What is a scaled score in SATs?

Year 6 SATs are marked externally and the results are returned to schools in July.

Teachers will receive a raw score and a scaled score for each student in each subject. 

What is a Scaled Score?

The scaled score shows if a student has met the national standard.

Students can achieve a scaled score between 80 and 120. 

A scaled score of 100 or more means that the child has met the expected standard by the end of Year 6. This is the same every year.

The raw score (number of marks) is required to work out the scaled score of 100. This is set after the SATs have been taken and is subject to change each year. The raw score is changed to a scaled score so that the number is easier to understand and compare across years.

Although SATs are made to the same standards, the test difficulty can change since the questions are different each year. By changing raw scores to scaled scores, we can compare pupil performance accurately over time.

How are scaled scores different to Standardised Age Scores (SAS)?

Standardised Age Scores (SAS) take into account a child's exact age when taking a test, as well as an attainment estimate.

This is calculated by taking into account the number of questions answered correctly and incorrectly. It also considers the level of difficulty of each question. 

Standardised scores are based on the performance of a cohort taking a particular test at a particular time. As a result, these do not change over time, unlike the raw score required to achieve a scaled score of 100, which is modified by the government each year.

We recommend aiming for a SAS of 115+ in our Atom mock tests to have the best chance of achieving a high-scaled score in their SATs.

If you have any questions or need support in understanding your child's scores on Atom, you can get in touch via email at support@atomlearning.co.uk.