Ofqual has found “no evidence” that last year’s Sats reading paper failed to meet its purpose after headteachers’ leaders raised concerns about its difficulty.
At the time, heads reported children were left stressed and crying over the 2023 key stage 2 reading test.
Unions said members had told them the paper was more difficult than in previous years and that the range of texts was not accessible.
However, analyses of the test find “no evidence that the test failed to meet its stated purpose of ascertaining what pupils have achieved in relation to the attainment targets outlined in the 2014 national curriculum”, Ofqual says.
However, findings suggested lower attaining pupils were likely to have found the test more difficult than previous tests since 2016.
KS2 reading test
Outcome data from the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) suggested the test was effective in differentiating across ability ranges, Ofqual adds in its National assessments regulation annual report 2023.
The report looks at the “facility index” - the average mark awarded to responses for a particular part of the test: the higher it is, the easier pupils found it.
For the 2023 test, 19 per cent of questions across texts one and two had a facility greater than 75, which is lower than in previous years.
The mean pupil performance on the test was higher than in 2016 for texts one and two, but lower than in the years since.
Nearly a third (30 per cent) of pupils did not attempt to answer the last question of the test, which is higher than in previous years.
The word count of the test was one of the issues raised by teachers.
The test had a word count of 2,046, which is lower than the 2019 test. Ofqual says the word count may impact the amount of time pupils spend reading the test and can affect completion rates, but these can also be influenced by other factors.
”For assessments of this nature, it is neither surprising, nor necessarily problematic for reliable and valid results, that not all pupils will reach the end of the test,” Ofqual says.
Nevertheless, there are “legitimate questions to ask” about the point at which the omission rate - the proportion of pupils missing a question - is considered too high, it adds.
Ofqual recommended the STA considers this and looks at the evidence regarding the difficulty of the test for lower attaining pupils.
The analysis has been shared with the STA and Ofqual expects to work with the agency further in the coming year on what action it will take in response.
Marking delays
Ofqual’s report also flags that the start of marking was delayed by one week due to an error in the contractors’ systems.
Tes reported at the time that markers had received an email from contractor Capita apologising for the delay.
When results came back on 11 July 2023, some schools and teachers also reported they were unable to access their results at 7.30am when the online portal opened.
This issue was “relatively short-lived” and was associated with “high system demand”, Ofqual says.
Ofqual adds that “significant progress” has been made since the issues seen during the 2022 Sats. It “sought assurances and obtained regular updates” from STA throughout the process.
In 2023, 65 per cent of calls to the assessments helpline were answered, compared with 38 per cent the year before.
Ofqual will be seeking assurance from STA about steps it will take to avoid a delay to marking in 2024 and that performance of the service has improved regarding the online portal issues.
Markers’ pay
For 2023, markers of KS2 Sats were also invited to take part in a survey about their experiences and the process.
More than 65 per cent disagreed that their pay was satisfactory, and more than 40 per cent said their workload was not realistic. Three out of five also said they found their role stressful.
Just over a quarter of the marking workforce was new to marking national assessments in 2023.
For the latest education news and analysis delivered directly to your inbox every weekday morning, sign up to the Tes Daily newsletter
