For: Year 5 and Year 6 | Exams: KS2 SATs grammar, punctuation and spelling paper, and 11+ English
Jump to: Level 1 – SATs core · Level 2 – SATs stretch · Level 3 – 11+ standard · Level 4 – 11+ selective
📌 Show key words and rules
| Word or rule | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | A word that names a person, place, thing or idea. | a tiger, a city, kindness |
| Plural | The form of a noun that means more than one. Most nouns just add s. | one bell → two bells |
| Vowel and consonant | The vowels are a, e, i, o and u. All the other letters are consonants. | In dog, o is a vowel; d and g are consonants. |
| Plurals: -es | Add es to nouns ending in s, ss, sh, ch, x or z. | bus → buses / dish → dishes |
| Plurals: -y | Consonant + y: change y to i and add es. Vowel + y: just add s. | pony → ponies / tray → trays |
| Plurals: -f and -fe | Many nouns change f or fe to ves, but some just add s. | half → halves / cliff → cliffs |
| i before e except after c | When the sound is ee, write ie, but write ei straight after c. It does not apply when ei says ay. A few words break the rule and must be learned. | ie: piece / cei: deceive / ay sound: vein |
| Silent letter | A letter you write but do not say. | knit, wreck, comb, gnat |
| Letter string | A group of letters that often go together. The same string can make different sounds. | bought, plough, tough |
| Suffix | Letters added to the end of a word to make a new word. | fame → famous |
| -cious or -tious | If the word you start from ends in -ce, use -cious. If it ends in -tion, use -tious. | vice → vicious / nutrition → nutritious |
| -cial or -tial | -cial usually comes after a vowel, and -tial after a consonant. There are a few exceptions. | racial / residential |
| Syllable | A beat in a word. Saying a word in syllables helps you spell it. | hos-pi-tal has 3 syllables. |
| Unstressed vowel | A vowel you can hardly hear when you say the word. Say it in a spelling voice or think of a related word. | history (think of historical) |
| Related word | A word from the same family that helps you hear a hidden letter. | bomb → bombard (you hear the b) |
| UK spelling | In the UK, some words are spelt differently from American English, for example -our and a doubled l. | colour, travelled |
Level 1 – SATs core: plurals and Year 3/4 statutory words
Matches the KS2 SATs spelling test. In the real test each word is read aloud; here the meaning in brackets tells you which word to write.
✏️ WORKED EXAMPLE: Write the plural of each noun: fox, baby, leaf.
Step 1: fox ends in x. Words ending in s, ss, sh, ch, x or z add es: foxes
Step 2: baby ends in a consonant (b) followed by y, so change the y to i and add es: babies
Step 3: leaf ends in f, so change the f to v and add es: leaves
Answer: foxes, babies, leaves
Common mistake: writing babys. When the letter before y is a consonant, the y changes to ies. Only a vowel before y (as in day or toy) means you just add s.
Your turn
Q1.1 Write the plural of church.
Show answer
church ends in ch, so add es: churches
Q1.2 Tick one correct plural of lorry.
☐ lorrys ☐ lorries ☐ lorryes ☐ lorreys
Show answer
The letter before y is a consonant (r), so change y to i and add es: lorries
Q1.3 Write the plural of monkey.
Show answer
The letter before y is a vowel (e), so just add s: monkeys
Q1.4 Write the plural of wolf.
Show answer
Change the f to v and add es: wolves
Q1.5 Write the missing word.
We wrapped the presents and packed them into two big ______. (more than one box)
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box ends in x, so add es: boxes
Q1.6 Write the missing word.
The second month of the year is ______.
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Say it in your spelling voice: Feb-ru-ar-y. It is a name, so it needs a capital letter: February
Q1.7 Tick the correct UK spelling.
☐ favorite ☐ favourite ☐ favourate ☐ faverite
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UK spelling keeps the u (like colour and honour), and the ending is -ite: favourite (favorite is American spelling)
Q1.8 Write the plural of potato.
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potato is one of the nouns ending in o that adds es: potatoes
Q1.9 Write the missing word.
Mum pinned a new ______ on the kitchen wall so we can see the dates of every month. (a chart showing all the days, weeks and months of a year)
Show answer
The word for a chart of the days and months ends in -ar, not -er: calendar
Q1.10 Circle the word that is spelt incorrectly, then write it correctly.
Jamal was suprised to find an island in the middle of the lake.
