Free Year 6 SATs Maths Papers That Every Teacher Will Need For KS2 SATs
Looking for free Year 6 SATs maths papers to help with SATs preparation? We’ve created 6 KS2 SATs papers, including arithmetic and reasoning papers, for Year 6 that are available as free downloads for all teachers. Find out more below.
These free maths SATs practice papers have been created by our curriculum and assessment experts to align with real past SATs papers as much as possible.
Along with the SATs papers, we’ve included an answer booklet with suggested mark schemes to check whether your Year 6 pupils are on track to reach the expected standard in line with scaled scores for the national tests. That way, you can ensure your pupils have every chance to succeed in the upcoming KS2 SATs 2026.
Why use free KS2 maths SATs papers?
KS2 SATs are taken by children attending state schools in England. Children take KS2 SATs papers in English Reading, Maths, and Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar (SPaG). In May, you’ll have to administer these KS2 SATs papers to your Year 6 cohort.
KS2 SATs papers include various question types such as multiple choice and open-ended response. It is essential that your class are familiar with the format and question-types they’ll see on the papers ahead of time so they are prepared for the Key Stage 2 SATs.
Using past or practice SATs papers is one of the best revision tools available for KS2 Maths SATs preparation. SATs papers can help children manage test anxiety and perform better on the day. Practice SATs papers can also help you monitor standards across the class and identify where each child requires specific support.
6 FREE KS2 Maths SATs Practice Papers
2 Arithmetic, 4 Reasoning Papers in line with new National Curriculum Assessment, including mark scheme, content domains and thresholds
Download Free Now!6 free maths SATs papers available
KS2 Maths SATs papers consist of three separate papers: an arithmetic test and two reasoning tests. Here you will find 2 sets of free maths SATs papers available. Each pack consists of three separate papers and a mark scheme to accompany each paper.
Pack 1 Key Stage 2 SATs papers
Pack 2 Key Stage 2 SATs papers
Free KS2 maths SATs papers make effective practice
- Matched to the real past SATs papers: Each of the three papers in both sets contains the same number and type of SATs questions as your pupils will face during their maths KS2 maths SATs tests. All questions state the number of marks available.
- Totally new questions: Every KS2 maths SATs question has been created entirely new; these are not a random selection or variation on existing past papers.
- Answers provided: Answers are included for every SATs reasoning and arithmetic paper in each pack.
- Designed for assessment: The answer sheet for these SATs papers also includes a mark scheme (including additional guidance) to assess and find out where your pupils need extra support.
- Includes content domains: Each question is identified not just by its marks, but by its content domain reference codes from the DfE National Assessment Framework.
- Detailed coverage: The codes show coverage of topic areas across the papers and give teachers the ability to pinpoint what each pupil can and can’t do, leading to tailored teaching and better outcomes.
- Domains and descriptors matched to the SATs: The KS2 maths questions cover the same range of content domains and demand descriptors you would expect to see in the real national test papers.
- Progressive order: As in the all the new style KS2 maths SATs tests, the arithmetic and the reasoning papers are progressive; SATs questions increase in difficulty as you progress.
- Tried and tested: All the SATs papers have been thoroughly reviewed by a panel of teachers for their content and cognitive domain. Here’s what they say:
“I think this is the best practice paper that I’ve seen”
Aidan Severs, Primary Maths Lead
“These tests are an excellent tool for teachers to assess children and an invaluable tool to prepare children for the KS2 SATs”
David Stringer, Year 6 Team Leader
How to use the free SATs maths papers
1. Embed papers into your maths revision strategy
Inevitably a key part of your year 6 maths revision strategy and your year 6 SATs revision planning will be to use sample KS2 SATs papers, ideally in exactly the same format as your Year 6 pupils will sit in May. That way, your class will become familiar with the process and the exam structure.
2. Use the papers as practice maths tests
You can use our practice maths papers as timed ‘mock SATs tests’ to give your Year 6 cohort valuable exposure to the sorts of questions in a similar order to that which they’ll get during their KS2 SATs National Curriculum Tests administered in May.
Knowing how your pupils will perform under test conditions on an ‘as real’ practice SATs paper can give you a baseline or an interim ‘predicted’ result for your Year 6. You can use this as part of your teacher assessment to determine for example if any pupils will need an intervention for SATs.
