Mark each pupil’s paper in the usual manner and determine the total number of words

spelled correctly. This total is the pupil’s raw score. Consult the Table of Norms below
to transmute the raw score into a grade score. For example, if a pupil in Grade Six makes
a raw score of 32 in Test 3 at the end of January, his grade score is 5.8. As the average
Grade Six pupil would score about 35 or 36 (6.4 or 6.7) at this time of year, the pupil in
the illustration could be considered almost a year retarded. However, small deviations
from the norms either way, should not be regarded as significant.

TABLE OF NORMS
(For All Forms of the Spelling Ability Tests Only)

No. Correct Grade Score No. Correct Grade Score

1 1.6 26 4.6
2 1.7 27 4.8
3 1.8 28 5.0
4 1.9 29 5.2
5 2.0 30 5.4
6 2.1 31 5.6
7 2.2 32 5.8
8 2.3 33 6.0
9 2.4 34 6.2
10 2.5 35 6.4
11 2.6 36 6.7
12 2.7 37 7.0
13 2.8 38 7.2
14 2.9 39 7.5
15 3.0 40 7.8
16 3.2 41 8.1
17 3.3 42 8.5
18 3.5 43 8.8
19 3.6 44 9.2
20 3.8 45 9.7
21 3.9 46 10.0
22 4.0 47 10.5
23 4.1 48 11.0
24 4.3 49 11.7
25 4.5 50 12.5
 Edmonton Spelling Scale

Test 1

1) she Is she at home? she

2) so I am so tired. so
3) will She will go with me. will
4) this Is this your book? this
5) had He had five cents. had

6) beside Please stand beside me. beside

7) happy The children are happy today. happy
8) say You must say your prayers. say
9) sit Please sit on this chair. sit
10) low The ceilings in this room are low. low

11) south The birds have gone south. south

12) rain Does it rain on cloudy days? rain
13) party We shall have a birthday party. party
14) white The snow is white. white
15) miss Did he miss the target? miss

16) suit Is that a new suit? suit

17) warm This is a warm coat. warm
18) sight He lost sight of his kite. sight
19) young The little puppy was very young. young
20) open The front door is open. open

21) uncle My uncle lives here. uncle

22)August Is August a summer month? August
23)contain Did the box contain candy? contain
24)serve We will serve pie for dessert. serve
25)president That man is president of our club. president

26)soldier He is the bravest soldier in the soldier

army.
27) complaint He made a complaint about our poor complaint
service.
28) mayor He is the mayor of our town. mayor
29) common Skating is a common winter sport. common
30) supply Our supply of sugar is limited. supply

31) assist May I assist you with your work? assist

32) avenue Is your home on this avenue? avenue
33) whether I don’t know whether it is yours or whether
mine.
34) responsible Who is responsible for this error? responsible
35) argument Did you hear the argument? argument

36) estimate Did he estimate the cost of the house? estimate

37) concern This matter does not concern you. concern
38) arrangement The arrangement of the flowers was arrangement
interesting.
39) height What is the height of that pole? height
40) sincerely He spoke sincerely. sincerely

41) character She has a fine character. character

42) receipt He had a receipt when he paid his bill. receipt
43) immediately He answered the question immediately. immediately
44) desirable It is desirable that one have a hobby. desirable
45) perceived The child perceived his error. perceived

46) extraordinary Snow in summer is an extraordinary extraordinary

sight.
47) parliament He spoke to parliament about taxation. parliament
48) committee The committee did a good job. committee
49) acquaintance The girl is an acquaintance of mine. acquaintance
50) discipline Army discipline is very strict. discipline
 Edmonton Spelling Scale

Test 2

1) run The boy can run a race. run

2) red The apple is red. red
3) the Is the rain falling now? the
4) be I shall be at home. be
5) have We have four apples. have

6) food This is good food. food

7) day Sunday is the first day of the week. day
8) nine She is nine years of age. nine
9) seven It is seven o’clock. seven
10) meat We ate meat for dinner. meat

11) became He became a great painter. became

12) rich A rich man has money. rich
13) pole That is a telegraph pole. pole
14) led He led the horse to the barn. led
15) catch Did you catch the ball? catch

