Free tool · 2 minutes

What should my child be able to read at this age?

Pick your child's age, then tick only what you've actually seen them do. You'll see which reading stage they're in, how that compares with the stage that usually fits their age, and the next skills to practise.

How old is your child?

You'll see the skills for their age, the stages before it, and one stage beyond.

About 2 minutes · No email needed to see your result

This is not a diagnosis

Children reach these stages on different timelines, and this check only reflects what you've noticed at home. This is not a diagnosis or an assessment, and a reassuring result doesn't rule anything out. Children learn to read on different timelines. If you're worried about your child's reading, talk to your child's teacher.

How this check works

Reading develops in a fairly predictable order: first a child gets ready to read (letters, sounds, rhymes, books), then learns to decode (blending sounds into words), then builds fluency, then reads to learn. The four stages here are the four age bands from our "Is my child behind in reading?" quiz, and every skill is one of that quiz's questions.

You see the stages up to one beyond your child's age. A stage counts as in place when at least 80% of its skills are ticked. The result is the first stage that isn't in place yet — that's the stage your child is working on — compared with the stage for their age band.

The four stages, and the age band each usually fits

Ages 3–5 · getting ready to read: letters and their sounds, rhyming, hearing the first sound in a word, clapping syllables, knowing how books work, retelling a story.

Ages 6–7 · learning to decode: blending sounds into words, knowing a sound for every letter plus sh, ch and th, sounding out new and made-up words, reading simple books with little help, recognising common words instantly.

Ages 8–9 · building fluency: reading aloud smoothly, breaking long words into chunks, reading alone for longer, spelling by sound, understanding what they read silently.

Ages 10–12 · reading to learn: pulling out the main idea, working out new words from context, reading by choice, following written instructions alone.

What the result means

Age bands are wide on purpose. A 5-year-old still getting ready to read is in the right band; so is a 5-year-old already blending words. The useful part of the result is the list of next skills — they're what to practise this month.

If your child is working on a stage earlier than their age band, start daily practice on the next skills and talk to their teacher. You don't need a result from this page to ask the school for their reading screener scores.

Frequently asked questions

What should my 5-year-old be able to read?

Most of the work at 5 is getting ready to read: knowing letters and their sounds, hearing rhymes and first sounds, clapping syllables, and knowing how books work. Some 5-year-olds are already blending sounds into short words; others start that at 6. Tick what you've seen above to see where your child is.

Should my 6-year-old be able to read?

Ages 6 to 7 are when most children learn to decode: blending sounds into words, sounding out new words left to right, and reading simple books with only occasional help. Slow, effortful reading is normal at this stage. Guessing from pictures, or being unable to read a made-up word like "zim", is worth working on.

What should a 7-year-old be able to read?

By the end of the 6–7 band, the decoding skills usually come together: a sound for every letter plus sh, ch and th, sounding out unfamiliar words, reading simple books mostly alone, and recognising common words like the, said and was instantly.

My child is at an earlier stage than their age. Should I worry?

Not worry — act. Practise the next skills a little every day and mention it to their teacher. If decoding is the sticking point, ask the school about their reading screener and what support they offer.

How the result is worked out

A stage counts as in place when at least 80% of its items are ticked — the same cut-off our "Is my child behind?" quiz uses for "on track". The result compares the first stage not yet in place with the stage for your child's age band (the quiz's age bands). Both are our rules for a parent check, not published norms.