Year 2 SATS (sorry!) is it odd to have a 2B for writing and a 3A for comprehension?

[atticusclaw]

I'm wondering whether its a typo. We know DS struggles with his writing and getting anything down on paper but to have such a big difference between writing score and comprehension score seems odd to me? Does this look like it will be an error?

Why do schools give out reports on a Friday when you can't ask questions?!

What is his writing like? Do you think that's accurate? My DS is great at reading, comprehension but his writing is terrible.

Writing usually lags behind reading

His writing isn't great. He'll sit for half an hour and struggle to put down more than a couple of paragraphs. Its truly painful. I don't doubt the writing score is correct, I'm just wondering whether the 3A for comprehension can possibly be right. I would have expected the two scores to have been closer. Maybe it is right, he's been given a reading age of 8 years and 8 months, a writing score of 2B and a comprehension score of 3A.

They give them out Friday so you have the weekend to calm down

I'm sure that's true Lilaclily

The majority of children who get a level 3 for reading will only get a level 2 for writing. That sort of combination is really really common for those scoring a high level 3 in reading.

That's a relief, I just assumed it must be wrong. I wasn't expecting miracles with the writing since he was assessed in March as a 2C but didn't realise it was normal to have such a big difference between writing and comprehension. Thanks all.

Another who thinks it sounds right - just wanted to add - the writing tends to catch up (although reading is often still better) in ks2 when they mature and start to apply things they read to their writing.

Same here with my DS. His reading was always ahead of his writing. He's year 4 and the gap is even wider. 3a for writing and 4a for English. It doesn't worry me to be honest.

Ds should be about that sort of levels when I get his report. He might scrape a 2A in writing, but I'm not expecting it.

The thing is that he does enjoy reading (particularly when it's facts) and spends quite a lot of time reading. He enjoys taking a text and teasing information out.
He can't see the point in writing, and can't be bothered. The teacher reckons he probably could do it if he wanted to, but he really sees writing as a challenge to either finish as quickly as possible, or avoid as long as possible.
The teacher said that in her experience, with children, particularly boys, like him, the writing catches up round about year 4.

My son in year 1 will also have a discrepancy between his reading and writing. Reading this will make me feel more calm about it!

Yes and it can carry on. My yr 5 ds is 3A for writing and 4B reading. I am making an effort to keeping him reading inspiring fiction to hopefully help his writing. For a while he stopped reading fiction

Yes, DCs in yrs 4&6 both have similar gaps between their reading and writing levels.

It is normal for reading to be slightly ahead of writing. However anything more than two sublevels would be very concerning. It is a big thing on many schools' agenda to narrow the gap between reading and writing.
Have you been told your child is a gifted reader? As a 3a at ks1 is exceptionally high.
Professionally speaking, I'd be questioning the accuracy of the reading assessment and whether it is simply based on a test score.

The KS1 tests don't give sublevels so it can only be TA

and I agree 3A is high

I wondered if they'd given a y3 test as well. It's something we did last year for a particularly gifted child we had.

would be bad practice to base level off that alone

Indeed. But I'm afraid I've known it to happen in the past

I don't know what testing they did, they didn't tell us. They just said they were doing SATS, that it didn't really mean anything but that it would be used to help them work out the groupings next year (they have an A class and a B class for literacy and numeracy from Year 3 when they start having separate classes for all their various subjects).

He is a good reader, he could read when he started school and has stayed "ahead" but I wouldn't say he's astonishingly good or anything. Would a 3A tally with the reading age they gave him of 8 years and 8 months?

I'm going to check with school in the morning. There may well have been a mistake, DS1 is in Year 4 and also brought home his report and SATS scores and his form was blank!

My level 2 readers have reading age of 9 years +

I'm not a teacher, but a parent. I do think that 3A sounds high for a reading age of 8y8m. DD is year 2 and a level 3 in reading (not sure of the sublevel) and she has a reading age of over 10 years old.

Just checked with school and it is apparently correct. Its a comprehension score which is apparently different from the reading age score.

Nope, that's very normal and the way round I'd expect. Writing always lags behind reading/comprehension.