16) tiny A mosquito is a tiny insect. tiny

17) smoke The smoke came from the chimney. smoke
18) eight It is eight o’clock. eight
19) afraid Are you afraid of my dog? afraid
20) thunder Did you hear the thunder last night? thunder

21) extra We had an extra book. extra

22) aunt That lady is my aunt. aunt
23) address What is your house address? address
24) enjoy The children will enjoy the show. enjoy
25) wrong That is the wrong answer. wrong

26) declare The judge will declare the thief guilty. declare
27) towel Use a towel to dry your hands. towel
28) visitor She is a regular visitor to our house. visitor
29) service We listened to the church service. service
30) motion The car was in motion. motion

31) telephone Did you telephone for a taxi? telephone

32) guess I shall guess your age. guess
33) succeed To succeed one must work hard. succeed
34) tobacco He bought some cigarette tobacco. tobacco
35) circular A plate is circular in shape. circular
36) meant I didn’t know what his speech meant. meant
37) wretch An unhappy person may be called a wretch. wretch
38) principal He is principal of that school. principal
39) volunteer Did you volunteer for army service? volunteer
40) resources Mines, forests, and soil are our natural resources
resources.

41) organization Eaton’s is a large selling organization. organization

42) testimony His testimony in court may convict the testimony
prisoner.
43) immediate Give this matter your immediate attention. immediate
44) peculiar The kangaroo is a peculiar animal. peculiar
45) decision The umpire’s decision was final. decision

46) thoroughly She was thoroughly disliked. thoroughly

47) apologize You must apologize for being impolite. apologize
48) recipe We have a recipe for plum pudding. recipe
49) judgment The boy’s judgment was not reliable. judgment
50) pneumonia Is pneumonia a contagious disease? pneumonia
 Edmonton Spelling Scale

Test 3

1) can This is a tin can. can

2) ten I can count to ten. ten
3) old How old is your brother? old
4) dog My dog is a terrier. dog
5) are You are a good singer. are

6) come You may come to our house. come

7) eat Did she eat any dinner? eat
8) lay Did the hen lay an egg? lay
9) face You must wash your face. face
10) egg The goose laid a golden egg. egg

11) forget Do not forget to do your work. forget

12) hang Don’t hang the clothes on this line. hang
13) brother That boy is my brother. brother
14) mouth He opened his mouth. mouth
15) black The dog was black in colour. black

16) stream There was ice on the stream. stream

17) dress The girl wore a new dress. dress
18) number I saw a large number of people. number
19) thread Can you thread a needle? thread
20) nobody There was nobody at the concert. nobody

21) comfort A chesterfield is made for comfort. comfort

22) wrote She wrote a letter. wrote
23) elect We shall vote to elect our president. elect
24) final The final score of the game was a tie. final
25) entertain The singer will entertain the troops. entertain

26) sleeve He tore the sleeve of his coat. sleeve

27) touch Did he touch the hot stove? touch
28) obtain Did you obtain permission to leave? obtain
29) cities Many people live in cities. cities
30) article How much is this article. article

31) serious A serious person is usually thoughtful. serious

32) speech His speech was well prepared. speech
33) minute It is one minute to three. minute
34) wholesome Cereals are wholesome foods. wholesome
35) telegram The telegram contained bad news. telegram
36) earliest The earliest to arrive got the best seats. earliest
37) vegetable A carrot is a vegetable. vegetable
38) evidence What new evidence was brought in at the evidence
trial?
39) solemn A funeral is a solemn event. solemn
40) development Exercise aids good muscular development. development

41) appreciate Do you appreciate the kindness in others? appreciate

42) nonsense Foolish talk is nonsense. nonsense
43) convenient It is sometimes convenient to neglect convenient
our work.
44) relieve The medicine will relieve pain. relieve
45) principle The principle of co-operation is principle
important in our daily lives.

