National Tests will be taking place between
Wednesday 3rd - Wednesday 10th May 2017

All children in Wales from Y2 to Y9 take tests in reading and numeracy at the end of each school year. Testing will take place between Wednesday 3rd - Wednesday 10th May 2017. A more detailed timetable of the test dates for each year group will become available closer to the time.

Their main aims are to:
  • Give schools an accurate gauge of individual children’s skills and abilities
  • Help drive up literacy and numeracy standards in children throughout Wales
  • Paint a clearer picture of how children are performing nationally (until now, individual schools have carried out their own tests in literacy and numeracy)
The tests are compulsory for all Y2-Y9 children in Wales, and since September 2013 they've become a statutory part of the school curriculum too.

Talk to your child about the tests but play them down as a fun challenge that everyone will be doing instead of something to be scared of. It’s a good idea to download sample tests at home to try together (see below). 

The tests are paper-based, and take between 30 and 60 minutes each.

Reading

Children read a passage before answering a mixture of multiple choice questions and questions needing short, closed responses like ordering, pairing and underlining. They’ll have up to an hour to finish, plus there’s time at the beginning to do practice questions.

Numeracy - Procedural

The numeracy part of the test last for 30 minutes; children are tested on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Unlike the reading test, there’s a separate numeracy test for each year group. 

Numeracy - Reasoning

 The reasoning test assesses how well they can apply calculation skills to everyday problems. Unlike the reading test, there’s a separate numeracy test for each year group. Follow the link below and click on the support materials page.