EQAO Grade 6 parent guide: what to expect in spring 2027

Grade 6 is the second EQAO year. If your child was in an Ontario school in Grade 3, they’ve done this before, but it was three years ago and it may not feel familiar.

This guide answers the questions parents ask most, using EQAO’s own pages and its guide for parents. For math tips by topic, see our Grade 6 EQAO math page, and for a month-by-month plan, our calm plan from now to May.

When is it?

The 2027 window for Grade 6 is Tuesday, May 4 to Tuesday, June 8, 2027. Your child’s school picks the days and will let you know. The last two days are set aside for students who missed a session, and nothing is scheduled on June 1.

The parts don’t have to be done all at once. A school can run them back to back with breaks, or spread them over several days.

What’s on it?

Two parts, both done online at school.

Reading and writing: four sessions of about 35 minutes, with 31 questions in all. Some have answers to choose from; others ask for a written answer, which teachers can let students write on a printed sheet.

Math: four stages of about 30 minutes, with 44 questions in all. Every math question is answered by choosing: one answer or several, drag and drop, a drop-down list or a checklist. There’s no written explanation in the math part.

The math is based on the Ontario curriculum up to the end of Grade 6. In Grade 6 that includes negative numbers on a number line; moving between fractions and decimals, up to thousandths; working out 10%, 25% or 50% of a number in your head; and ratios and rates. Our Grade 6 math guide explains each topic in plain language.

Is there a time limit?

The times are a guide. EQAO’s guide for parents says schools schedule the sessions so that students have the time they need.

Can they use a calculator? What about formulas?

Yes to both. The math part has a built-in calculator, and Grade 6 students also have EQAO’s formula sheet. Students can use paper for rough work, and everyone can zoom, have questions read aloud and switch to a high-contrast view.

So the assessment isn’t a speed test of times tables. Strong number sense still matters, though. A student who knows that 25% is a quarter, or that 0.75 is close to 1, can tell when a calculator answer looks wrong.

Can they change an answer?

Yes, up to the moment they submit that session or stage.

French Immersion: which language?

Your school board decides. For Grade 6 French Immersion students, there are two set-ups:

1. everything in English, or
2. reading and writing in English, and math in French.

French–English and English–French glossaries are available in the math part, on screen or on paper. Ask the school which set-up your child’s class will use.

IEPs and accommodations

Your child’s school confirms which accommodations from the IEP can be used during EQAO. EQAO’s options include printable and large-print versions, Braille, audio versions (with or without descriptions of the math pictures), sign-language support and assistive technology such as screen readers. Talk to the teacher well before May.

Absent, or not happy with how it went?

If your child misses a session, they can do it when they’re back, as long as it’s still within the window. There’s no retake for Grade 6.

Does it count?

Not on the report card. EQAO results aren’t part of report card grades, and nobody passes or fails. Results use the curriculum’s four levels, and Level 3 is the provincial standard. EQAO says the standard is a target for whether a student is ready for the grades ahead, and is “not used to determine if a student passes or fails.”

That’s worth saying to a Grade 6 student who’s worried.

Results: when, and what you’ll see

Your child’s Individual Student Report comes through the school, with results by the end of September 2027, early in Grade 7. It’s an overview of how they did.

You won’t get a copy of your child’s answers. EQAO keeps the questions private because it uses them again. For specific next steps, EQAO points parents to the teacher, who has seen your child’s math all year.

How to help at home

EQAO says no extra preparation is needed beyond classwork, because the assessment follows the curriculum your child learns in class. A few things still help:

• Try the sample test once. It’s free on eqao.com. The math part has two stages with 22 questions. Your child will also see it in class, but a calm look at home takes the surprise out of the format.
• Look at released questions if you want more. EQAO has posted past Grade 6 math questions, most recently in November 2025, and its 2025 questions show how students across Ontario answered each one.
• Practise percents out loud. “What’s 10% of 80? And 25%?” in the grocery store or on a sale sign is real Grade 6 math.
• Ask for a plan before the work. On multi-step questions, “What do you know, and what’s the first step?” helps more than racing to an answer.
• Keep facts warm. By Grade 6, multiplication facts to 12 × 12 should be known from Grade 5. A few minutes a week is enough to keep them there.

What to skip

• Cramming the week before. Sleep and a normal routine help more.
• Test-prep booklets every night. EQAO says no extra preparation beyond classwork is needed, and nightly booklets can make math feel like a chore.
• Talking it up. Grade 6 students notice when adults are anxious. Treat it like a normal school week.

Questions to ask the school

• Which days will my child’s class do EQAO?
• Which IEP accommodations will be used?
• For French Immersion: which set-up does our board use?
• If you could pick one area of math for us to practise at home, what would it be?

Where Astuzo fits in

Astuzo is a homework tutor, not a test-prep product. It helps with the everyday homework where Grade 6 math is learned. Your child snaps a photo of their math homework, and Spark, our friendly robot tutor, helps one step at a time with hints and questions, using methods Ontario classrooms use. Spark never just gives the answer. It can check a finished sheet and point to where the thinking went off, so your child fixes it.

It’s made for Grades 1 to 8 and the Ontario math curriculum. There are no ads, nothing is sold to your child, and homework photos are read and never stored. You get a short email each evening your child uses it, so you know what they worked on.

Astuzo is available on Android in Canada: get it on Google Play. On iPhone or iPad? Join the waitlist to hear when it’s on the App Store. Or see what your child is learning this year in our Grade 6 math guide. Parent of a younger child too? Read our EQAO Grade 3 parent guide.

Astuzo is not affiliated with or endorsed by EQAO or the Ontario Ministry of Education. Details from EQAO’s junior division page and its guide for parents, Navigating EQAO Assessments, read November 2026. Your school sets the exact days; check eqao.com for updates.