Here’s a clear breakdown of Key Stage 1 (KS1) spelling expectations (Years 1–2) in line with the National Curriculum and SATs:
KS1 spelling is assessed through teacher assessment, not a formal test like KS2.
Pupils are expected to spell accurately in writing, including independent work and dictated exercises.
Focus is on phonics, common exception words, and early spelling rules.
Early readers and writers are expected to use phonics to spell words.
Pupils should:
Recognise sound–letter correspondences (graphemes)
Spell CVC words (consonant–vowel–consonant, e.g., cat, dog)
Use digraphs and trigraphs (sh, ch, th, ai, ee, igh)
Examples:
ship, rain, light, frog, three
Pupils are expected to spell words that cannot be easily sounded out.
Examples (from the Year 1 list):
the, said, was, you, they, are, all, do, come, some
Examples (from the Year 2 list):
because, many, people, again, thought, through, friend, school
Adding suffixes: -s, -es, -ing, -ed, -er
e.g., jump → jumping, hop → hopped
Plurals: adding -s or -es
e.g., cat → cats, bush → bushes
Adding -y to -ies for plural nouns
e.g., baby → babies
Simple compound words
e.g., playground, toothpaste
Correct formation of letters and joining where appropriate
Consistent use of capital letters and lower-case letters
Pupils are expected to spell accurately in context, not just as isolated words.
Teacher assessment looks for:
Correct spelling of high-frequency words
Applying phonics knowledge
Using suffixes and prefixes correctly
Avoiding common errors with irregular words
Daily phonics practice is essential
Practise common exception words in writing and reading
Encourage segmenting words into sounds for spelling
Use Look–Cover–Write–Check or simple dictation games
Provide opportunities to write short sentences independently