Which Collins Big Cat book band do you need?

11/11/26

Collins Big Cat books are levelled in line with the UK Institute of Education’s recommended book bands, covering wordless and phonics-based books at the earliest phases through to more complex reads for children in upper KS2. This blog explains which book bands are relevant for each year group from Reception through to Year 6/P7.

Which bands do I need for Reception (4-5 years old)?

Book band	Text characteristics	No. of pages	Word count
Lilac / Band 0	Wordless books	16	0
Pink A / Band 1A	Simple, highly predictable text with familiar objects/actions in the same place on each page One repetitive, whole-sentence structure that includes at least one high-frequency word.	16	14-20
Pink B / Band 1B	As Pink A but with the following progression Natural language following children's speech patterns 1-2 repetitive, whole-sentence structures that each include at least one high-frequency word.	16	20-30
Red A / Band 2A	Slightly longer, highly predictable text involving familiar objects and actions Repetitive sentence/phrase patterns that include high-frequency words and simple words that children can solve by blending phonemes	16	30-40
Red B / Band 2B	As Red A but offering slightly more challenge	16	40-60
Yellow / Band 3	Repetition of phrase patterns, ideas and vocabulary, and variation of sentence structure. Storylines include episodes in a time sequence and framework of familiar experiences	16	50-100
Blue / Band 4	Variation in sentence patterns and content Literary language with natural language Repeated language patterns are longer, or act as refrains Up to six or eight lines of text on a page and more similar-looking words appearing	16	90-170

Which bands do I need for KS1?

For Year 1 (5-6 years old)

Book band	Text characteristics	No. of pages	Word count
Green / Band 5	Varied, longer sentences, with little repetition of phrases Repeated, unfamiliar words Events sustained over several pages with a larger number of words on page Less familiar, more specialized vocabulary	24	170-250
Orange / Band 6	Longer stories with more literary language Sentence structures more complex	24	250-300
Turquoise / Band 7	More extended descriptions and use of literary phrasing More unusual and challenging vocabulary, particularly in non-fiction	24	300-500

For Year 2 (6-7 years old)

Book band	Text characteristics	No. of pages	Word count
Purple / Band 8	Sentence structures becoming longer and more complex Wider variety of genre but still illustrated Some books with short chapters for more sustained reading	24	500-750
Gold / Band 9	As Purple but offering slightly more challenge.	24	700-900
White / Band 10	Repetition of phrase patterns, ideas and vocabulary, and variation of sentence structure Storylines include episodes in a time sequence and framework of familiar experience	32	1200
White Plus / Band 10+	As White, but with longer texts and more complex plot structures.	48	1200
Lime / Band 11	Storyline or theme may be sustained over a longer period of time with chapters or subsections Widening range of layout, genre, and writing style More metaphorical or technical language	32	1500
Lime Plus / Band 11+	As Lime, but offering more challenge for pupils that are ready for higher reading levels.	48	1500

Which bands do I need for KS2?

For Year 3 (7-8 years old)

Book band	Learning opportunities	No. of pages	Word count
Copper / Band 12	Provides more complex plots and longer chapters that develop reading stamina.	32	1500
Topaz / Band 13	Offers longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate.	32	2000

For Year 4 (8-9 years old)

Book band	Learning opportunities	No. of pages	Word count
Ruby / Band 14	Gives increasing opportunities for children to develop their skills of inference and deduction.	48	2500
Emerald / Band 15	Provides a widening range of genres including science fiction and biography, prompting more ways to respond to texts.	48	3000

For Year 5 (9-10 years old)

Book band	Learning opportunities	No. of pages	Word count
Sapphire / Band 16	Longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts that are more complex syntactically.	56	4000
Diamond / Band 17	More complex, underlying themes to give opportunities for children to understand causes and points of view.	56	5000

For Year 6+ (10-11+ years old)

Book band	Learning opportunities	No. of pages	Word count
Pearl / Band 18	Offers fluent readers a complex, substantial text with challenging themes to facilitate sustained comprehension, bridging the gap between a reading programme and longer chapter books.	80	8000

For free readers in Year 5-6+ (9-11+ years old)

	Learning opportunities	Word count
Big Cat Read On	Ease the move into free reading with books featuring more sophisticated themes, vocabulary, plots and structures Help students build confidence, fluency, and develop their reading identity Many books have cross-curricular links with topics pupils will encounter in science, history and PSHE	9000-15000

Head back to the Collins Big Cat book bands and sets homepage.

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