Spelling Rules — Starter Test
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About this resource
The warm-up spelling assessment. Plurals (adding -s or -es), simple suffix endings (-ing, -ed, -er, -est) without root changes, and the prefix un-.
What you'll learn
- Plurals (-s, -es) DfE NC English KS1 spelling, Appendix 1 (Y1)
- Suffixes (-ing, -ed, -er, -est) DfE NC English KS1 spelling, Appendix 1 (Y1)
- The prefix un- DfE NC English KS1 spelling, Appendix 1 (Y1)
Inside this resource
- 12 questions
For the student — how to do this
This test is about spelling rules. You'll add -s or -es to make plurals (more than one), and add endings like -ing, -ed, -er to words.
For parents and carers
The Year 1 spelling warm-up. Covers plurals (cat → cats, fox → foxes), simple suffix additions where the root doesn't change (jump → jumping, jumped, jumper), and the prefix un- (happy → unhappy).
The -s vs -es rule: add -es when the word ends in -s, -ss, -x, -ch, -sh (where adding just -s would be hard to say). Otherwise -s.
For teachers and tutors
Y1 spelling warm-up aligned to NC Appendix 1. Coverage: -s plurals (3 questions), -es plurals (2 questions), -ing/-ed simple suffixes (3 questions), -er/-est comparatives (2 questions), prefix un- (2 questions).
How to check the work
Auto-marked with rule explanations. Diagnostic: if errors cluster on -es plurals, the child hasn't internalised the "hissing sound" rule — practise saying "foxs" vs "foxes" aloud (the second is easier to say).