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New Group Reading Test (NGRT)

Identify where intervention may be needed in reading then monitor impact and progress made

The New Group Reading Test (NGRT) is a digitally adaptive assessment that adjusts as each student responds, giving you reliable insights into both group and individual reading skills. Available on paper or digitally, it can be used up to three times a year to identify strengths, highlight areas for improvement and track progress over time. NGRT also allows you to benchmark reading ability easily against the national average using the Standard Age Score (SAS).

If taken digitally, the test adapts in real time, offering more challenging questions to higher-ability students while keeping weaker readers engaged with accessible content. Actionable reports help you analyse results, identify areas needing support and plan next steps for reading intervention.

At a glance

Age ranges
6–16 years
Test duration
45–50 minutes (paper)
30 minutes (digital)
Test format
Digital – laptop or PC
Paper

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How NGRT can help you

A clear reading baseline

NGRT is standardised against a sample of over 11,700 UK students, with benchmarks verified annually using data from almost half a million students. This ensures reliable, statistically robust comparisons.

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Group Report for Teachers

The NGRT Group Report provides the SAS for each student, along with a confidence band for every score. This instantly shows where individuals and the group sit in relation to the national average, helping you identify trends and target support where it’s needed most.

Automatically adapts to reading ability

NGRT is designed for students of all abilities, adapting in real time to challenge confident readers while keeping struggling readers engaged. The digital test presents questions based on previous answers, ensuring an experience that’s both supportive and challenging. Domain scores highlight specific reading challenges, helping you personalise support. Each report includes clear next steps, giving practical guidance to inform teaching and learning in the classroom.

Actionable reports

NGRT provides clear, easy-to-read reports that build a full picture of each student’s reading ability. Reports include reading age, Standard Age Score (SAS) and reading profiles, with targeted recommendations for intervention.

Group-level insights highlight trends across key reading profiles, while individual reports offer next steps for personalised support.

Track progress over time

NGRT can be used up to three times a year to track reading progress, helping you identify difficulties early and measure the impact of interventions. Termly assessments provide a clear view of student development, supporting planning and targeted teaching.

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NGRT Progress Report

When repeated, NGRT provides progress measures based on the Standard Age Scores (SAS) for each student. This highlights where interventions may be of benefit but can also help you to measure the success of interventions that have been put in place.

Strengthen your wider reading strategy

Ensure every student gets the right support by sharing clear, actionable reading data with all staff, reading specialists and school leaders. Tools like our Reading Support Pathway and SEND Guide help foster a collaborative approach, making it easier to track progress and plan interventions.

See the bigger literacy picture

Pair NGRT with the New Group Spelling Test (NGST) and New Group Maths Test (NGMT) for a fuller picture of student progress across literacy and numeracy. For further insight combine NGRT scores with The Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4) to reveal hidden strengths and barriers through our powerful combination report.

Then take the next step with Accelerated Reader and myON — enabling a seamless transition from assessment to targeted reading practice as part of a whole-school strategy aligned with the DfE’s Reading Framework.

Interested in learning more about our Language and Literacy solutions? Get in touch.

New Group Reading Test (NGRT) in action

New Group Reading Test (NGRT) works with...

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FAQs

What does NGRT assess?

NGRT is in two parts: sentence completion (which measures decoding with some element of comprehension) and passage comprehension (which measures a range of comprehension skills of increasing difficulty). It therefore tests not just the ability of students to decode what they read, but whether they also comprehend and apply meaning. It can be used to measure phonemic awareness in less able readers too and is particularly useful at transition points.

NGRT tells you the reading ages and the Standard Age Scores of your students so you can introduce extra challenge or interventions to address problems before they impact on performance. This information will help you in planning curriculum content at the right levels and help to identify those who may have barriers to accessing the curriculum.

To compare ability with current attainment, our Combination Reports combine NGRT data with CAT4 data (as well as the data from Progress Test in Maths and Progress Test in English). Using these you can identify those who are under-achieving or exceeding expectations in English and maths.

The digital version can be used alongside New Group Spelling Test (NGST). The two tests work together, with a Spelling and Reading Report comparing and analysing the results from both.

What do the tests involve?

NGRT is in two parts: sentence completion, which measures decoding with some element of comprehension; and passage comprehension, which measures skills of increasing difficulty.

Children enter the test according to their chronological age and begin with the sentence completion section. Depending on their score, they move on to appropriate phonics-based tasks or to the passage comprehension section. The difficulty increases beyond the student’s ability, challenging their understanding, until their scores show that the difficulty level is too high.

What does NGRT data tell me?

The following digital reports can be instantly generated:

  • NGRT group report for teachers – provides an easy to understand overview of reading attainment in a selected group or cohort. Group rank will help you quickly and easily identify those most in need of additional support.
  • NGRT individual report for teachers – shows all scores plus an analysis of responses for Sentence Completion and Passage Comprehension and a short narrative report. (Or Sentence Completion and Phonics in the case of students who have taken these parts of the test.)
  • NGRT progress report – When completed termly, this provides a summary of the progress made over time. Reports are available as downloadable Excel reports and pdf for easy analysis.
  • Paper reports are also available from the NGRT Scoring & Reporting Service.

What can I do if NGRT flags concerns?

If the student scores less than 85 on NGRT, use York Assessment of Reading for Comprehension (YARC) to further diagnose reading difficulties including reading accuracy, comprehension and rate.

If there is a significant difference between sentence completion and passage comprehension in NGRT, screen for dyslexic tendencies using Rapid (ages 4-15), CoPS (ages 4-7) or LASS (ages 8-15).

How can I use NGRT with the New Group Spelling Test (NGST)?

You can choose to compare spelling and reading together in under an hour when you use NGST alongside NGRT.

Spelling and reading reports for both groups and individuals will combine and compare scores from both tests, including SAS, stanine and age equivalent scores.

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