40 words · 20 real words · 20 alien words · Just like the real Year 1 PSC
When you see the alien, the word is a made-up alien word — it's not a real English word! The alien tells you that. Try to sound it out using your phonics knowledge.
You read 10 out of 20 words correctly.
Now for Section 2 — 20 more words. Keep going!
Read the word aloud, then mark yourself:
Be honest — only you and your grown-up will see your score
The Phonics Screening Check (PSC) is a statutory assessment taken by all Year 1 pupils in England, usually in the second week of June. It was introduced in 2012 and is designed to confirm that children have learned phonic decoding to an appropriate standard.
Pseudo-words (alien words) are made-up words that follow English phonics rules but have no meaning. They are shown with a picture of an alien to signal to the child that it is not a real word. They test whether children can decode rather than recognise words from memory.
The expected standard changes slightly each year but has consistently been around 32 out of 40. Children who do not meet the standard in Year 1 resit the check in Year 2.
A parent or teacher should sit with the child. Show each word, ask the child to read it aloud, then mark honestly whether they read it correctly. The results screen highlights which words need more practice.