yr 6 sats. grammer, punctuation and vocabulary...explain please

[makemineagin]

I am really struggling to find information that explains what will be included this year and examples of the above. Is writing now teacher assessed. Is the maths the same as in the past? Do they cover the level ranges 3-5 in one test and the grade deteminds the score? Do school suggest/put child forward for level 6?I would welcome some information from those that know :)

There are sample papers from the grammar test on the dfe website. Will do a link later if I get chance. The level 3-5 paper is very easy, IMHO...The level 6 one is not that much harder. It's to be taken together with the spelling test I think.

linky

www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/assessment/keystage2/b00208296/ks2-2013/english-tests/grammar-punctuation-spelling-test

Here's the dfe website stuff on next year's tests

Might need to know how to spell grammAR, however!

It's going to assess handwriting? Great. That's my highly intelligent DD's chances of a high score out of the window then. Her writing is perfectly legible, she can write accurately at school, but she does not write 100% cursive, and her writing is definitely not beautiful.

At this point no one actually knows what the final product will be handwriting may or may not be included

I really hope not... I totally understand the need to teach a child to write legibly and at speed, but I'd hate for it to become a beauty contest. I do like the idea of a grammar test though, children need to know their subordinate clauses from their Santa's little helpers.

Do you think they need to know that it's called a subordinate clause or is it enough to be able to use one in their writing age 10-11?

Handwriting is already included in the writing assessment, though, isn't it? Can't imagine it would be scored twice (writing test and spelling/grammar test), though who knows?

The writing test has been scrapped and the level reported will be based on work produced across the year ...no handwriting mark

oh, ok. I knew the writing test as such was scrapped, but not that teachers weren't including handwriting in their assessment. Wasn't it only worth 3 marks before - 2 for legible print and 3 for joined up? Irrelevant now, though.

BooksandsCuppa - buy I'm guessing that you're 30 ish years older than the year 6's who will be sitting it? Easy, then, in who's opinion?

I 'tested' ds on both papers last year when he was in yr 6 (for fun!) and he got full marks. But then he is autistic with an excellent intuitive grasp of grammar/punctuation, reads a lot, has had good teaching and has a geeky English lit grad Mum!

oh, except one of the questions on the level 6 paper has several possible answers...

Sorry BooksandaCuppa but where did you get the two papers?
Only small examples have been published so far because what will be included had not been decided. Actual samples will be published next month following the pilot studies.

(Maybe a child who corrects other people's comma splicing and use of the preposition 'of' with the word 'comprises' is not typical...I still maintain the level 3-5 paper is very easy for an average child if not the level 6 one!)

the dfe link...are they not full papers?

mrz I'd say using one appropriately in a sentence would do, as long as they knew why you might want to use one. DD is in Yr 5 and has known this for a while. The exact terminology is a cosmetic issue.

No BooksandaCuppa and they may be nothing like the final published test

I know they're not the real thing; I guess that they will be harder than in the examples in the link because they do seem too easy...

Sorry, I meant I knew they weren't the final thing and they were pilotting them etc etc first but assumed the length of the samples on the dfe website would be potentially typical. Didn't mean to mislead anyone.

Below are some illustrative examples of the types of formats we will use to assess grammar, vocabulary and punctuation in the short-answer section of the test. These examples are not exhaustive ? other formats are also being trialled and the questions could assess anything identified in the sections of the programme of study listed above. More detailed sample materials, showing a greater range of formats, will be available in December 2012 on the Department for Education?s website.
These illustrative materials are not intended to show the number of questions children will eventually need to answer. The total number of questions that will be included in the final test will be determined following analysis of results from the technical pre-test.

media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/e/2012%20english_grammar_punctuationandspelling_sample_materials.pdf

clam, trying to iron at the same time..............hopefully DD spelling is better than mine :) A big than you everybody for so much help.

oh i give up now that would be thank you :)