The road to their first KS2 SATs paper… 

…isn’t always an easy one. 

Preparing for KS2 SATs can be a daunting experience for most learners. Especially if this is their first brush with standardised testing, the format is likely to feel a little alien and anxiety-inducing… which is a problem, because we know that stressed brains aren’t in the best place to achieve the grades they deserve.  

These feelings of overwhelm and anxiety are often felt most profoundly in students with learning differences like dyslexia, or other challenges that impact comprehension and reading skills. It makes sense: when you know it’s just going to be you and the exam paper, and the usual support net of the class teacher or teaching assistant won’t be available to help with difficult words and meanings, it can feel like you’ve been left on your own to deal with one of the hardest things you’ve ever experienced.  

That can lead to… 

🧠 Anxiety – both before and during the exam 

🧠 Feelings of hopelessness or abandonment 

🧠 Behavioural challenges and disengagement  

🧠 Regarding exams as ‘going through the motions’ 

🧠 Low grades that don’t reflect their skill level 

And it’s this set of potential scenarios that leaves us with two big questions.  

The first is how do we stop them from happening – how do we stop their grades from getting compromised, how do we stop learners from being disappointed and disheartened, how do we alleviate the threat of moving into high school with grades that don’t accurately reflect their skills? 

The second one is a little simpler:  

What’s a reading pen got to do with it? 

A reading pen is a portable, handheld piece of reading tech that scans the words on the page and relays them back to the reader either via a built-in speaker or a personal pair of headphones. They’re smart cookies: they use optical character recognition (OCR) to convert printed words into speech, and it’s that act of multi-modal reading – being able to hear the words on the page as well as see them – that helps learners with reading challenges understand, retain information, and feel confident in the work they do.  

With a reading pen in their hand, a student in the classroom or at home can independently read through worksheets, textbook passages and classroom instructions, and be secure in the knowledge that whatever words they come across, they’ll be able to rise to the challenge without the need for constant teacher or teaching assistant support.  

…It’s just a shame that they can’t take reading pens into exams to support them at that critical moment, when they open that crisp KS2 SATs paper and prepare to show the examiner everything they know.  

Let’s mythbust that:

Yes they can, with C-Pen Reader 2!

C-Pen Reader 2 is a reading pen with a difference: with the press of a few buttons, it can pivot from a student’s everyday dyslexia (or other reading challenge) support in the classroom to a pared-down, exam-approved device that learners can take into SATs with them. 

The process is simple. If a student routinely uses the device in class as their Normal Way of Working (NWoW), and the school has supporting evidence of it on file, an exam-locked Reader 2 can be used in tests without prior arrangements from the Standards and Testing Agency (STA).  

They don’t even need to have an identified neurodiversity or disability – it just has to reflect their normal classroom practice. 

✓ Use in classrooms AND in exams! 

✓ Boost reading confidence 

✓ Build vocab skills 

✓ Beat exam anxiety – for good! 

✓ No need for STA approval, human readers or Wi-Fi! 

✓ Built-in dictionaries, scan-to-file and practice mode 

💡 Top Tip #1! 

There’s no baseline limit on how long an accommodation needs to have been used as a student’s Normal Way of Working to facilitate its use in a SATs exam.  

Who can benefit from using Reader 2 to unlock their KS2 SATs paper? 

Learners with… 

✓ Speech and language impairments, i.e. receptive language disorder  

✓ Autism spectrum differences 

✓ Cognition and learning needs, like dyslexia 

✓ ADHD, or other attention challenges 

✓ English as an Additional Language (EALs) 

✓ Other differences that impact reading ability and confidence  

💡 Top Tip #2! 

The only KS2 SATs paper that students aren’t allowed as standard to take C-Pen Reader 2 into is the KS2 English Reading paper, where the core function of reading is being specifically assessed – although it’s wise to contact the STA for more guidance if you do encounter a learner scenario where equity of access to this paper would be facilitated by reading pen use. 

The magic of the Reader 2’s exam lock  

C-Pen Reader 2 comes fully equipped with a suite of functionalities designed to support learners in the classroom toward a brighter learning future. It features built-in dictionaries, a skill-building practice mode, scan-to-file functionality and a voice recorder – all of which rule it out for use in exams as per STA regulations. 

…But it’s clever, Reader 2: as well as everything learners need to support and develop their reading skills as they prepare and revise ready for SATs, it also features an exam lock that deactivates each and every feature that would compromise the integrity of the exam. It leaves learners free to use in exams, and access only the dependable text-to-speech functionality that makes it a gamechanger.  

So that’s a classroom reading pen and an exam-approved reading pen in one – which is great for the students who won’t have to re-learn how to use a new device in exam season, and even better for your support budget. 

How do I set the exam lock for KS2 SATs papers?

