expected standard. At the expected standard, the pupil can "spell correctly most words from the year 5 / year 6 spelling list". They also "use a dictionary to check the spelling of uncommon or more ambitious vocabulary". Greater depth adds no new spelling statements. Those pupils must still meet the expected standard ones.

• Working towards: "most words from the year 3 / year 4 spelling list". Also "some words from the year 5 / year 6 spelling list".
• Working at the expected standard: the Year 5 and 6 statement above.
• What "most" means: the framework says "most" indicates the statement "is generally met with only occasional errors".

Two other lines in the framework matter for planning. The writing you judge "must be produced independently". Teachers may also "use their discretion to ensure that, on occasion, a particular weakness does not prevent an accurate judgement being made". Discretion is for an occasional, particular weakness. Moderators will expect the rest of the independent writing to show the standard clearly.

Local authority moderation of KS2 writing runs from Monday 7 June to Tuesday 29 June 2027. Spelling evidence from the spring term will be in your books by then. Moderators judge spelling from independent writing. A word spelt correctly across several pieces is the evidence that counts.

What can you still move before May?

You can move the specific words and patterns that your own pupils get wrong. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) says there is "limited high quality evidence about how to teach spelling". It also says spelling "should be actively taught". Treat the timings below as suggestions that you can adjust.

How do you run the error analysis?

Sort each misspelling by the type of mistake, then count them across the class. The EEF guidance names three types, and each type points to a different fix. The examples below are the EEF's own.

• Phonological (P). The spelling misses or changes a sound in the word. A pupil who writes vrious for various has dropped a sound.
• Orthographical (O). The spelling sounds right but uses the wrong letters for a sound. Sircle for circle is this type.
• Morphological (M). The pupil has the wrong prefix, suffix or root. Desappear for disappear uses the wrong prefix.

The biggest count tells you what to teach first.

1. Underline every misspelling in one piece of each pupil's independent writing.
2. Mark each one P, O or M, using the three types above.
3. Total each column for the class. Pick the biggest one first.
4. For each pupil, list the statutory words they missed. Start with Year 3 and 4 words for pupils working towards. Cap the list at ten.

The EEF says orthographical errors suggest a child "is relying only on letter-sound rules to produce an invented spelling". Morphological errors suggest the pupil has "not learned the consistent spelling of the morphemes in the word". Prefix and suffix teaching suits the second type. Chunking and tricky-part marking suit the first. Phonological errors need the pupil to say each syllable aloud and check the sounds. Persistent ones may point to a phonics gap worth assessing.

What does short retrieval practice look like?

Ten minutes, a few days a week, with words pupils have to recall without seeing them. The DfE Writing Framework says low-stakes testing "that prompts them to recall previously taught spellings" gives a more accurate picture of progress. It adds that this also supplies "the retrieval practice that is essential for long-term recall".

Put each pupil's unsecured words into the quiz. Add words from earlier weeks so that nothing drops out after one correct answer. Marking can stay light. The framework says correcting every misspelling is unnecessary. It suggests underlining common errors in words pupils "have been taught and already practised".

Dictation fits the same slot. The writing framework describes a trained adult reading a sentence aloud so that pupils write it word for word. It points to Ofsted's English subject report, which recommended dictation. The framework says dictation lets pupils practise transcription "without overloading their working memory". Choose sentences that contain the pattern you taught that week.

Should pupils use a dictionary to fix their spelling?

The teacher assessment statement mentions a dictionary, so pupils should know how to use one. The Writing Framework adds a caution. Checking in a dictionary "is useful only for good spellers, since pupils need to know the first few letters" to find the word.

For a weaker speller, a better route is to mark the doubtful word with "Sp" in the margin and look it up with them afterwards. The EEF lists this as an example strategy for the editing stage. Pupils who later look the word up themselves are showing the skill the statement asks for.

The bottom line

You cannot reteach 200 words to 30 pupils in 21 teaching weeks. You can find the five or ten words each pupil still misses and the two or three patterns the class shares. Teach those, recall them often and keep the evidence in independent writing. If you want a check of where a pupil stands now, the free Year 6 spelling check takes a few minutes with no sign-up.

For the wider case that spelling can limit writing, read why KS2 writing stays low. For the research behind retrieval and spacing, see the science of spelling.

Sources

• Department for Education, Primary assessments: future dates (updated 12 October 2026). gov.uk (retrieved 31 October 2026).
• Standards and Testing Agency, 2027 key stage 2 assessment and reporting arrangements (updated 14 October 2026). gov.uk (retrieved 31 October 2026).
• Standards and Testing Agency, Key stage 2 English grammar, punctuation and spelling test framework (2016, the framework currently published on gov.uk). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk (PDF) (retrieved 31 October 2026).
• Standards and Testing Agency, Teacher assessment frameworks at the end of key stage 2, for use from the 2018/19 academic year onwards. The DfE page states that arrangements for 2026 to 2027 remain unchanged. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk (PDF) (retrieved 31 October 2026).
• Department for Education, The writing framework (2025), pages 43 to 46. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk (PDF) (retrieved 31 October 2026).
• Education Endowment Foundation, Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2, guidance report, second edition (2021), pages 34 to 36. Education Endowment Foundation (PDF) (retrieved 31 October 2026).