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 arithmetic and reasoning papers for Year 6 that are available as free downloads for all teachers. Find out more below. 

These free SATS practice papers have been created by our curriculum and assessment experts to align with the real SATs exams as much as possible. 

We’ve also included an answer booklet with suggested mark schemes to check whether your Year 6 pupils are on track for 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 SATs 2024.

6 free SATs maths papers available 

Here you will find our 6 free SATs papers available. All of these include a mark scheme to accompany each paper. 

Pack 1 Key Stage 2 SATs papers

1. Pack 1 SATs Arithmetic Paper 1 
2. Pack 1 SATs Reasoning Paper 2
3. Pack 1 SATs Reasoning Paper 3

Pack 2 Key Stage 2 SATs papers

4. Pack 2 SATs Arithmetic Paper 1
5. Pack 2 SATs Reasoning Paper 2
6. Pack 2 SATs Reasoning Paper 3

What’s special about these free SATs papers?

• Matched to the real SATs papers: Each paper contains the same number and type of SATs questions as your Year 6 pupils will get during the government maths KS2 SATs tests.

• Totally new questions: Every SATs question has been created entirely new these are not variations 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 answers and 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 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, with the SATs questions getting increasingly difficult 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 tests, ideally in exactly the same format as your Year 6 pupils will sit in May. That way, your pupils 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 pupils valuable exposure to the sorts of questions in a similar order to that which they’ll get during their KS2 SATs National Curriculum Tests 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 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.

Take a look inside free Key Stage 2 SATs maths papers

Pack 1 of free 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 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 targeted 1-to-1 maths interventions for those pupils 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 their own individual gaps in their learning.

Third Space Learning’s Premium SATs maths papers

In addition to the free SATs maths 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 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 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 1-to-1 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.

“In Autumn we had 49% of children on track to achieve ARE (Age related expectations). As a direct result of Third Space Learning, this resulted in an outstanding shift in results. Without a doubt our 100% ARE in Year 6 was based upon the materials and skills invested by Third Space and their tutors.”
– Yvonne Whalley, Deputy Headteacher, Toll Bar Primary, Doncaster

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Every week Third Space Learning’s maths specialist tutors support thousands of primary school children with weekly online 1-to-1 lessons and maths interventions. Since 2013 we’ve helped over 150,000 children become more confident, able mathematicians. Learn more or request a personalised quote to speak to us about your needs and how we can help.