Choosing a test type and level
Choosing a test type
NGRT is available in both digital and paper formats.
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 paper version: 45-50 minutes.
NGRT Digital 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 digital version: Testing time 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.
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.
Please note that 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.
Recommended year groups
The age range of students that can be tested depends on whether the Digital or Paper test is chosen.
Digital version
NGRT Digital is recommended for students aged 7-16.
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. NGRT Digital therefore is suitable for the following year groups.
UK - Recommended year groups
| NGRT Digital Form | Year Group | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | Age | |
| A | 2-11 | P3-S5 | P3-Year 12 | 6-16 |
| B | 2-11 | P3-S5 | P3-Year 12 | 6-16 |
| C | 2-11 | P3-S5 | P3-Year 12 | 6-16 |
International - Recommended year groups
| NGRT Digital Form | Year Group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year (UK) | Grade (US) | Grade (Indian) | Grade (IB Programme) | Age | |
| A | 2-11 | 1st - 10th (Sophomore) | 1st - 10th | 1st PYP - 10th MYP | 6-16 |
| B | 2-11 | 1st - 10th (Sophomore) | 1st - 10th | 1st PYP - 10th MYP | 6-16 |
| C | 2-11 | 1st - 10th (Sophomore) | 1st - 10th | 1st PYP - 10th MYP | 6-16 |
Paper version
NGRT Paper is recommended for students aged 6-16.
UK only - Recommended year groups
| NGRT Paper Level | Age Range covered by NGRT Norms | Year Group (England) | Age of Year Group | Key Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test 1 | 5:00 - 7:05 | Year 1 | 5-6 | KS1 |
| Test 1B | 5:00 - 7:11 | Years 1-2 | 5-7 | KS1 |
| Test 2A/2B | 6:00 - 10:05 | Years 2-3 and struggling readers in Year 4 | 6-9 | KS1-KS2 |
| Test 3A/3B | 9:00 - 14:05 | Years 5-7 and struggling readers in Year 8 | 9-13 | KS2-KS3 |
| Test 3C | 9:00 - 13:09 | Years 5-7 and struggling readers in Year 8 | 9-13 | KS2-KS3 |
| Test 3D | 8:00 - 11:09 | Years 4-6 | 9-11 | KS2 |
| Test 4A/4B | 13:00 - 17:05 | Years 9-11 | 13-16 | KS3-KS4 |
| Test 4C | 12:00 - 14:09 | Years 8-9 | 13-14 | KS3 |
Choosing a test level
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.
Paper
The table below provides a detailed overview of each test within the New Group Reading Test series.
| Test | Age | Content | Area of Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test 1 | Age 6 (Year 1 / Primary 2) | Short phonic exercises: initial sounds supported by pictures, ‘sounds like’, initial sounds (single phonemes and digraphs), final sounds + Sentence completion items + 1 short passage with multiple choice comprehension questions |
Phonic knowledge Decoding ability Sight word knowledge Comprehension (retrieval, simple inference and writer’s use of language) |
| Test 1B | Age 7 (norms from 5:00 to 7:11) Y2** P3 Y3 (NI) |
Short phonic exercises; rhyming; final letter sounds; initial letter sounds 18 sentence completion questions 1 comprehension passage and 10 questions |
Phonic knowledge Decoding ability Sight word knowledge Comprehension (retrieval, simple inference and writer’s use of language) |
| Equivalent form tests 2A/2B | Age 7–9 (Y2–Y4 / P3–P5) |
20 sentence completion items + 3 short passages with 10–11* context comprehension questions 17–18* reading comprehension questions |
Vocabulary Grammatical knowledge Inference skills Deduction skills |
| Equivalent form tests 3A/3B | Age 10–13 (Y5–Y8 / P7–S2) |
20 sentence completion items + 4 short passages with 12–13* context comprehension questions 19–20* reading comprehension questions |
Vocabulary Grammatical knowledge Inference skills Ability to recognise Authorial intent Deduction skills |
| Test 3C | Age 10 to 13 (norms 9:00 to 13:11) Y5 to Y8 P6 to S2 Y6 to Y9 (NI) |
20 sentence completion questions + 4 comprehension passages with total of 32 questions |
Decoding ability Sight word knowledge Comprehension (retrieval, context comprehension, inference and deduction, organisation of texts, writer’s use of language, writer’s purpose and viewpoints) |
| Test 3D | Age 9 to 11 (norms 8:00 to 11:11) Y4*** to Y6 P5 to P7 Y5 to Y7 (NI) |
20 sentence completion questions + 4 comprehension passages with total of 32 questions |
Decoding ability Sight word knowledge Comprehension (retrieval, context comprehension, inference and deduction, organisation of texts, writer’s use of language, writer’s purpose and viewpoints, social, cultural and historic tradition) |
| Equivalent form tests 4A/4B | Age 14–16 (Y9–Y11 / S3–S5) |
22 sentence completion items + 4 short passages with- 13–14* context comprehension questions 20–21* reading comprehension questions |
Vocabulary Grammatical knowledge Inference skills Deduction skills Ability to recognise authorial intent Ability to deal with figurative and idiomatic language Other higher order reading skills |
| Test 4C | Age 13 to 14 (norms 12:00 to 14:11) Y8**** and Y9 S2 and S3 Y9 and Y10 (NI) |
20 sentence completion questions + 4 comprehension passages with total of 34 questions |
Decoding ability Sight word knowledge Comprehension (retrieval, context comprehension, inference and deduction, organisation of texts, writer’s use of language, writer’s purpose and viewpoints, social, cultural and historic tradition) |
| *Exact number of questions depends on test used. **Maybe used with children at the end of Y1 if they are ready to tackle the content ***Difficulty at Level 3 but standardised with pupils in Y4 (to circumvent any ceiling effect at Level 2) ****Difficulty at Level 4 but standardised with pupils in Y8 (to circumvent any ceiling effect at Level 3 |
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