Year 6 (or the equivalent autumn term in early-test areas like Trafford) is the consolidation phase. The work done now is polish, not foundation.
The year in shape
A typical Year 6 routine in the run-up to the test: full timed paper twice a week, with the in-between days used for reviewing mistakes and drilling the topics those mistakes expose.
In the first few weeks of Year 6, do a fresh diagnostic: how have summer holiday gains held? Where are the persistent weaknesses? The work in those weeks should target those weaknesses specifically.
Term-by-term plan
Autumn term. Autumn-term sittings (Kent, Bucks, Medway, Trafford) require the test-week routine to be set well in advance: sleep schedule, breakfast routine, journey logistics. November and January sittings (Essex, NI, ISEB) allow a more relaxed in-term build-up.
Spring term. In the final fortnight, reduce paper volume sharply. The aim is to enter the test rested and confident, not exhausted. One full paper per week in the final fortnight is enough.
Summer term & holiday. In the final week, do no full papers. Light topic review only. Children who do their best paper in the last week often do their worst paper on the morning of the test because they have peaked too early.
Topics to prioritise
Highest-leverage final-sprint topics: pacing discipline (run a stopwatch on every practice session), answer-grid transfer (for GL), and reading the question carefully (for CEM and CSSE).
Common mistakes parents make this year
The most common Year 6 parent mistake is adding extra tutoring in the final fortnight in panic. Extra tutoring that late tends to undermine confidence rather than build skill — the child needs reassurance, not more work.
Signs to look for
On the morning of the test: a good breakfast, a calm journey, no last-minute drilling, and a deliberate "you have done all the work, just enjoy showing what you can do" message from the parent. If these signs are present, the year is going well; if they are absent, the issue is rarely intelligence — it is usually pacing, format unfamiliarity or the wrong tutoring relationship. Identify which and adjust deliberately.
Where to go next
After the test, decompress. Results follow in two to six weeks depending on region; in the meantime, let the child rest. Whatever the result, the year of effort has been valuable in itself. Read across the related guides on this site — the guides index groups them by category for easy navigation.