Show answer
There is an r before the p (sur-prise): suprised → surprised. island is correct (it has a silent s).
Level 2 – SATs stretch: i before e, silent letters, -cious/-tious and -cial/-tial
Matches the harder SATs spelling words, where you need to apply a rule and explain why a word is spelt the way it is.
✏️ WORKED EXAMPLE: Complete each word with ie or ei.
c _ _ ling (the top surface of a room) ch _ _ f (the leader of a group)
Step 1: both words have a long ee sound, so the rule i before e except after c applies.
Step 2: in the first word, the letters come straight after c, so use ei: ceiling
Step 3: in the second word, the letters come after h, not c, so use ie: chief
Answer: ceiling, chief
Common mistake: thinking any c in the word counts. The c must come directly before the two letters, so achieve and chief use ie.
Your turn
Q2.1 Tick the correct spelling.
☐ recieve ☐ receive ☐ receeve ☐ resieve
Show answer
The ee sound comes straight after c, so it is ei: receive
Q2.2 Write the missing word.
The ______ climbed through the window and stole the jewels. (a person who steals; it rhymes with leaf)
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Long ee sound with no c before it, so i before e: thief
Q2.3 Circle the silent letter in each word.
knee wrist lamb gnaw
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You do not say these letters: k (knee), w (wrist), b (lamb), g (gnaw)
Q2.4 Write the missing word.
Dad tied a tight ______ in the rope. (a fastening made by tying; it begins with a silent letter)
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It sounds like not, but this word has a silent k: knot
Q2.5 Write the missing word.
Hamza began to ______ up the rope ladder. (to go up using hands and feet; it ends with a silent letter)
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The word ends in the letter string mb, with a silent b: climb
Q2.6 Add the suffix -ious to the noun grace to make an adjective.
Show answer
The root word ends in -ce, so the sh sound is spelt with c (drop the e): gracious
Q2.7 Add the suffix -ious to the noun ambition to make an adjective.
Show answer
The root word ends in -tion, so the sh sound is spelt with t: ambitious
Q2.8 Tick the correct spelling.
☐ essencial ☐ essential ☐ esential ☐ essenshal
Show answer
Double s, and after a consonant (n) the ending is usually -tial: essential
Q2.9 Write the missing word.
Our class held a ______ assembly for Mrs Okafor’s last day. (out of the ordinary; it begins spe… and ends with a shul sound)
Show answer
After a vowel letter (e) the ending is usually -cial: special
Q2.10 Explain why official ends in -cial but partial ends in -tial.
Show answer
-cial is usually used after a vowel letter and -tial after a consonant letter. In offi-cial the letter before the ending is i (a vowel); in par-tial it is r (a consonant). Also accepted: official comes from office, which ends in -ce, and partial comes from part, which ends in t.
Level 3 – 11+ standard: Year 5/6 statutory words, -ough, ei after c and unstressed vowels
Typical of grammar-school 11+ papers. Choose between near-miss spellings and correct the errors in short passages.
✏️ WORKED EXAMPLE: Tick the correct spelling.
☐ neccessary ☐ necesary ☐ necessary ☐ neccesary
Step 1: say the word slowly in syllables: ne-ces-sar-y.
Step 2: use the memory trick one collar, two sleeves: one c and two s.
Step 3: check the ending is -ary, not -ery. The only option with one c, double s and -ary is necessary
Common mistake: doubling the c (neccessary). A shirt has one collar (c) and two sleeves (ss).
Your turn
Q3.1 Tick the correct spelling.
☐ accomodate ☐ acommodate ☐ accommodate ☐ acomodate
Show answer
It has a double c and a double m: accommodate
Q3.2 Write the missing word.
Mo’s ______ told him that taking the last biscuit without asking was wrong. (your inner sense of right and wrong)
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This is the noun con + science, not the adjective conscious (awake and aware): conscience
Q3.3 Write a word containing the letter string ough for each meaning.
(a) not smooth (b) a mixture of flour and water used to make bread (c) the past tense of bring
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The same letter string makes different sounds: (a) rough (b) dough (c) brought
Q3.4 In which word does ough make the same sound as in though? Tick one.
☐ through ☐ dough ☐ cough ☐ enough
Show answer
though rhymes with go. through says oo, cough says off and enough says uff: dough
Q3.5 Write the missing word.
Keep the ______ in case you need to return the trainers. (a piece of paper that proves you paid; it has a silent p)
Show answer
The ee sound comes straight after c, so it is ei, followed by a silent p: receipt
Q3.6 Tick the correct spelling.
