What's in the check?

The check has 40 words in total, split into two sections:

• 20 real words — like "sun", "shed", "thank", "rabbit"
• 20 pseudo-words — made-up words like "tup", "shing", "spronk", marked with a little alien picture so children know they aren't real

The pseudo-words are there to test pure phonics — children can't recognise them from memory.

Why are alien words used?

If a child sees the word "cat", they might just remember the picture in their head. That doesn't test phonics — it tests memory.

If a child sees "tup", they've never seen it before. The only way to read it is to blend the sounds: t-u-p → tup.

So pseudo-words give the cleanest picture of whether your child has cracked the phonics code.

How is it scored?

The expected standard is 32 out of 40. That has been the threshold for several years and is unlikely to change.

If a child doesn't meet the standard, they get more phonics support in Year 2 and retake the check in June of Year 2.

About 4 in 5 Year 1 children meet the standard at first attempt. Almost all the rest catch up by the end of Year 2.

How to help at home

The best preparation is calm, consistent practice:

• Read together for 10 minutes most days
• When your child sees a word they don't know, sound it out together: "f-r-o-g"
• Practice pseudo-words with our Alien Decoder game — kids find them fun
• Don't call it a "test" — it's just a check, and pressure makes children freeze

Most importantly: reading should still feel fun. Stories at bedtime, jokes in books, signs in the supermarket — every bit of reading helps.