Choosing a test type and level

NGRT is available in both digital and paper formats. 

Please note that the age of the students and any SEND accommodation requirements might affect our recommendation for which format of the test you take. See Testing SEND and EAL students for more details.

Digital

NGRT Digital is recommended for students aged 7-16. It is based on the paper test and contains the unaltered content of the paper tests, however it is adaptive, meaning that as a student works through the questions, new questions are automatically selected based on their perceived reading ability. More able pupils can be challenged whilst less able students are kept engaged. This means that the student is not restricted nor tested according to their year group, but their own ability. Test duration for the digital version will be approximately 30 minutes. However, please note that as NGRT Digital is adaptive the time taken to test each student will vary, so some may finish before others.

Results from trialling the digital test with children in Year 1 demonstrated that the method of answering questions was a barrier to such young children and their performance was significantly lower when tested with the digital edition rather than the paper edition. 

For more information on adaptive testing please see the ‘Adaptive testing with NGRT’ section in the Guidance and information for teachers on our Downloads page. 

Paper

The paper edition was published in 2010. It comprises 4 levels of test with equivalent forms recommended for students age 6 to 16. Test duration for the paper version of NGRT is 45-50 minutes. 

The guidance applies best to pupils of average age, at the time of testing, and average reading ability rather than to pupils at the extremes of the age ability ranges.

Digital

You do not need to manually select the test level for the digital version. Students automatically enter the test according to their age, so the first question will be based on their date of birth. Depending on their score from the first part of the test, they will be moved on to the next task accordingly.

You can test students with any of the three forms, but please avoid re-testing using the same form in the same academic year as this will overwrite the data from the student's first sitting. You only need to use one form at a time.

If you are using the digital NGRT multiple times through an academic year, our advice is to use Form A in Term 1, Form B in Term 2, and Form C in Term 3.

Paper

For the standardised assessment score to be reliable, you need to pay attention to the chronological age range norms covered within each level.  If you use a level with a student sitting outside of this norm, your results will not be valid as they will not meet the standardisation criteria.

Please see below our advice for once and twice year testing from the NGRT papers levels we currently have available.

Paper testing - once a year

Paper testing - twice a year

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If you need to test more than twice or you need to be more precise with your ability of reader then there are supplementary forms available:

Level 3C – this is a parallel form to levels 3A and 3B so that you can test more often for learners in their transition from primary to secondary – aimed at students in years 5-8 (see above for International Grades).

Level 3D – this is aimed at learners in year 4 (see above for International Grades) as an alternate form for those learners hitting a ceiling in NGRT forms 2A and 2B.  

Level 4C – was designed for higher ability year 8 (see below for International Grades) as an alternate form for those learners hitting a ceiling in NGRT forms 3A and 3B.

If you would like any further advice on NGRT paper testing please contact our Customer Services team on or your Education Advisor if you are part of a MAT or school group.