ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT

Year 8 assessments

what you’ll be doing in each assessment round in 2025-26

JUMP TO A SPECIFIC ROUND: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12

ROUND 0: 4/9 – 12/9

There will be no assessments at the very start of the year.

ROUND 1: 15/9 – 3/10

  1. Skill Check 1: Embedding and contextualising evidence

  2. Skill Check 2: Making an argument

  3. Knowledge Check 1: Grammar and syntax

ROUND 2: 6/10 – 24/10

  1. Skill Check 3: Selecting relevant, meaningful evidence

  2. Skill Check 4: Analysing language, form and structure

  3. Knowledge Check 2: Rhetorical devices

HALF TERM

ROUND 3: 3/11 – 21/11

  1. Holistic assessment: Lord of the Flies mini-essay

  2. Knowledge Check 3: Poetry and drama

ROUND 4: 24/11 – 19/12

  1. Skill Check 5: Analysing language, form and structure

  2. Skill Check 6: Linking analysis to big ideas

  3. Knowledge Check 4: Grammar and syntax

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY

ROUND 5: 5/1 – 23/1

  1. Skill Check 7: Writing direct speech

  2. Skill Check 8: Using 3rd person limited narrative voice

  3. Knowledge Check 5: Lexis and semantics

ROUND 6: 26/1 – 13/2

  1. Holistic assessment: Short story creative writing assessment 1

  2. Knowledge Check 6: Structure

HALF TERM

ROUND 7: 23/2 – 13/3

  1. Skill Check 9: Creating a character

  2. Skill Check 10: Describing a setting in vivid detail

  3. Knowledge Check 7: Discourse

ROUND 8: 16/3 – 27/3

  1. Holistic assessment: Short story creative writing assessment 2

  2. Knowledge Check 8: Poetry and drama

EASTER HOLIDAY

ROUND 9: 13/4 – 1/5

  1. Skill Check 11: Writing direct speech

  2. Skill Check 12: Controlling time in a story, including timeshifts

  3. Knowledge Check 9: Grammar and syntax

ROUND 10: 4/5 – 22/5

  1. Skill Check 13: Embedding and contextualising evidence

  2. Skill Check 14: Linking analysis to big ideas

  3. Knowledge Check 10: Rhetorical devices

HALF TERM

ROUND 11: 1/6 – 19/6

  1. Holistic assessment: End-of-year examination mini-essay

  2. Knowledge Check 11: Discourse

ROUND 12: 22/6 – 17/7

  1. Skill Check 15: Using 3rd person limited narrative voice

  2. Skill Check 16: Controlling time in a story, including timeshifts

  3. Knowledge Check 12: Rhetorical devices

SUMMER HOLIDAY

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Year 7 assessments
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Year 9 assessments