GPS in Primary School: A Parent's Complete Guide

GPS stands for Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling — one of the three subjects assessed in the KS2 SATs (alongside Maths and Reading). Yet GPS is often the subject parents feel least equipped to help with. Many of us were never taught formal grammar terminology at school, so terms like ‘subordinate clause’ or ‘modal verb’ can feel unfamiliar.

This guide breaks down what GPS covers, when children are expected to learn it, and how you can support your child at home — without needing a linguistics degree.

What Is GPS?

GPS encompasses three closely related areas of English:

• Grammar: How language is structured — sentences, clauses, phrases, word types (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, etc.)
• Punctuation: The marks that organise text — full stops, commas, apostrophes, inverted commas (speech marks), colons, semi-colons, brackets, dashes
• Spelling: Correct spelling of words, including spelling rules, prefixes, suffixes, and statutory word lists for each year group

Key GPS Topics by Year Group

Years 1–2 (KS1):

• Capital letters, full stops, question marks, exclamation marks
• Joining words and sentences using ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘because’, ‘when’
• Noun phrases (e.g. “the enormous red dragon”)
• Apostrophes for contraction (don't, it's) and possession (the dog's bone)
• Commas in lists

Years 3–4:

• Word families based on common words (e.g. solve, solution, dissolve)
• Using conjunctions (although, while, since), adverbs, prepositions
• Fronted adverbials with commas (“Early in the morning, the fox crept forward.”)
• Inverted commas for direct speech
• Possessive apostrophes with plural nouns
• Standard English verb inflections (I was / we were)

Years 5–6:

• Relative clauses using who, which, where, whose, that (e.g. “The boy who ran away...”)
• Modal verbs (could, should, might, will, must)
• Passive vs active voice (“The ball was kicked” vs “She kicked the ball”)
• Colons, semi-colons, dashes, hyphens, and brackets
• Formal vs informal language, subjunctive forms (“If I were you...”)
• Linking ideas across paragraphs using cohesive devices

The KS2 GPS SATs Paper

In Year 6, children sit a GPS SATs paper (Paper 1 in the English SATs). It is 45 minutes long and tests grammar and punctuation through questions such as:

• Identify the type of sentence (statement, question, command, exclamation)
• Add the correct punctuation to a sentence
• Circle the word that functions as a specific part of speech
• Rewrite a sentence in the active or passive voice
• Complete a sentence using the correct verb form

How to Help at Home

• Read together and discuss language: When you come across a striking sentence, ask “Why do you think the author wrote it that way?”
• Practise spellings little and often: The statutory word lists for each year group are published by the government — learn 5 words a week rather than 30 at once
• Use the terminology: Help children become comfortable with grammar terms by using them naturally (“That's a good adjective — what other adjectives could you use?”)
• Practise GPS questions: Specific GPS question practice helps children become familiar with the format, which reduces test anxiety