Changes to the 2016 SATS Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Test (GPS) •
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Grammar carries the most weighting – 36-­‐50% of total marks Spelling carries 29% of the total mark Chd will need to know the following content: Grammatical terms/word classes Nouns Verbs Adjectives Conjunctions Pronouns Possessive pronouns Relative pronouns Adverbs Adverbials Prepositions Determiners Subject and object Function of sentences Statements Questions Commands Exclamations Combining words, phrases and clauses Sentences Clauses Relative clauses Noun phrases Co-­‐ordinating conjunctions Subordinating conjunctions Subordinate clauses Simple past and simple present Verbs in the perfect form Modal verbs Present and past progressive Tense consistency Subjunctive verb forms Passive and active Vocabulary Standard English and formality Punctuation Capital letters Full stops Question marks Commas in lists Apostrophes Commas to clarify meaning Commas after fronted adverbials Hyphens Inverted commas Direct speech Brackets Dashes Commas to indicate parenthesis Colons Semi-­‐colons Single dashes Bullet points Verb tenses and consistency Synonyms and antonyms Prefixes Suffixes Word families New content (previously used in level 6 papers): • Conjunctions • Adverbials • Determiners • Subject and object • Relative clauses • Noun phrases • Modal verbs • Present and past progressive tenses • Subjunctive verb forms • Passive and active forms • Semi-­‐colons • Hyphens to avoid ambiguity • Progressive and relative pronouns • Present and past perfect forms. Standard English Formal and informal vocabulary Formal and informal structures The subjunctive Changes to terminology: Terminology not used in the test Terminology used in the test Speech marks Connectives (e.g. and, but, so, because, when) Inverted commas Co-­‐ordinating conjunctions (e.g. or, and, but, so) Subordinating conjunctions (e.g. when, if, because) Adverbs (words, e.g. therefore)/Adverbials (words or groups of words, e.g. on the other hand) Adverbs (of time) Connectives (e.g. on the other hand, in addition, furthermore, therefore) Time connectives (e.g. next, then, first, second) Connectives (e.g. after, before) Subordinating conjunctions, e.g. I went to the cinema after I had eaten my dinner (used to introduce a subordinate clause). Prepositions (of time), e.g. Entry is free after 5pm in the evening. Subordinate clause Embedded clause/’Dropped in’ clause Important note: Articles (a, an, the) will still be included in the test. However, articles now fall under the umbrella term of ‘determiners’ and pupils will need to learn the full range: • Articles: a, an, the • Demonstrative: this, that, these, those • Possessives: its, ours, their, my, your, his, her • Quantifiers: all, enough, some, any, no, much, few, little, both, many, either, each, every, another, other • Numerals (symbol or name): one, two, three, four, five Top tips • Teaching in context is essential • Accuracy is very important – inaccurate use of capital letter will be marked as incorrect • Review and recall previous learning • Use the correct terminology Reading tests Main points: • One reading paper – texts and questions are in order of difficulty and not related by theme. • More challenging questions towards the end of the question. • Focus on deeper knowledge and understanding rather than extended pupils too quickly. • Three new areas added; giving/explaining vocab. in context, making predictions, making comparisons within the text. • Continue to explore and teach figurative language, conventions and text structure – does not necessary appear in test. Unfamiliar questions types: • Predict what might happen from details stated and implied. Requires pupils to use the text to predict what they think will happen next. Benefit from explicit work on using the text to think about any next steps (e.g. Based on what you have read, what does the last paragraph suggest might happen next? Use evidence from this paragraph to support your prediction) • Explaining and understanding vocabulary in context. Greater focus on understanding vocabulary in context, pupils would benefit from word games that extend their vocabulary. Encouraged to look up the meaning of unfamiliar words and use these in their writing. Pupils could also create their own word lists that they have collected from their own reading. • Make comparisons within texts. These types of question require pupils to identify the difference between events. Encourage pupils to use key words like ‘but’ or ‘however’. Challenging more able: • Chd required to locate or give two answers rather than one. • Answers are extended and require pupils to structure and organize their own responses. Pupils also expected to explain their answer in detail. • Vocabulary will be more difficult to locate and might be unfamiliar to the pupils – can use context to aid understanding. • Find and copy questions might require pupils to find answers from the page of whole text rather than being given a specific locater. Top tips: • Practise skimming and scanning techniques under timed conditions. • Ensure pupils are using the text to answer questions. • Teach pupils how to explain their answer using evidence from the text. • Give pupils a scaffold for their oral explanations, e.g. use ‘I think… because…’ • Give pupils time reminders so they can pace themselves. • Phrases will use the term ‘groups of words’ to avoid confusion with the grammar tests e.g. Find and copy a group of words… Maths Tests Papers Total number of marks Timing Paper 1: Arithmatic Paper 2: Mathematical Reasoning Paper 1: 40 marks Paper 2 & 3: 35 marks per paper Total: 110 marks Paper 1: 30 minutes Paper 2 & 3: 40 minutes per paper Total: 110 minutes •
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Notable increase in the competency and skill required with fractions. Standard written methods of calculation are also expected, including long multiplication and division. What was previously seen as level 5 skill (higher) now expected standard: o Compare and order numbers using place value up to 1,000,000 o Round any whole number to the nearest power of 10 o Know the prime numbers up to 19 o Multiply and divide numbers with up to two decimal places by 10 or 100 o Find simple fractions and percentages of whole number quantities o Add and subtract fractions, including those with denominators that share a common factor o Find possible values in missing number problems involving one or two unknowns o Multiply two digit numbers by two digit numbers using the standard method of long multiplication o Become more confident with division using larger numbers, including the long division method o Know and use angle rules o Find the perimeter of compound shapes o Calculate the mean as an average (finding the mode is no longer expected at Key Stage 2) Key Changes: • Arithmetic paper instead of mental arithmetic paper • Significant focus on the number strands of the curriculum • No extension papers • Structured apparatus (tens and ones) are not permitted in any of the tests • In the arithmetic test, method marks are available only for use of standard long multiplication division methods. Arithmetic paper: • Focuses on questions relating to the number, calculations and fractions strand • Each questions is presented as a context-­‐free calculation using only digits and symbols. • Several of the early questions invite pupils to use mental strategies • Challenge is increased throughout the paper with the introduction of larger numbers, increasing number of decimal places and more complex fraction calculations • Questions requiring long multiplication/division are worth two marks; 1 mark available from the use of a standard method with only one calculation error. TRACING PAPER NO LONGER USED! Equipment: pen, pencil, ruler, rubber, protractor and mirror. Mathematical reasoning paper • Between 60 – 75% of marks available on both questions will be awarded for aspects relating to numbers, calculations, fractions, ratio and algebra. • Remaining marks – questions on measurement, geometry and statistics • Notable step up in question difficulty from the start. Top tips: • Focus on fluency in the basics: ensure children are confident with relevant addition bonds and multiplication tables. • Practise written methods of calculation regularly • Cover lots on development of numbers, calculations and fractions – greatest increase in expectations