The pass mark for the phonics screening check is 31 out of 40 for 2026. From 2012 to 2025 it was 32 every year. 2026 is the first time it has changed since the check began, and the Department for Education says so directly in its 2026 statistics.
Officially it isn't called a pass mark. It's the threshold mark, and a child who reaches it has "met the expected standard". A child who doesn't reach it hasn't failed anything: the school gives extra phonics support, and they take the check again in Year 2.
The pass mark, every year
| Year | Threshold mark | Year 1 pupils meeting it |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31 / 40 | 82% |
| 2025 | 32 / 40 | 80% |
| 2024 | 32 / 40 | 80% |
| 2023 | 32 / 40 | — |
| 2022 | 32 / 40 | 75% |
| 2019 | 32 / 40 | 82% |
| 2018 | 32 / 40 | 82% |
| 2017 | 32 / 40 | — |
| 2016 | 32 / 40 | — |
| 2015 | 32 / 40 | — |
| 2014 | 32 / 40 | — |
| 2013 | 32 / 40 | — |
| 2012 | 32 / 40 | 58% |
Sources: Standards and Testing Agency threshold announcements; Department for Education, Phonics screening check attainment, 2025/26 (published 8 October 2026), which gives figures for 2012, 2018, 2019 and 2022 to 2026.
How the threshold is set
The threshold is announced after the check, not before. Each June the Standards and Testing Agency publishes it once schools have finished; for 2027 it's due on Monday 28 June 2027, after check week (14 to 18 June). Teachers aren't told it in advance, so they mark every word the same way and add up the score.
The threshold reflects the level of phonics a child should have by the end of Year 1. Because each year's words are new, the mark can move a little from one year to the next; 2026 is the first time it has.
What counts as a correct answer
Each word scores 1 or 0. A word is correct if the child reads it aloud with acceptable sounds, even if they sound it out first and then blend it. For alien words there's often more than one acceptable reading, because some letter teams have more than one sound: any reading that uses a correct sound for each letter or team counts. Regional accents are fine. The exact rules are in each year's scoring guidance on GOV.UK. What doesn't count is reading the letter names, or reading a real word that looks similar (saying chip for chop).
How many children reach it
In 2026, 82% of Year 1 pupils in England met the expected standard, up from 80% in 2025 and 2024. By the end of Year 2, after the retake, 89% had met it. Girls do better than boys: 86% against 78% in 2026, a gap of 7 points. The share has come a long way from 58% in the first year, 2012.
In Australia the versions of the check use a different expected score: 28 out of 40. See the Australian Year 1 check.
Questions parents ask
What is the pass mark for the phonics screening check?
31 out of 40 in 2026. It was 32 out of 40 every year from 2012 to 2025.
What will the 2027 phonics check pass mark be?
It isn't known yet. The Standards and Testing Agency publishes it after the check, on Monday 28 June 2027. Recent thresholds have been 31 or 32.
Is 31 a pass on the phonics check?
In 2026, yes: 31 met the expected standard. In any year from 2012 to 2025 a child needed 32.
Do schools know the pass mark before the check?
No. Schools mark every word, add up the score, and find out the threshold when it is published after check week.