Year 1 Phonics Check Practice
Friendly decoding practice for Year 1.
Children in Year 1 in England take the phonics screening check, usually in June. It contains 40 words split into two sections of 20, with a mixture of real words and made-up "alien" words that are phonically decodable but don't mean anything — each alien word is shown with a picture of an imaginary creature so children know not to expect a real word. It's taken one-to-one with a teacher, and children who don't yet meet the expected standard retake it in Year 2. This page gives children extra, original practice at the same kind of decoding skill — it does not use or copy any official check questions.
For Grown-Ups
What this practises: decoding real and pseudo ("alien") words by blending sounds — the same underlying skill assessed by the official check, using entirely original words.
Suggested year group: Year 1, and Year 2 children who are retaking the check.
How to help: there's no audio or speech recognition here, so your child reads each word aloud to you. Use "Show Word Breakdown" together if they get stuck, and praise good sounding-out even if the word is misread.
What to try next: Common Exception Words practises the tricky words that don't follow these decoding rules.