The Department for Education has confirmed the pass mark for the phonics screening check will remain at 32 this year.
It is the eighth year in a row that the test’s pass mark has been set at this level.
Details of the pass mark have been published today, along with test materials, scoring guidance and an answer sheet.
The phonics check is taken by all year 1 pupils in England. Last year, 82 per cent of pupils met the government’s “expected standard”, up from 81 per cent in 2017.
However, the validity of the tests has been called into question because mark distribution data published by the government each year repeatedly shows a steep rise around the pass mark.
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