Your Child's First Spelling Test in Year 1: A Parent's Guide

2026-09-22

Year 1 is a year of firsts. First proper school bag, first reading record, first homework. And, somewhere in the first term, a line in the communication book that gives most parents a small jolt: spelling test Friday.

Depending on the school it might be called a spelling test, a dictation, or a "spelling and dictation" — but the shape is the same: the teacher reads words (and later, sentences) aloud, and the children write them down. This guide explains what that first test really involves, and how to help your child see it as something you prepare for, not something that happens to you.

What a first spelling test actually covers

Spelling tests follow the phonics your child is learning in class. The words are chosen because they can be sounded out with the letter-sounds already taught, plus a small number of "tricky words" that have to be learned by sight.

In the first term:

Short, fully decodable words: cat, dog, sun, mum, hat
Perhaps two or three tricky words: the, I, no, go

In the second term:

Words with digraphs: ship, chip, thin, rain, boat
More tricky words: was, you, they, said

In the third term:

Short sentences: The cat sat on the mat.
Capital letter at the start, full stop at the end

A Year 1 spelling test is not hard. But any first test can feel big to a six-year-old. So the goal of the first one isn't a perfect score — it's for your child to discover that a spelling test is something you can get ready for, and that when you've got ready, it goes fine.

The three questions parents ask most

"They can barely read yet — how can they write words from dictation?"

In Year 1, the spelling test doesn't assume reading is finished. It's part of learning to read. Writing cat after hearing it is the reverse of reading cat, and the two skills feed each other. If your child can read the words on the list, they're ready to start. If they still hesitate over reading them, start with reading the words aloud together, before writing.

"Do I have to read the words out every evening?"

A spelling test means hearing then writing, so someone has to do the reading. If you can't make time every evening, an app like DictationEasy can read the list aloud one word at a time, with the number of repeats and the pause between words set by you, and your child practises alone. You only need to mark it together at the end.

"At home they get everything right. At school they get half wrong."

This is the most common situation, and the cause is almost always the same: at home they're copying the words while looking at them. At school they're hearing them. Those are two very different activities. As soon as home practice is done with the list covered, the gap disappears.

A four-step plan for the first test

Step 1: The day the list comes home, read it together

Not the night before. That evening, you read the words aloud and your child repeats them. No writing yet. The aim is just to meet the words, by eye and by ear.

Step 2: Ten minutes a day, spread over several days

Day 1: listen, repeat, copy each word once
Day 2: list covered — you read, they write; tick the ones that go wrong
Day 3: only the ticked words
Night before: the whole list, exactly like the test

Ten minutes on four days leaves far more behind than forty minutes in one sitting.

Step 3: Practise the way the test is run

In class, the teacher says each word two or three times, and the children write. Do the same at home:

the list is hidden
you (or the app) say the word twice
your child writes it in a notebook
at the end, compare with the list and mark it together

In DictationEasy you can set how many times each word is read and how long the pause is, so the rhythm matches the classroom.

Step 4: Praise the effort, not the score

Getting two or three wrong on a first spelling test is completely normal. What matters is what your child takes away from it:

when I practise, I get better
getting one wrong isn't a disaster — I just try it again
a spelling test isn't a trap; it's something I can prepare for

"You got more right than yesterday" will stay with them far longer than "how many did you get wrong?"

The mistakes Year 1 children make most

Knowing these in advance tells you where to look when you mark.

Digraphs written as single letters: ship → sip, rain → ran
Mirror letters: b/d, p/q swapped — very common in Year 1 and it fades with practice
Tricky words spelt phonetically: was → woz, said → sed
Missing letters: jump → jup, because the hand is slower than the ear
Capital and full stop forgotten once sentences start

Most of these aren't fixed by explaining a rule. They fade when the child hears the correct word several times and writes it several times.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the first spelling test usually happen?

Most schools begin a few weeks into Year 1, once the first set of letter-sounds has been taught. Early tests cover simple decodable words and a handful of tricky words.

How many words are in a Year 1 spelling test?

Usually between five and ten. Short sentences generally don't appear until the end of the year.

How many times does the teacher say each word?

Two or three times is typical. It varies, so ask your child or check the spelling book. Matching the same number of repeats at home helps a lot.

My child can't yet read all the words on the list. What should I do?

Reading first. Read the words aloud, have them repeat, point to each word. Once they can read the list, move to writing from dictation. Don't skip this step.

Do we need to practise every day?

Ten minutes a day is ideal, but a missed day doesn't matter. What matters is not leaving everything until the night before. Three or four short sessions across the week are enough.