Apostrophes Explained for Year 6 SATs

Apostrophes are tiny but mighty. They do just two jobs — show missing letters (contraction) and show ownership (possession). Yet they trip up more children in the GPS paper than almost any other punctuation mark. Here's how to get them right every time.

Apostrophes for Contraction

A contraction squashes two words into one. The apostrophe sits where the missing letters used to be.

do not → don’t (the “o” of “not” is removed)

I will → I’ll (the “wi” is removed)

they are → they’re (the “a” is removed)

could have → could’ve (the “ha” is removed)

If your child can expand the contraction back into two words, they know the apostrophe is in the right place.

Apostrophes for Possession (Singular)

When one person or thing owns something, add ’s to the owner.

the dog’s bone (one dog owns the bone)

Sarah’s book (Sarah owns the book)

the school’s playground (the school has a playground)

A handy test: can you rephrase it as “the bone belonging to the dog”? If yes, you need a possessive apostrophe.

Plural Possessives

When multiple owners already end in “s”, just add an apostrophe after the existing s.

the dogs’ bones (more than one dog, each with bones)

the teachers’ staffroom (shared by all teachers)

But irregular plurals take ’s:

the children’s coats (“children” doesn’t end in s)

The rule is simple: make the word plural first, then add the apostrophe. If the plural already ends in s, the apostrophe goes after it. If it doesn’t (like “children”, “men”, “people”), add ’s.

Its vs It’s

This is the single most tested apostrophe question in SATs. The rule breaks the normal pattern, which is why it catches so many children out:

it’s = it is / it has (contraction)

its = belonging to it (possession, NO apostrophe)

Why no apostrophe for possession? Because “its” is a pronoun, like “his” and “hers”. You wouldn’t write “hi’s” or “her’s”, and you don’t write “it’s” for possession either.

SATs-Style Example Questions

“Tick the sentence that uses an apostrophe correctly.”

A) The cat licked it’s paws. WRONG (should be “its”)

B) The girl’s ran to school. WRONG (no possession, just plural)

C) The team’s captain scored. CORRECT (the captain belongs to the team)

D) She could’nt believe it. WRONG (apostrophe in wrong place: couldn’t)

Common Mistakes to Watch For

Apostrophes in ordinary plurals — “apple’s” instead of “apples”. If it’s just more than one, no apostrophe needed.
It’s vs its — the number one mistake. Drill this until it’s automatic.
Apostrophe in the wrong place for contractions — “should’nt” instead of “shouldn’t”. The apostrophe replaces the missing letter(s).
Confusing plural possession — “the boy’s books” (one boy) vs “the boys’ books” (several boys). The position of the apostrophe changes the meaning.

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