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Year 1 phonics and screening check practice

Year 1 brings new ways to spell sounds they already know, like ay and a-e, longer words, and the phonics screening check in the summer term.

Start Year 1 Level 1

The 6 Year 1 phonics levels

Real or Alien? asks children to read made-up words, the same skill the screening check tests. In the last two levels a grown-up can run a practice check and mark each word as the child reads it aloud.

For children aged 5 to 6. Levels follow the school year, one per half term, and every level is open, so you can move back or ahead whenever you like.

  1. Year 1 · Level 1

    Sounds:

    • ay
    • ou
    • oy
    • ea

    Games: Sound Match, Sound It Out, Real or Alien?, Word Builder, Spell It, Alphabet Line, Joining Words, Story.

    Play Year 1 Level 1

  2. Year 1 · Level 2

    Sounds:

    • ir
    • ie
    • ue
    • a-e
    • i-e
    • o-e
    • u-e
    • e-e
    • ew
    • aw

    Tricky words:

    • their
    • people
    • oh
    • your
    • Mr
    • Mrs
    • Ms
    • ask
    • could
    • would
    • should
    • our
    • house
    • mouse
    • water
    • want

    Games: Sound Match, Sort, Sound It Out, Read & Find, Spell It, Tricky Words, Sentence Spy, Story.

    Play Year 1 Level 2

  3. Year 1 · Level 3

    Sounds:

    • y
    • ea
    • wh
    • oe
    • ow
    • g
    • ph
    • le
    • c
    • ve
    • ey

    Tricky words:

    • any
    • many
    • again
    • who
    • whole
    • where
    • two
    • school
    • call
    • different
    • thought
    • through
    • friend
    • work

    Games: Sound Match, Sort, Sound It Out, Real or Alien?, Spell It, Tricky Words, Fix the Sentence, Story.

    Play Year 1 Level 3

  4. Year 1 · Level 4

    Sounds:

    • are
    • au
    • tch
    • ture
    • ear
    • wr
    • ch
    • al
    • oor
    • ere

    Tricky words:

    • once
    • laugh
    • because
    • eye

    Games: Sound Match, Sort, Sound It Out, Read & Find, Spell It, Tricky Words, Build a Sentence, Story.

    Play Year 1 Level 4

  5. Year 1 · Level 5

    Sounds:

    • ay
    • a-e
    • ea
    • ie
    • i-e
    • o-e
    • ue
    • ew
    • u-e
    • aw
    • ir
    • ou
    • oy
    • ow
    • ph
    • wh

    Games: Sound Match, Sort, Real or Alien?, Word Builder, Spell It, Story, Story Order, Grown-up Check.

    Play Year 1 Level 5

  6. Year 1 · Level 6

    Sounds:

    • eigh
    • aigh
    • kn
    • gn
    • mb
    • dge
    • ge
    • ti
    • ore

    Tricky words:

    • busy
    • beautiful
    • pretty
    • hour
    • move
    • improve
    • parents
    • shoe

    Games: Sound Match, Sort, Sound It Out, Read & Find, Spell It, Tricky Words, Story, Grown-up Check.

    Play Year 1 Level 6

Phonics screening check practice

In June of Year 1, schools in England ask each child to read 40 short words aloud to a teacher. Some are real words and some are made-up "alien" words, which show whether a child can sound out a word they have never seen before.

  • Real or Alien? practises telling made-up words from real ones by sounding them out.
  • Grown-up Check in Year 1 Level 5 and Level 6 is a practice check: the child reads each word aloud and you mark it right or not yet, so you can see which sounds need more practice.

The practice check is for home use. It is not the official check and it does not replace anything your child's school does.

More phonics