A short orientation first. In Year 6 spelling extends to technical and subject vocabulary, uncommon patterns, words with foreign origins and using etymology to work out spellings. Accuracy in extended writing is the expectation.

Our tutors wrote and checked these questions against the Victorian Curriculum, which is why the wording and the difficulty match what a Year 6 student meets at school.

The usual phonics & spelling errors at Year 6

If your child gets a question wrong here, it is worth checking whether one of these is behind it. They are the phonics & spelling misconceptions RHZ tutors correct most often with Year 6 students:

None of these is a sign of low ability. Each is a reasonable idea that worked in an earlier year and needs replacing, which is exactly what a good explanation, or a tutor, does.

How to practise phonics & spelling at home

Practice works when it is short, regular and specific. For phonics & spelling, our tutors suggest:

For Years 3 to 6, pair daily reading with a small amount of writing that gets edited. Grammar sticks when it is used, not when it is drilled.

About the questions on this page

The 10 questions are drawn from 12 eligible items on phonics & spelling in our Year 6 English bank, all at the easy and at-level tiers. The selection is fixed for this address so a shared link shows the same quiz; press New set of questions or add ?seed= to the address for a different mix. Options are shuffled, no two questions share a stem, and the answer key is fetched from our server only after you submit, so it is not hidden in the page.

A single-topic quiz is more precise than a mixed one: if the score here is low, the gap is in phonics & spelling, not somewhere in Year 6 English generally. It is still short, though, and it cannot show how a student copes with the stretch and challenge questions that decide a top result. That is what the free Skills Check adds.

Year 6 Phonics & spelling notes: the key ideas

A one-page summary of phonics & spelling at Year 6 level, written by RHZ tutors to the Victorian Curriculum. Read it before the quiz, or print it for revision.

Etymology is the history of a word: where it came from and how its spelling shows that origin.
Technical vocabulary is subject-specific language, such as photosynthesis in science or denominator in mathematics.
Greek-origin words often use ph for f, ch for k and y for i: phase, chorus, cycle, physics.
French-origin words keep unusual endings such as -que in unique, -et in ballet and -eau in plateau.
Latin roots stack with affixes to build long words: in + vis + ible gives invisible; the parts explain the spelling.
Unusual patterns such as -ue in catalogue and -ise in organise are standard Australian spellings and must be used consistently.
Worked example: spell 'chronological' by origin: chron is Greek for time, so ch not k; add -o-, logic (study) and -al, giving chronological.
Common mistake: using American spellings such as color, organize and center in extended writing; use colour, organise and centre.
Common mistake: spelling technical words by sound, such as 'fotosinthesis'; it is Greek, so photo (light) plus synthesis.

How to revise this: for every new subject word this week, write its origin, root and two relatives, then use it correctly in a sentence.

Prints the notes only; the quiz is hidden.

How to read a score out of 10

What to do with the result

1. Want the full picture?

The free Skills Check takes about 15 minutes, covers every Year 6 topic including stretch and challenge questions, and sends a same-day topic-by-topic report. A tutor calls to walk you through it, no obligation.

Start the free Skills Check →

2. Printable practice with answers

Our Year 6 practice papers are full-length, curriculum-aligned and come with worked answers, so a student can practise on paper the way the real test is sat.

Browse practice papers →

3. Tutoring in Melbourne's west or online

Small groups from $25 an hour and 1:1 from $35 an hour at our Truganina centre, or online anywhere in Australia. Same tutors, same Skills Check, same progress notes either way.

See English tutoring → All tutoring →

Frequently asked questions

Is this Year 6 phonics & spelling quiz free?

Yes, completely: no sign-up, no email, no payment, and you can take it as many times as you like. It is one of 3,261 free practice questions RHZ Tutoring publishes across Prep to Year 12. Press New set of questions, or add ?seed= to the address, for a different selection from the same topic.

Why only 10 questions on one topic?

Because a single-topic set is the most precise free check available: if the score is low, the gap is in phonics & spelling and nowhere else. There are 12 eligible questions on this topic in our Year 6 English bank, so several different sets are available before any repeat.

Where do the phonics & spelling questions come from?

From RHZ Tutoring's own Year 6 English question bank, written to the Victorian Curriculum, checked by a tutor and passed through an automated quality gate. The same bank feeds our tutoring sessions and the free Skills Check. The questions on this page sit at the easy and at-level tiers.

What should I do if the score is low?

Read the explanation for each incorrect answer first; most gaps in phonics & spelling are one of the misconceptions listed on this page. Then try a second set a few days later. If it is still low, the free Skills Check will show whether the gap is confined to this topic, and a tutor can build a short catch-up plan.

Is there a mixed Year 6 English quiz?

Yes. The Year 6 English quiz spreads ten questions across every topic for the year, and the hub lists topic quizzes for every year level from Prep to Year 12.

Free Year 6 Phonics & spelling Quiz — 10 Questions, Instant Results

What Year 6 students need to know about phonics & spelling