South Australia led the country: its public schools have run the Year 1 phonics screening check since 2018, after a trial in 2017. The department's 2025 results fact sheet says it is "generally reasonable to expect year 1 students to decode 28 out of 40 words", and in 2025, 66% of the 11,350 students who took part, across 413 schools, reached that level.
That's down from 70% in 2024, but well up from 43% in 2018, the first year. In other words, around one Year 1 child in three in SA public schools isn't there yet, which is exactly who the check is designed to find.
The South Australia check at a glance
| South Australia | |
|---|---|
| Who | Year 1 students in SA public schools |
| Since | 2018 (after a trial in 2017) |
| When | Term 3; in 2025, from 4 to 29 August |
| Format | 40 words, real and made-up, read one to one with the teacher |
| Expected score | 28 out of 40 |
| 2025 result | 66% of students read 28 or more words |
Sources: SA Department for Education, 2025 phonics screening check results fact sheet. Arrangements change; your school has the final word.
What's in the check
Forty words, read aloud one at a time to the teacher. About half are real words (chip, stair, turnip) and half are made-up words (vap, jigh, splote) that a child can only read by sounding out. Made-up words are usually shown with a picture of an imaginary creature, so children know the word is a name and not one they should recognise. The words get harder through the booklet: single sounds first, then letter teams like sh and ee, then vowel teams, blends and two-syllable words. There's more on the made-up words in Alien words, explained.
Twenty practice words
The Australian check is modelled on England's, and England publishes its papers. These are the 20 words from Section 1 of England's 2023 paper, 12 alien then 8 real, the same shape as the first half of the South Australia check. Read them with your child one at a time and note which sounds go wrong. (They are practice words only; the words your child's school uses are confidential.)
Practice · alien words
- fod
- bep
- zat
- ult
- heng
- shob
- farn
- chesh
- trun
- glork
- remp
- deebs
Practice · real words
- chip
- hill
- jars
- shack
- twin
- crack
- tuft
- ports
Practice words from England's 2023 phonics screening check, Section 1 · Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0 · phonogramfun.com/learn
South Australia notes
In South Australia the first year of school is Reception, so Year 1 is the second year. The 2025 check ran from 4 to 29 August; schools choose a time in that window and let families know.
| Year | Read 28+ words |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 66% |
| 2024 | 70% |
| 2018 | 43% |
Source: SA Department for Education, 2025 phonics screening check results fact sheet.
How to help at home
- Ten minutes, most days. Short and regular beats long and occasional. End on a word they can read.
- Pure sounds. Say /m/ not "muh". Clipped sounds blend; sounds with an "uh" on the end don't.
- Read every sound, left to right. The most common mistake on made-up words is guessing a real word from the first letter (reading strom as storm).
- Find the gaps. Use the twenty practice words above or a full past paper, then practise only the sounds that went wrong.
For the national picture, state by state, see the Year 1 Phonics Check in Australia.
Questions parents ask
When did South Australia start the phonics check?
In public schools in 2018, after a trial in 2017. It was the first Australian state to use it.
What is the expected score in the SA phonics check?
28 out of 40. In 2025, 66% of Year 1 students in SA public schools reached it.
When is the phonics check in South Australia?
In Term 3. In 2025 the window ran from 4 to 29 August.
Can I get the actual phonics check words?
No, the Australian check words are confidential. England's past papers, which the Australian check is modelled on, are published, and they make good practice.