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Key Stage 3

Key Stage 3 Standard Assessment Tests (SATs)

The Key Stage 3 SAT’s examinations represent an important time in a child's life : they define the future!

A lot rides on them too: which courses the child will study at GCSE and eventually on to sixth form, college or a place of work.

Yet for many parents and those not directly involved in schools, the examination system is a confusing set of acronyms, levels and grades. Hopefully this will help you to understand exactly what is going on!

Tests at the end of Year 9 are important indicators of how a student is doing at Greenshaw High School. They are designed to measure a student's progress in the first three years of Secondary school. As well as sitting papers in English, Maths and Science, the child's teachers will produce Teacher Assessment levels which are seen to be as important as the formal Tests.

Click here to see the English 2008 SAT Top Tips Presentation

Click here to see the Maths 2008 SAT Top Tips Presentation

Click here to see the Science 2008 SAT Top Tips Presentation

What is covered?

  • English: Reading, writing; a scene from a Shakespeare play prepared in class.
  • Mathematics: Algebra, handling data, measuring, number, shape and space, mental arithmetic.
  • Science: Physics, Biology and Chemistry.

Levels:

  • Most children score between levels 3 and 7, with 5 being the average.
  • For children who are not expected to reach Level 3, alternative Tests are run in the classroom with teacher support.
  • For higher achievers there is the option of sitting the extension paper in each subject. If they do well enough, the child is awarded level 8 or EP - exceptional performance.
  • The SATs results arrive in school by the end of the year and we will report the results to you. They may be used to help set or band students for GCSEs.

 

Dates and Times of the Year 9 SAT’s Examinations at Greenshaw High School

Tuesday 6th May 2008
am Mental Maths test A and C and Maths paper 1
pm Maths paper 2

Wednesday 7th May 2008
am English writing paper, longer task and shorter task
pm Mental maths test B

Thursday 8th May 2008
am English reading paper
pm English Shakespear paper

Friday 9th May 2008
am Science paper 1
pm Science paper 2

 

 

Helping your child to do well in the Year 9 SAT’s Examinations at Greenshaw High School

During the spring term…

  • Get your child to check that they have all the notes and texts they need for revision.
  • Encourage them to read through their notes.
  • Work with them on some mathematics questions and encourage them to ask for help at school on any aspects they do not understand.

Just before the tests begin

Help them to make a home study plan. This should:

  • be made up of 30-minute sessions;
  • ensure that each session starts by tackling the most difficult bits;
  • revisit topics nearer to the tests;
  • be displayed to help them to keep to it.

During the test period

Suggest that they adapt the study plan so that:

  • it covers topics for tomorrow’s tests;
  • it gives time to prepare for later tests.

You can also help by:

  • encouraging the rest of the family to be supportive;
  • suggesting your child invites a friend around for some revision sessions – talking about work can help;
  • securing a quiet place for study, where their work can be safely kept;
  • encouraging relaxation time (too much study is not helpful);
  • praising hard work;
  • emphasising the need for plenty of sleep;
  • helping them to forget about each test as it is finished;
  • reminding them that it will soon be over!


What’s in the English tests?

In the reading paper, your child will be asked to read three short texts and answer a range of questions, some requiring short answers, some a longer response.

In the writing paper, your child will choose a writing task that requires them to write a continuous piece, fiction or non-fiction.

In the Shakespeare paper, there is a reading task which tests your child’s ability to understand and write in detail about printed extracts from two scenes from the Shakespeare play they have studied. There is also a short writing task, linked to ideas or themes in the play, which tests the ability to write precisely and concisely

To get level 5 or above in English, your child should be able to:

  • use commas, speech marks and apostrophes accurately;
  • use paragraphs;
  • spell some difficult words correctly;
  • use some complex (longer and more detailed/descriptive) sentences;
  • use a wide range of vocabulary;
  • give reasons and explanations, backed up by evidence, in their answers.

What you can do to help your child with English

  • Rent the film of the Shakespeare play.
  • Help with key spellings: rhythm, rhyme, scene, playwright, author, character, soliloquy, theatre, simile, onomatopoeia.
  • Read through their folder/exercise book and check their personal targets: if they have still not achieved all of them, help them to work on them.
  • Find out what they always forget (for example, there/their/they’re, or using paragraphs) and help them to remember.

 


What’s in the mathematics tests?

Each of the papers tests the whole mathematics curriculum: number, algebra, shape, space and measures, and handling data.
In the mental mathematics test your child needs to be able to recall and use number facts.

Paper 1 is a non-calculator examination, so your child needs reliable methods for mental and written calculations.
Pupils can use a calculator on paper 2.

To get level 5 or above in mathematics, your child should be able to:

  • complete calculations correctly, clearly showing appropriate working;
  • give reasons and explanations to back up their answers;
  • use units correctly;
  • use correct mathematical notation when setting out their work.

What you can do to help your child with mathematics

  • Show enthusiasm for mathematics as well as pointing out its importance.
  • Help to reinforce the learning that has taken place in school – for example, learning multiplication tables, remembering formulae such as those for a circle, circumference Formula.
  • Look at their exercise books and discuss what and how to improve.
  • Find out where they make silly errors and help them to correct them.
  • Make sure that your child knows what is needed and has the equipment for each exam – pens, pencil and rubber, ruler, protractor and, for paper 2, a calculator.
  • A watch is useful in planning how to use time in the exam.
 

What’s in the science tests?

There are two very similar test papers. Both include a range of questions and cover similar subject material. The two papers allow a full range of science topics to be covered.

To get level 5 or above in science, your child should be able to:

  • describe how to use equipment accurately and safely;
  • accurately read results from pictures or graphs, and use units, such as g or cm, correctly;
  • draw reasonable conclusions from data or evidence, and give sensible explanations for them;
  • remember a range of scientific ideas and apply them to unfamiliar situations – for example, to interpret a food web, to identify an unfamiliar chemical, or to recognise forces in a different situation.

What you can do to help your child with Science:

  • Read through their folder/exercise book and get them to talk about the science they have done.
  • Talk about things they find difficult and encourage them to explain their difficulties to you. Together you can work out how to ask the teacher for help.
  • Watch science television programmes such as those on health, wildlife and the environment, and talk with your child about the science involved.