☐ definate ☐ definite ☐ defenite ☐ defanite
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The unstressed vowel is hard to hear. Think of the related word finite: definite
Q3.7 Write the missing word.
Please keep the glass bottles ______ from the plastic ones. (kept apart; it has a rat in the middle)
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The unstressed vowel is a, not e: sep-a-rate. There is a rat in it: separate
Q3.8 There are three spelling errors in this passage. Rewrite it correctly.
Our neighbor’s dog is a real nuisence. Every evening at seven, it barks in rythm with the church bells.
Show answer
neighbor’s → neighbour’s (UK spelling has ou); nuisence → nuisance; rythm → rhythm (silent h after r).
Our neighbour’s dog is a real nuisance. Every evening at seven, it barks in rhythm with the church bells.
Q3.9 Write the missing word.
Grandad will be ______ on his next birthday. (four tens)
Show answer
four has a u, but the number word loses it: forty
Q3.10 Tick the correct spelling.
☐ embarass ☐ embarrass ☐ embarras ☐ embaress
Show answer
It has a double r and a double s: embarrass
Level 4 – 11+ selective: spotting misspellings, near-miss choices and rule exceptions
The style of selective independent-school papers. Know when a rule applies, spot its exceptions and correct errors in a passage.
✏️ WORKED EXAMPLE: Find the spelling error, correct it and explain why the rule did not help.
The knight tried to sieze the castle.
Step 1: the error is sieze. The word has a long ee sound with no c before it.
Step 2: the rule i before e except after c would predict ie, but this word is an exception: seize
Step 3: learn the common exceptions by heart: seize, weird, protein, caffeine
Corrected: The knight tried to seize the castle.
Common mistake: trusting the rule every time. It works for most ee words, but a few common exceptions must be learned.
Your turn
Q4.1 Tick the correct spelling.
☐ wierd ☐ weird ☐ weerd ☐ wiered
Show answer
weird is an exception to i before e: the ee sound is spelt ei with no c: weird
Q4.2 Write the missing word.
Eggs, fish and beans are good sources of ______. (a nutrient that helps build muscle; it breaks the i before e rule)
Show answer
ee sound, no c, but spelt ei: protein
Q4.3 There are four spelling errors in this passage. Rewrite it correctly.
The scientist recieved a letter from the goverment. It was definately the best news she had ever had, so she cooked a marvelous meal to celebrate.
Show answer
recieved → received (ei after c); goverment → government (silent n, from govern); definately → definitely (from finite); marvelous → marvellous (UK spelling doubles the l).
The scientist received a letter from the government. It was definitely the best news she had ever had, so she cooked a marvellous meal to celebrate.
Q4.4 Explain why eight, neighbour and reign do not break the i before e rule, even though they have ei without c.
Show answer
The rule only applies when the letters make a long ee sound. In these words ei makes an ay sound, so the rule does not apply.
Q4.5 Tick the correct spelling.
☐ mischievious ☐ mischevious ☐ mischievous ☐ mischeivous
Show answer
It has three syllables (mis-chie-vous), ie after h, and no extra i before -ous: mischievous
Q4.6 Many nouns ending in f or fe change to ves in the plural. Tick the noun whose plural just adds s.
☐ leaf ☐ roof ☐ knife ☐ calf
Show answer
leaves, knives and calves change f to v, but roof just adds s: roof (roofs)
Q4.7 Complete each word with -cial or -tial, then say what is unusual about them.
ini_____ finan_____
Show answer
initial and financial. Both are exceptions: initial has -tial after a vowel letter, and financial has -cial after a consonant letter.
Q4.8 Write the word containing ough that completes the sentence.
The police made a ______ search of the house. (careful and complete in every detail)
Show answer
Not through or though: this word has two syllables, thor-ough: thorough
Q4.9 Which word breaks the i before e except after c rule? Tick one.
☐ receipt ☐ believe ☐ caffeine ☐ shield
Show answer
receipt (ei after c), believe and shield (ie, no c) all follow the rule. caffeine has a long ee sound spelt ei with no c: caffeine
Q4.10 Each word is missing an unstressed vowel. Write each word in full.
(a) secret_ry (b) veg_table (c) priv_lege
Show answer
Say each word in a spelling voice to hear the hidden vowel: (a) secretary (b) vegetable (c) privilege