Phonics test pass mark announced
Pupils who score 32 out of 40 on the phonics test will have reached the expected standard.
The government has announced the pass mark, which has been the same for the past six years.
The phonics check was taken by more than 600,000 five and six-year-old pupils in Year 1. It is a test of 40 words, half of which are nonsense words, and is administered and marked by a teacher or staff member who is known to the pupil.
Last year, 81 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in Year 1 – up from 77 per cent in 2015.
When the check was first introduced, the pass mark was known to teachers. But a sharp rise in pupils scoring 32 – the pass mark – prompted the government to reveal the mark only after the test has been taken.
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