Which All About Reading or All About Spelling level?

All About Learning Press programmes are scripted, open-and-go and multisensory. The one thing that trips families up is choosing the starting level. This page gives you the rules of thumb, then points you to the publisher's short placement check if you are still unsure.

All About Reading: pick by what your child can already do

Start here	If your child...	Get
Pre-Reading (typically ages 4 to 5)	is not reading yet and does not know most letter names and sounds. Builds the five pre-reading skills through play, crafts and read-alouds.	All About Reading Pre-Reading Program
Level 1	knows most letter sounds but is not yet blending words, or has finished Pre-Reading. Teaches blending, short vowels and the first readers.	All About Reading Level 1 Materials plus All About Reading and Spelling Letter Tiles and a Reading Review Box (Incl divider cards) (one-off, used in every level)
Level 2	reads short-vowel words and consonant blends comfortably. Adds long vowels with silent e, vowel teams, two-syllable words.	All about Reading Level 2 Materials
Level 3	reads simple chapter-book sentences and has covered the Level 2 concepts. Adds multisyllable words, more phonograms, contractions.	All About Reading Level 3 Materials
Level 4	is a fluent reader who still needs the final phonograms, prefixes and suffixes to read anything. Completes the programme.	All About Reading Level 4 Materials

Older child who has never used the programme? Place by skill, not by age or grade. A 9-year-old who guesses at words usually starts at Level 1 or 2 and moves through it quickly; the lessons are not babyish and the gaps get filled.

All About Spelling: nearly everyone starts at Level 1

All About Spelling is a building-block programme: each level assumes the rules and phonograms from the one before. The publisher's guidance is that most students, regardless of age or grade, should start with Level 1. A student with a strong phonics background can sometimes begin at Level 2. Level 1 moves fast for an older child (many finish it in a term), and skipping it is the most common reason the later levels feel hard.

Level	What it teaches	Get
Level 1	the first 26 phonograms, segmenting, short vowels, compound words, plurals	All About Spelling Level 1 Materials plus All About Reading and Spelling Letter Tiles and a Spelling Review Box (Incl divider cards) (one-off)
Level 2	vowel teams, silent e, open and closed syllables, syllable division	All About Spelling Level 2 Materials
Level 3	more ways to spell long vowels, adding suffixes, doubling and silent-e rules, contractions, homophones	All About Spelling Level 3 Materials
Level 4	twelve new phonograms, prefixes, the four sounds of Y, multisyllable strategies, abbreviations	All About Spelling Level 4 Materials
Level 5	more multisyllable words, plurals rules, syllable division rules, word banks	All About Spelling Level 5 Materials
Level 6	Latin and Greek word parts, more advanced suffixes and spelling patterns	All About Spelling Level 6 Materials
Level 7	the final phonograms and word parts, completing the programme	All About Spelling Level 7 Materials

Running reading and spelling together

Reading comes first. The publisher recommends starting All About Spelling Level 1 once a child has finished All About Reading Level 1 (reading and spelling use the same letter tiles, so you only buy those once). After that, many families run the two side by side: spelling usually sits one level behind reading.

Still not sure?

The publisher has a short, parent-led placement check for each programme. It opens in a new tab; come back here to order.

Reading placement check · Spelling placement check

Ask us

Tell us your child's age and what they can read and spell now, and we will suggest a level and a starter set. Contact us.