SpellingP6 level15 questions in the full course

Common Spelling RulesSEAG Practice Questions

Applying carefully bounded spelling patterns: doubling in selected one-syllable or final-stressed words, treating silent e differently before -ing and -ed, changing y to i before selected endings while retaining it before -ing, remembering selected ie/ei words, and checking suffixes such as -tion, -ous, -ly and -ful.

Where your child meets this in real life: Spelling everyday words correctly in stories, letters and school work without having to memorise every word separately

What your child needs to know

In the SEAG test

Spelling is questions 11 to 15 of the English section in each SEAG paper. They are multiple choice, such as finding the part of a sentence with a misspelt word.

SEAGReady breaks common spelling rules into 3 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.

  1. 1

    Adding -ing and -ed

    Add -ing and -ed accurately in selected KS2 words by checking the root, applying bounded one-syllable or final-stressed doubling patterns, removing final e before -ing, and adding only d when the regular -ed form already has the root's final e.

  2. 2

    Y to I and Tricky IE/EI Words

    Change consonant-plus-y to i before selected endings such as -ed and -ness, retain y before -ing, preserve y after a vowel, and use word memory plus a limited mnemonic to spell selected ie/ei words such as believe and receive.

  3. 3

    Suffix Patterns

    Spell selected words built with -tion, -ous, -ly and -ful by combining reliable suffix joins with complete-word and word-family checks, including the one l in -ful and the ll produced when -ly follows it.

Try these SEAG-style questions

Try three free questions from our common spelling rules course. They start easy and get harder, so you can see where your child's confidence runs out. If they manage the last one without a hint, this topic is probably secure. If not, the steps above show where to start.

Question 1Confidence builder
Which section contains the spelling mistake?
Sentence divided into sections A to D

Section AAt lunchtimeSection BMaya went swimingSection Cwith her cousinsSection Din the pool.

Choose A, B, C or D for the section with the mistake. Choose N if all four sections are correct in standard UK English.

Question 2Standard
Which section contains the spelling mistake?
Sentence divided into sections A to D

Section AChloe recieved a medalSection Bfor winningSection Cthe netball finalSection Dlast weekend.

Choose A, B, C or D for the section with the mistake. Choose N if all four sections are correct in standard UK English.

Question 3Stretch
Which section contains the spelling mistake?
Sentence divided into sections A to D

Section AVisitors walked carefullySection Balong the dangerous cliff pathSection Cand hopfully waitedSection Dfor the sun to set.

Choose A, B, C or D for the section with the mistake. Choose N if all four sections are correct in standard UK English.

Try the lesson: Adding -ing and -ed

This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.

Ben writes in his P6 news book: "We went swiming in the lake with my cousins."

Is "swiming" spelled correctly? If not, how should it be spelled?

Identify the root and its shape
1

Remove -ing to find the one-syllable root: swim.

Step 1 of 6

Prefer to read? See every step written out

Ben writes in his P6 news book: "We went swiming in the lake with my cousins."

Is "swiming" spelled correctly? If not, how should it be spelled?

  1. 1

    Identify the root and its shape

    • Remove -ing to find the one-syllable root: swim.
    • It ends with a short vowel i followed by one final consonant m.
  2. 2

    Apply the selected doubling pattern

    • For this one-syllable pattern, double the final m before adding -ing.
    • swim → swimm → swimming
  3. 3

    Check without overgeneralising

    • The finished word contains mm and is pronounced as the expected form of swim.
    • This shortcut is not enough for every longer word: syllable stress and final letters such as w, x and y can change the decision.

"Swiming" is incorrect. The correct spelling is "swimming", with mm before -ing.

The key insight: First identify the root and its shape: the doubling pattern is dependable for selected one-syllable words such as swim and stop, not a command to double every final consonant.

Common mix-up: smileed. Do not use the -ing silent-e action for every ending. Before -ing, hope normally loses e: hope → hoping. For the regular past tense of a root already ending in e, add only d: smile → smiled.

Mistakes to watch for

These are the misconceptions we see most often in common spelling rules, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.

  • Keeping the silent e when adding -ing (hopeing instead of hoping)
  • Not doubling the consonant after a short vowel (swiming instead of swimming)
  • Doubling every final consonant without checking syllables, stress or final w, x and y
  • Changing y to i before -ing (criing instead of crying)
  • Spelling the -ful suffix with two ls (beautifull)
  • Treating the familiar ie/ei mnemonic as an exception-free rule

More spelling practice

Homophones and Confusable WordsTricky and Irregular SpellingsBritish Spelling ConventionsProofreading for Spelling

Sitting the SEAG test this November? Read our last-month revision plan, Paper 1 vs Paper 2 and test day guide.

15 questions on this topic alone

Master common spelling rules and everything it unlocks

SEAGReady finds the exact step where your child gets stuck, teaches it with worked examples like the one above, and brings it back for review so it sticks.

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