Glossary of school and study terms
School letters, homework sheets and revision guides are full of words most adults never met at school, or met with a different meaning. These are the ones that come up most on Educated Zone. Exam details refer to arrangements in England and can change, so check with your child's school for the current year.
Arithmetic paper
The first of the three KS2 maths papers, lasting 30 minutes. It tests calculation only, with no word problems. See column methods explained.
Bus stop method
The informal name for short division, because the layout looks like a bus shelter with the number being divided underneath. It appears in the Year 5 curriculum.
Column method
A written method for addition, subtraction or multiplication in which numbers are lined up by place value, ones under ones and tens under tens.
Command word
The word in an exam question that says what to do, such as describe, explain, compare or evaluate. Describing says what happens; explaining says why.
Common exception words
Words that do not follow the spelling patterns children have been taught so far, such as said, people and because. The national curriculum lists them by year group.
Denominator
The bottom number in a fraction: how many equal parts the whole is split into. In ¾, the denominator is 4. See helping with fractions.
Determiner
A word before a noun that says which one or how many, such as the, a, this, some, every or my. See KS2 grammar terms explained.
Equivalent fractions
Fractions that look different but have the same value, such as ½, 2/4 and 5/10. Multiply or divide the numerator and denominator by the same number to make one.
Exam board
An organisation that writes, sets and marks qualifications such as GCSEs. In England the main boards are AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC Eduqas. Past papers must come from the right board and specification.
Exchanging
The current school word for what many adults called carrying or borrowing: swapping ten in one column for one in the next, or the reverse.
Expected standard
The level the government expects by the end of a key stage. In the KS2 tests, a scaled score of 100 or more means it has been met.
Forgetting curve
The pattern described by Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885: new material is forgotten quickly at first, then more slowly. Reviewing at intervals slows the loss. See why quizzes work for revision.
Foundation and higher tier
Some GCSEs, including maths and the sciences, have two tiers of paper. In maths, foundation papers lead to grades 1 to 5 and higher papers mainly to grades 4 to 9.
Fronted adverbial
A word or phrase at the start of a sentence saying when, where or how something happened, usually followed by a comma. After lunch, we went outside.
GCSE
General Certificate of Secondary Education, the main qualification taken at the end of Year 11 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England, GCSEs are graded 9 to 1, with 9 the highest. Grade 4 is described as a standard pass and grade 5 as a strong pass.
Grammar, punctuation and spelling test
The Year 6 KS2 English test, often called GPS or SPaG. Paper 1 is a 45-minute grammar and punctuation paper; Paper 2 is a spelling test of 20 words read aloud.
Homophones
Words that sound the same but differ in spelling and meaning: there, their and they're; piece and peace.
Improper fraction
A fraction whose numerator is greater than or equal to its denominator, such as 7/4, which can also be written as the mixed number 1¾.
Inference
Working out something a writer suggests but does not say directly, using clues in the text. See KS2 reading question types.
Interleaving
Mixing different topics or question types in one practice session instead of practising one type in a long block. It helps pupils learn to choose the right method.
Key stage
The stages of schooling in England: Key Stage 1 is Years 1 and 2, Key Stage 2 is Years 3 to 6, Key Stage 3 is Years 7 to 9 and Key Stage 4 is Years 10 and 11.
Look, say, cover, write, check
A spelling routine: look at the word, say it, cover it, write it from memory, then check. See learning spellings at home.
Mark scheme
The document examiners use to award marks, listing acceptable answers and how marks are split. See how to use past papers.
Mock exams
Practice exams set by a school, usually in Year 10 or 11, in conditions close to the real thing.
Modal verb
A verb showing how likely or necessary something is: can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must.
Multiplication tables check
An online check taken by Year 4 pupils in England in June: 25 questions on facts up to 12 × 12, with 6 seconds for each. See the weekly times tables plan.
Number bonds
Pairs of numbers that make a given total, such as the pairs that make 10 (3 and 7, 4 and 6).
Numerator
The top number in a fraction: how many of the equal parts are being counted. In ¾, the numerator is 3.
Partitioning
Splitting a number into parts to make it easier to work with, usually by place value: 347 = 300 + 40 + 7.
Past paper
An exam paper from a previous year, published by the exam board or, for KS2, by the Standards and Testing Agency on GOV.UK.
Phonics screening check
A short check in Year 1 in England in which children read 40 words aloud to a teacher, including some made-up words to test decoding.
Place value
The value of a digit depending on its position. In 352, the 5 is worth 50.
Reading domains
The reading skills the KS2 reading test assesses, labelled 2a to 2h, including word meaning, retrieval, summarising, inference and prediction.
Reasoning papers
KS2 maths Papers 2 and 3, 40 minutes each, with problem solving and questions where children explain their thinking.
Relative clause
A subordinate clause that adds information about a noun, usually beginning with who, which, that, whose, where or when. The dog that barked was mine.
Retrieval practice
Bringing information back from memory, for example by quizzing yourself, rather than rereading it. See retrieval practice explained.
SATs
The informal name for the national curriculum tests at the end of Key Stage 2, taken in May of Year 6, in English reading, grammar, punctuation and spelling, and maths. See KS2 SATs revision.
Scaled score
How KS2 test results are reported. A raw mark is converted to a score from 80 to 120 so results can be compared across years; 100 or more meets the expected standard.
SENCo
Special educational needs coordinator: the member of staff who arranges support for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities.
Spaced practice
Spreading study of a topic across several short sessions with gaps between them, rather than doing it all at once. See making a revision timetable.
Specimen papers
Sample papers produced by an exam board for a new specification, before real past papers exist.
Subordinate clause
A clause that adds information to a main clause but does not make complete sense alone. Because it was raining, we stayed in.
Teacher assessment
A judgement made by the teacher from a pupil's work over time. KS2 writing is assessed this way rather than by a test.