Vocabulary Assessment · Grades 3–5
Spelling Rules for Adding Endings Assessment
A printable assessment for grades 3-5 on what happens to a base word when an ending is attached: doubling the final consonant, dropping silent e, and changing y to i. Twenty-four items with a complete answer key.
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What this assessment checks
Three rules cover almost every spelling change an ending causes, and all three are assessed both as production and as recognition:
- Doubling the final consonant after a short vowel
- Dropping silent e before a vowel ending
- Changing y to i after a consonant
- Naming which rule a given word needs
How to use it
Give it after all three rules have been taught. Section C is the one that shows whether a student is applying rules or recalling words — a speller who cannot name the rule will not transfer it to a word they have not practised.
Reading the results
The three rules interact, which is why they are assessed together: carry + ed changes y to i but carry + ing does not, because English never writes ii. Watch for that pair specifically. In Section C, “no change” is correct twice — a student who applies a rule to every word has learned that endings always cause a change, the most common overcorrection at this stage.
| Resource type | Assessment (printable PDF) |
| Grade range | Grades 3–5 |
| Items | 24 across 3 sections |
| Answer key | Included on the final page |
| Time | About 25 minutes |
| Access | Full Member |