Do all year 6 children sit the same SATs papers?

[MandMand]

The CGP practice books which school have sent home say "standard level" on the front - does this mean there is also a higher or advanced level? I'm confused because the practice papers available on the DfE website all seem to be the same level.

My son is only on the middle table for maths but is getting 90% and above on the standard practice papers - I'm sure that the top table kids who are working at a much higher level would breeze through them in no time with 100%. Is there an additional advanced paper given to selected children who do well on the standard exam?

No, they all take the same, but in my experience the CGP standard book is on the whole much easier than "real" practice papers that my daughter has been given - there is a also an advanced book and I would say the real papers are a mixture of the two.

OK thanks, that makes sense. Are the "real" papers designed so that the standard material is at the beginning, with the more advanced material towards the end, or is it mixed?

On the whole yes - they usually start with easier questions

CGP papers are much simpler than the actual SATS papers. Yes, all the children sit exactly the same paper and on exactly the same day. I disagree about the content of the papers being easier at the beginning, that is definitely not always the case.

They certainly didn't start with easier questions last year. It was one of the criticisms.
It has been reported that this year there will be easier questions at the beginning in response to the feedback

"The government has simplified questions in this year’s primary SATs after reports that last year’s tests left pupils in tears.
Schools Week has learnt that the Standards and Testing Agency has made the questions early on in this year’s tests for 10 and 11-year-olds slightly easier.
The agency has also assessed the structure of the test paper, and how questions are sequenced to make sure “children are not discouraged”.
Teachers said pupils were “completely demoralised” last year, particularly after the reading test.
The Department for Education said it was “well accepted” that last year’s controversial tests were hard, the first on the new tougher national curriculum.
However, it said that pupils would still be expected to reach the same standards – which suggests exams will be marked equally rigorously.
Just half of year 6 pupils met the new expected standard in key stage 2 SATs last year, compared with 80 per cent in 2015. But the government said the figures were not comparable because of the national curriculum changes."
http://schoolsweek.co.uk/government-makes-sats-an-easier-ride-after-fiasco-last-year/

Don't even remind me about that reading paper, I could have cried for my pupils they were so demoralised.

We had some waste time on the early questions meaning they didn't complete the test but no one was demoralised or upset. An easier start will boost many children's confidence

@LadyPenelope68 I was supporting a child for that paper - I will never forget his face crumbling