KS2 maths SATs are three papers sat in Year 6: an Arithmetic paper and two Reasoning papers, worth 110 marks in total. No calculators are allowed on any paper. Here's exactly what's tested, which topics come up most, and how to help your child prepare.
Written calculation: four operations, fractions, decimals and percentages. No reasoning — pure fluency with numbers.
Applied maths and problem-solving across the full KS2 curriculum. No calculator.
Same format as Paper 2 — a second reasoning paper to broaden curriculum coverage.
In 2027, the maths papers were sat on Wednesday (Papers 1 & 2) and Thursday (Paper 3) — see the full test schedule for how this fits with GPS and Reading.
Every KS2 maths topic can appear, but these come up most consistently across recent years — and are the ones worth prioritising in revision time.
Start with arithmetic fluency — it's the fastest topic to improve and builds the confidence needed for reasoning questions. Long multiplication and long division are worth drilling specifically, since they're heavily weighted and easy to lose marks on through small slips rather than misunderstanding.
Once arithmetic is solid, move to worded reasoning problems from real past papers. The skill children need most isn't calculation — it's correctly identifying which operation a question is actually asking for, which only comes from practising varied, realistic questions rather than repetitive drills.
Timed, auto-marked, with a full explanation for every wrong answer — and a topic breakdown showing exactly which maths areas need work.
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