Spelling practice tests (KS1 and KS2)

Free KS1 and KS2 spelling practice tests from the national curriculum word lists, with listen-and-spell questions and instant marks.

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The tests

Year 1 common exception words – listen and spell20 questions · Year 1 · with audio Year 2 common exception words – listen and spell20 questions · Year 2 · with audio Years 1 and 2 common exception words – choose the spelling20 questions · Years 1–2 Years 3 and 4 statutory spelling words – listen and spell20 questions · Years 3–4 · with audio Years 3 and 4 statutory spelling words – choose the spelling20 questions · Years 3–4 Years 5 and 6 statutory spelling words – listen and spell20 questions · Years 5–6 · with audio Years 5 and 6 statutory spelling words – choose the spelling20 questions · Years 5–6

About these tests

Free spelling practice built from the official word lists in the national curriculum for England: the Year 1 and Year 2 common exception words and the statutory word lists for Years 3–4 and Years 5–6. Listen-and-spell tests use your device’s own voice (British English), like the KS2 spelling paper, where each word is read in a sentence. Choose-the-spelling tests work without sound.

Key facts

The national curriculum sets statutory word lists for Years 3 and 4 and for Years 5 and 6. Pupils should be able to spell the words in each list by the end of those years. Source: GOV.UK
The KS2 English grammar, punctuation and spelling test has a spelling paper (Paper 2) of 20 words, each read aloud in a sentence, worth 20 marks and taking about 15 minutes. Source: GOV.UK
The Year 1 and Year 2 common exception word lists in Appendix 1 are examples; schools may use others, depending on the programme they follow. Source: GOV.UK

Plan the teaching

Use these tests for practice at home or in class. Plan lessons with the free Lesson Plan Maker.

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Official sources

Practice only. Not an official test. Not affiliated with the Standards and Testing Agency or the Department for Education.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Word lists from: Department for Education, English appendix 1: spelling (national curriculum in England, English programmes of study), © Crown copyright 2013.