3. Assess gaps
You can also use our free year 6 maths SATs papers to assess gaps. Each question in each practice SATs reasoning paper has been categorised according to a level of difficulty (working towards expected standard; working at expected standard; working at greater depth within expected standard) and guidance has been given on mark thresholds providing a more accurate assessment of your pupils.
You’ll soon see both individual gaps and patterns across class when you go through the test results of the Year 6 SATs practice papers with children to help prepare them. This will mean you’ll soon be able to see if you need to focus more lesson time on fractions, decimals and percentages for example or in fact work on speed, arithmetic and fluency first.
As the free SATs arithmetic papers are progressive, they will also enable teachers to diagnose precursor knowledge (questions towards the front of the paper); if misconceptions exist here, these will have an impact on later concepts.
4. Adapt lessons according to Year 6 pupils’ needs pre-KS2 SATs
The variety of question types and problem-solving questions in the reasoning papers also allows teachers to assess the types of SATs questions pupils may be struggling with and so adapt lessons accordingly. Be prepared to find that even though they’re in Upper KS2, Year 3 and 4 gaps may still be appearing.
5. Build stamina and confidence
Just sitting down and having a go at past key stage 2 SATs papers tests children’s confidence and stamina in maths, enabling them to build up their resilience and feel better prepared to tackle their KS2 SATs Maths test in May and be reassured that it’s not the great unknown.
Inside the free Key Stage 2 SATs maths papers
Pack 1 of free maths SATs papers
Sample paper 1: arithmetic question and answer from pack 1
Sample paper 2: reasoning question and answer from pack 1
Sample paper 3: reasoning question and answer from pack 1
Download our free KS2 Maths SATs Practice Papers Pack 1 here.
Pack 2 of free maths SATs papers
Sample paper 1: arithmetic question and answer from pack 2
Sample paper 2: reasoning question and answer from pack 2
Sample paper 3: reasoning question and answer from pack 2
Download our free KS2 Maths SATs Practice Papers Pack 2 here.
Here at Third Space Learning, our aim is to support schools throughout their maths improvement journey in a way that is targeted and affordable. This involves providing primary AI maths tutoring delivered by Skye, the AI maths tutor, for children who need extra support for their Key Stage 2 SATs, as well as Year 1 to Year 6 maths resources teachers in our online maths hub. Both the SATs tuition programme and the resources have been designed by pedagogy experts and teachers to directly support pupils and plug individual gaps in their learning.
Third Space Learning’s Premium SATs maths papers
In addition to the free SATs papers, the Third Space Learning online maths hub has hundreds of extra SATs resources and worksheets including worked examples, topic-based SATs questions and 18 high-quality practice maths SATs papers available to download immediately.
KS2 Maths SATs Practice Papers Pack 3
KS2 Maths SATs Practice Papers Pack 4
KS2 Maths SATs Practice Papers Pack 5
KS2 Maths SATs Practice Papers Pack 6
Find out more: How to become a premium member of the Third Space Learning Maths Hub.
Looking for more free SATs papers?
The following bundles of SATs papers and resources are all free to download.
- SATs Maths Papers Year 6
- SATs Arithmetic Paper
- SATs Reasoning Paper
- Year 6 Arithmetic Questions
- Year 6 Reasoning Questions
- Year 6 Maths Questions (with answers)
- Year 6 Maths Test (Year 6 content only)
- Best SATs revision resources recommended by teachers
SATs paper analysis
Read our analysis of the last six years of KS2 SATs papers, which includes what this means for the topics and methods for maths revision in Year 6:
SATs papers 2024
SATs papers 2023
SATs papers 2022
SATs papers 2019
SATs papers 2018
SATs papers 2017
SATs papers 2016
Take away the stress of the SATs test next year
You know your pupils best – from their favourite lunchtime treat right down to their existing learning gaps.
Most schools have a group of target Year 6 pupils who require intensive one to one Maths support to enable them to meet their age-related expectations. We provide such support to over 6000 KS2 pupils every week in their final year of primary school. Find out more about how you can support your pupils through affordable one to one primary AI maths tutoring with Skye.
We used AI tutor Skye this year. 93% of our Third Space Learning pupils reached the expected level. One child, who had been struggling with maths, attained at greater depth (scaled score 110).
Deb Harris, Assistant Headteacher and Maths Lead, Wormley CofE Primary School
DO YOU HAVE STUDENTS WHO NEED MORE SUPPORT IN MATHS?
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Explore our AI maths tutoring or find out about year 6 sats for your school.
