Wherever you live in Australia, your child will probably read a short list of words to their teacher in Year 1. Every state and territory now runs a Year 1 phonics check in its public schools, but the details differ: which schools take part, when it happens, and whether an expected score is published. Here is the Year 1 phonics check around Australia, state by state, in plain language.
Does every state have a Year 1 phonics check?
Yes, in public schools. The national school funding agreement, the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement for 2025 to 2034, includes this reform: “A Year 1 phonics check and an early years of schooling numeracy check to support early identification of student learning needs.”
The Australian Government’s 2026 progress report on that agreement says: “As of this year, phonics checks are now standard in public schools”. Its table lists all eight states and territories as “In place – Year 1 phonics checks”.
The rules below are for government (public) schools. Catholic and independent schools can differ, so ask your school.
What is in a Year 1 phonics check?
The checks look very similar across the country. The Australian Government’s Literacy Hub, which offers a free national version, describes it for families like this: “Your child will sit with a teacher they know and be asked to read up to 40 words aloud.” The words “are a mix of real words and made-up words (sometimes called ‘pseudo words’, ‘non-words’ or ‘nonsense words’).”
The Literacy Hub adds: “There is no set time limit for it and if your child is struggling, the teacher will stop.” In NSW, Victoria and South Australia it usually takes 5 to 7 minutes.
The made-up words are the clever part. The NSW Department of Education explains: “The purpose of the nonsense words is to see if the student can use their knowledge of blending to read a word rather than their memory of having seen that word before.” Our post on why children read made-up words in phonics has more on this.
NSW and South Australia call it the Phonics Screening Check. Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the national tool call it the Phonics Check.
The Year 1 phonics check, state by state
| State or territory | Who takes part | When, and what’s published |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | All NSW public school Year 1 students, since 2021 | Term 3, weeks 4 to 6. 40 words: 20 real and 20 nonsense words. No expected score on the Department’s page. |
| Victoria | Required for all Year 1 students in government schools, from 2026 | Weeks 4 to 6 of Term 3. 40 words: 20 real and 20 made-up. A score of 28 to 40 is “at or above expected level”. |
| Queensland | State schools, as part of the Department’s 2026 framework | Term 3. Word count and expected score not published on a Queensland page. |
| South Australia | All Year 1 students in public schools, since 2018 | Term 3. Up to 40 real and made-up words. Expected: 28 out of 40. |
| Western Australia | Being put in place in public and Catholic schools, as part of the Department’s Phonics Initiative (introduced in 2023) | Timing, word count and expected score not published in the documents we read, which say “implement” rather than “mandatory”. |
| Tasmania | “All eligible learners in all school sectors”, using the national check | Up to 40 words. Timing and an expected score not stated. |
| Australian Capital Territory | All ACT public primary schools, from 2025 | Decoding 28 words or more is “the expected level of achievement”. Timing not published. |
| Northern Territory | Government schools, required from 2026 | Timing, word count and expected score not published. |
Last checked 17 October 2026. Where a detail says “not published”, we couldn’t find it on an official page, so ask your child’s school.
If you live in Victoria, our guide to the Year 1 Phonics Check in Victoria goes into more detail, including the optional Year 2 reassessment.
Is there a pass mark?
No. A phonics check isn’t a pass or fail test. It’s a quick look at one skill, sounding out and blending, so help can start early.
Three places publish an expected score, all 28 out of 40:
- South Australia: “it is generally reasonable to expect year 1 students to decode 28 out of 40 words”.
- Victoria: “A score in the range of 28 to 40 demonstrates that students are ‘at or above expected level’”.
- The ACT: to “decode 28 words or more (the expected level of achievement)”.
Other states haven’t published one, so don’t assume 28 applies everywhere. And be wary of websites that quote England’s check: it is a different test with its own threshold.
How children have gone so far
Plenty of children are still learning at this point in Year 1. Each state reports its own way, so these figures can’t be compared directly.
| Place | What was reported |
|---|---|
| South Australia | “66% of students scoring at or above the expected achievement” |
| Victoria | 59.1% of Year 1 students reached the expected level |
| Tasmania | “56.6% of these students either met or exceeded the expected phonics achievement levels for their age” |
| ACT | 56% decoded 28 words or more |
| New South Wales | “nearly two-thirds of Year 1 students met the benchmark in 2025, up from just over half in 2022” (Australian Government progress report) |
What happens after the check?
The point of the check is early help. In Victoria, “If the Check shows your child is below the expected level, teachers decide the best ways to help them learn.” In South Australia, Year 2 students who need a recheck, or who were away in Year 1, also sit the check.
Ask the teacher which sounds your child found tricky. That tells you exactly what to practise.
How to help at home, in any state
You don’t need to drill word lists. Half of the words are made up, so memorising can’t help with them, and that’s the point. What helps is the everyday phonics your child already does at school, plus a little at home.
- A few minutes most days. Our 10-minute phonics routine covers sounds, blending and reading.
- Practise blending out loud. Say the sounds, then the word: “m-a-p, map”. If it’s hard, see what to try when a child can’t blend sounds yet.
- Play with made-up words. Read silly names for toys or monsters, like “zib” or “plok”. It’s the same skill the check looks for.
- Read decodable books. Books that use the sounds your child has learnt let them practise sounding out for real. KidStudy has 20 free decodable books.
- Try a practice list once. KidStudy’s Phonics Check practice mixes 20 real and 20 made-up words for a grown-up to mark. It isn’t the official check, and it follows Victoria’s Phonics Plus order, so elsewhere follow your child’s class.
Questions parents ask
Which states have a Year 1 phonics check?
All of them. The Australian Government’s 2026 progress report lists a Year 1 phonics check as in place in public schools in all eight states and territories: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory.
Is the Year 1 phonics check compulsory?
In government schools it is required in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory, and used across ACT public primary schools from 2025. Tasmania uses it in all school sectors, and Western Australia is putting it in place in public and Catholic schools. Other Catholic and independent schools can differ, so ask your school.
When is the phonics check done in my state?
In NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia it is in Term 3; NSW and Victoria use weeks 4 to 6. The other states and territories haven’t published the timing, so ask your child’s school.
What is a good score on the Year 1 phonics check?
It isn’t pass or fail. South Australia, Victoria and the ACT publish an expected level of 28 out of 40 words. The other states haven’t published a score, so ask the teacher what your child’s result means.
Why does the phonics check have made-up words?
So children have to sound the words out. As the NSW Department of Education puts it, the nonsense words show whether a child can use their knowledge of blending, rather than their memory of having seen a word before.
How can my child practise for the phonics check at home?
Keep phonics short and regular: sounds, blending out loud, made-up words as a game, and decodable books. There’s no need to drill lists, because made-up words can’t be memorised.
Sources
- Better and Fairer Schools Agreements 2025–2034 fact sheet, Australian Government Department of Education
- The Better and Fairer Schools Agreements Progress Report, Australian Government Department of Education
- What is the Year 1 Phonics Check?, Australian Government Literacy Hub
- Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, NSW Department of Education
- Assessment of student achievement and progress: policy, Victorian Department of Education
- Victorian Year 1 Phonics Check, Victorian Government
- 2026 K–12 curriculum, assessment and reporting framework, Queensland Department of Education
- Phonics screening check, South Australian Department for Education
- Western Australia bilateral agreement, Australian Government Department of Education
- Lifting Literacy 2025 Progress Report, Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People
- 2025 Year 1 Phonics Check: ACT, ACT Government
- Boosting literacy and numeracy, Northern Territory Department of Education and Training
