SATs test that left pupils in tears based on teen book

A SATs reading test that left pupils in tears included an extract from a book with a ‘13-18 reading age’.

Hundreds of parents and teachers claimed that last week’s exam for Year 6 pupils – aged 10 or 11 – was too difficult.

Schools said it was so tricky that staff also struggled to understand the questions.

There were claims the English reading test booklet included ‘GCSE-level’ questions, with even high-ability pupils unable to finish the paper.

The reading booklet has three passages of dense text spanning nine pages. It includes an extract from the book ‘ The Rise of Wolves’ – a novel described on

‘Even staff found questions hard’

book sharing site Goodreads as for children aged 13 to 18. There was also a lengthy magazine interview about bats in Texas with the information thought to be adapted from a New York Times article.

The contents last night sparked outrage among parents who said youngsters’ confidence has been ‘undermined’ by tough testing.

Arabella Skinner, of the parent group UsForThem, said: ‘Many parents have expressed concerns that the papers this year for SATs were significantly more difficult than previous years.

‘Our current Y6 pupils have had almost all their Key Stage 2 education disrupted by the pandemic and now industrial action – the last thing they need is their confidence to be undermined by unnecessarily difficult testing.’

Schools minister Nick Gibb said the tests should not be ‘too hard for children’ and pledged: ‘we will certainly look at this’ in response to the concerns raised.