In 2016, children will sit the new national tests for the first time. We’ve taken a look at the sample tests and frameworks to see what’s in store for them (and for you).

Arithmetic Paper
The introduction of the arithmetic paper is a key change for the Key Stage 1 National Tests. It is not strictly timed, but the demand to answer 25 questions in 20 minutes could be challenging for some. There is a practice question included to help children become familiar with the format. Questions are purely arithmetical, ranging from addition facts to 10 (e.g. 4 + 2) to fraction work (e.g. ¼ of 20), with most questions coming from the raised expectations in the 2014 National Curriculum Programme of Study. Children are not allowed to use calculators or concrete apparatus, such as number lines. There is one mark per question, with no marks awarded for correct working if the answer is incorrect.

Reasoning Paper
Reasoning is now covered in a single test (rather than two), consisting of approximately 30 questions. As with the arithmetic paper, it won’t be strictly timed but children should have around 35 minutes for the paper. Again, calculators and concrete apparatus are not permitted, but children may use bilingual aids for translation if this is part of their normal classroom set-up. There is a practice question to help children become familiar with the format.

Questions cover number, geometry, measurement and statistics. Content comes from both Year 1 and 2 but children will need to have been taught the majority of the content from year 2 to confidently tackle the paper. Questions include recognising 2D shapes, solving simple word problems and recognising equivalent fractions. There is usually one mark per question, although occasionally there are two marks awarded for the correct answer and one mark awarded if the answer is incorrect but the correct method has been used.

Scoring and reporting
Each child’s raw score will be calculated (the total score for the two papers). This will then be converted to a scaled score out of 100. We won’t know until after the 2016 test has been taken what the required standard will be.

This blog post is part of a series of posts from experts breaking down the new 2016 National Curriculum tests by subject area to show you exactly what has changed and what to expect in May 2016. Read the next post: Your guide to the 2016 National Curriculum Tests: KS2 Maths

Jayne Jarvis has worked in educational publishing for more than 10 years, specialising in primary maths. She is a senior publisher, working on transformational maths resources such as Numicon and Inspire Maths.