What is phonics?

Phonics is the understanding that there is a predictable relationship between phonemes (the sounds of spoken language) and graphemes (the letters that represent them in written language).

Phonics knowledge and skills are critical for learning to read and write. To be successful readers, students need to learn the code for the English language - the sounds represented by individual letters or different letter combinations - and the skill of blending these sounds together to read words.

For more information and resources, visit the Phonics web page.

Year 1 Phonics Screening Check

The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check is a short assessment that tells teachers how students are progressing in phonics. The phonics check assesses how students blend sounds together to read a word.

The check takes 5-7 minutes and is carried out by classroom teachers with each student individually. 

Student responses are mapped to indicators from the National Literacy Learning Progression. Student information from the screening check is available in PLAN2 upon lodging the assessment.

For more assessment resources and information on professional learning, visit the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check web page.

How is the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check different to the Phonics diagnostic assessment?

The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check is a mandatory assessment for all Year 1 students from 2021. This assessment uses 40 words to provide teachers with an overview of their student’s progress in phonics. An assessment is lodged for each Year 1 student during an assessment window in Term 3 and 4. More information on this assessment is available on the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check webpage.

The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check is administered only once for each student in Year 1. Students cannot be assessed multiple times.