Reader 2 likes to keep it simple. That’s why setting up the exam lock only takes a few minutes: watch the super-speedy tutorial on YouTube!

Our 3-step guide to using C-Pen Reader 2 to ace SATs and beat anxiety!   

Although it’s a handy exam-time helper, Reader 2 is a dependable reading companion for learners throughout Year 6. It’s not just about optimising the time spent actively completing that KS2 SATs paper – it’s about optimising everything that leads learners there.  

SATs, although they’re anxiety-inducing, don’t come as a surprise. And that means we’ve got a long run-up to the actual exams in May, which gives us a wide window in which to ensure learners can walk into those tests feeling confident, capable, and believing in their skills.  

Here’s how ⬇️ 

Use Reader 2 for class work! 

Before students encounter access issues in exams, they encounter them in the classroom.  

And that’s where the first instances of low confidence begin to trickle in. It starts with not being able to work through a worksheet as quickly as their peers do; then it progresses into being slower to read excerpts, textbook sections, and then struggling with longer or subject-specific lexis. By the time exams appear on the horizon as a real, tangible thing that’s going to happen – (as opposed to something vague and far-off in summer) they’ve already mentally established themselves as a ‘student who isn’t very good at reading’, likely over several years.  

But when we apply a reading pen to the situation, that negative self-concept changes.  

When students use C-Pen Reader 2 to support their reading in class, not only does their confidence grow – as they begin to think of themselves as somebody who can read with confidence, who can tackle new words or complex lexis without a teacher or teaching assistant being present all the time – their skills get a boost. Research shows that students who read with audio assistance grow their skills faster than their peers who just read from the page, as well as develop better vocabulary retention as they progress with the literacy acquisition process.  

So it’s not just about building reading confidence (although when it comes to those all-important KS2 SATs papers, confidence is half the battle). A reading pen like C-Pen Reader 2 can help students create firm reading foundations to rely on in the exam, and set them up with the best possible skill set to take on the challenge.  

Use Reader 2 for ‘revision’! 

Although most students sitting a KS2 SATs paper this summer don’t engage in individually-led revision to anywhere near the extent their older peers do for GCSEs, there’s still a large degree of prep work that goes into the lead-up to exams. This might involve past papers and mock testing, or going over key materials in class – all of which is easier when they can comprehend independently. 

…But that’s not all. By using Reader 2’s built-in word practice mode, students can work on reading comprehension and decoding text without the pressure of time constraints, working on spelling, pronunciation and word meanings in an informal, gamified way. So it’s easier than ever to broaden their vocabularies and target problem areas long before they head into the test!  

And we know all reading is good reading – so whether they’re chilling out with a book at home to de-stress or having a look through a study guide, Reader 2 is on hand to help learners access texts and develop their skills at home.  

And using Reader 2 in the exam… 

✓ Boosts independence: students can read questions and instructions themselves, boosting confidence and fostering a ‘can-do’ attitude. 

✓ Increases reading speed: Reader 2 reads text aloud at their pace, helping them focus on understanding instead of getting stuck on tricky words, and freeing up more time to answer the questions. 

✓ Supports comprehension: by hearing the text read aloud, students can better understand what’s being asked of them, leading to more accurate, insightful answers. 

✓ Reduces anxiety: it also takes the pressure off anybody who’s struggling with exam stress: knowing that they can understand whatever is being asked of them makes the exam feel less stressful and more manageable. 

✓ Encourages self-advocacy: students can use Reader 2 whenever they need support, empowering them to take control of their learning and exam experience without feeling shy or embarrassed – something many KS2 students feel when working with human readers.  

For learners who find reading challenging, KS2 SATs can feel like a huge, intimidating hurdle… but they don’t have to.  

With Reader 2 in hand, it’s not just that they’re better prepared for the content of the tests; they’re more confident, more independent, and more engaged in the process. from day-to-day classwork and revision to that all-important moment when the paper lands in front of them, students are supported every step of the way, making it harder and harder for anxiety to creep in.   

It’s all about stoking that little extra bit of self-belief that helps students see really themselves as capable readers, feel in control of their learning, and open those papers safe in the knowledge that can tackle any test, knowing they can rise to the challenge!  

We get it: budgets are tight, and you need to know that the classroom literacy supports and the exam solutions you’re investing in do what they say on the tin. That’s why Scanning Pens offers educators a FREE 30-DAY TRIAL of C-Pen Reader 2, so that you can explore how they revolutionise reading for anybody taking a KS2 SATs paper before you allocate funds. 

And we’re a chatty bunch. If you want to speak to one of our reading support experts about supporting the reading needs in your Trust, school or classroom this exam season, we’re always happy to explore in-depth solutions for your setting! 

📧 Drop us a line: ukinfo@scanningpens.com 

☎️ Give us a call: +44 (0) 207 976 4910