January 13, 2025
Back in 2021, we first shared some analysis we’d completed in a post entitled ‘ATOS & SATs – the perfect match’, which looked at the reading ability children required to comprehend the questions posed in the papers.
For almost every year since both SATs and GCSE papers were available, we have continued to complete this analysis, and it is always well received by our customers – even if the results can be surprising.
2024 SATs paper analysis
Our analysis of the Key Stage 2 Reading SATs generates the most interest, especially comparing their book level to familiar children’s books. These comparisons help teachers identify the reading levels their students need to reach to access and understand the SATs exam papers. Students must comprehend what they are reading to answer questions effectively. Students must comprehend what they’re reading to answer effectively. If a student’s reading level is below that of the exam paper, they may struggle with fluency and comprehension, making it harder to grasp what each question is asking.
Analysing the non-fiction SATs texts often highlights the importance of exposing students to Tier 3 vocabulary in context. This practice helps students expand their vocabulary and understanding of the world beyond their immediate surroundings. Texts with subject-specific Tier 3 vocabulary, for example, in science, often have a higher-than-expected book level.
Teachers who closely monitor their students’ reading levels with easy-to-administer, short, adaptive tests like Star Reading, find our SATs analysis invaluable. It helps guide them in selecting texts that challenge students appropriately. How this support is implemented varies from school to school, often sparking fascinating discussions that we’re delighted to join whenever possible.
Analysing text with ATOS
For consistency, this analysis is completed using the ATOS readability formula, an open-source, research-proven way of levelling text. ATOS considers the most important predictors of text complexity: average sentence length, average word length and word difficulty level. The book levels generated by the formula are used in our production of comprehension quizzes for Accelerated Reader.
Any text, from a short paragraph to an entire book, can be ‘levelled’ using our free, online ‘ATOS Analyzer’ tool, which is available for anyone to use from our website. You can also learn more in this episode of the Renaissance Space Podcast. Matt Beighton from Literacy Shed talks about how he has found ATOS to be completely accurate in assessing and levelling text.