46) parallel Railway tracks are parallel. parallel

47) recommend I recommend that you pass to grade six. recommend
48) superintendent That man is superintendent of the factory. superintendent
49) appropriate An appropriate name for a dog is Rex. appropriate
50) guarantee They guarantee this watch for one year. guarantee
 Edmonton Spelling Scale

Test 4

1) see Do you see the book? see

2) all She gave away all her toys. all
3) come Will you come with me? come
4) we Should we work quietly? we
5) over Mary jumped over the box. over

6) ride We have a ride in their car. ride

7) man A man knocked on the door. man
8) spent He spent ten cents. spent
9) two He bought two candy bars. two
10) noon They went home at noon. noon

11) lot We bought a lot in the city. lot

12) keep Did you keep the money? keep
13) teach She will teach the music lessons. teach
14) deep The water in the pond is deep. deep
15) soft The cat has soft fur. soft

16) travel They will travel to the country. travel

17) track The train is on the track. track
18) unless Don’t go unless you feel well. unless
19) else What else did you hear? hear
20) rather I would rather stay at home. rather

21) automobile He drove his automobile carefully. automobile

22) provide They will provide lunch. provide
23) pleasure Toys give children much pleasure. pleasure
24) centre* The meat was in the centre of the plate. centre
25) retire He will retire from his job. retire

26) neighbour* Our neighbour helped us. neighbour

27) usual Rain is usual during the summer. usual
28) difference What is the difference between two difference
and four?
29) theatre* We went to the theatre today. theatre
30) terrible There was a terrible accident. terrible

31) accident A motor accident occurred on Main Street. accident

32) adopt They will adopt the child. adopt
33) athletic To be athletic one needs a healthy body. athletic
34) foreign Brazil is a foreign country. foreign
35) separate We will separate the milk from the cream. separate
 36) property They bought some property in town. property
37) dessert For dessert we had ice cream. dessert
38) distinguish He will distinguish himself in sports. distinguish
39) coarse This sandpaper is very coarse. coarse
40) volume They bought a large volume of goods. volume

41) publication That paper is a daily publication. publication

42) reference The speaker made a reference to China. reference
43) preliminary We had a preliminary spelling test. preliminary
44) mortgage They paid part of the mortgage today. mortgage
45) association He joined a business association. association

46) cemetery She was buried in the cemetery. cemetery

47) stationery We bought some stationery for the office. stationery
48) recommended John was recommended for the job. recommended
49) artificial The firemen applied artificial respiration. artificial
50) miscellaneousWe saw a collection of miscellaneous items. miscellaneous

*Accept alternate spelling.

 Edmonton Spelling Scale

Test 5

1) my This is my dog. my
2) she Is she at home? she
3) bed The pillow is on the bed. bed
4) hand The boy cut his right hand. hand
5) sister Is she your sister? sister

6) must You must go to the store. must

7) blue The sky is blue. blue
8) would I would like to go. would
9) your Where is your book? your
10) blow Did the wind blow yesterday? blow

11) belong Do you belong to this team? belong

12) mail Did you mail the letter? mail
13) sick The doctor tended the sick. sick
14) yard They played in the yard. yard
15) began They began to count all the people. began

16) stood He stood very still. stood

17) jail The men were sent to jail. jail
18) dash Please, dash to the store. dash
19) February The shortest month is February. February
20) proper It is proper to be on time. proper

21) rule The king will rule his people fairly. rule
22) happen When did the accident happen? happen
23) bridge The bridge is made of steel. bridge
24) surprise The gift was a surprise. surprise
25) weigh Do you weigh yourself on these weigh
scales?

26) machine The man started the machine. machine

27) beautiful It was a beautiful day. beautiful
28) wreck The car was a total wreck. wreck
29) district He lived in a rural district. district
30) beginning The play is beginning now. beginning

31) repair Did he repair his bicycle? repair

32) accept Did you accept the gift? accept
33) imagine I cannot imagine how it was lost. imagine
34) examination He passed his musical examination. examination
35) connection The main connection was broken. connection
36) especially It was an especially fine day. especially
37) century There are one hundred years in century
a century.
38) assure I will assure him that he is safe. assure
39) extreme The winter weather was very extreme
extreme.
40) political He attended the political meeting. political

41) summon We must summon help. summon

42) session The parliament was in session. session
43) seized The boy seized the pencil. seized
44) apparent The cause of the accident was apparent
not apparent.
45) immense The mountains were immense. immense

46) beneficial It is beneficial to play fairly. beneficial

47) physician The physician visited the sick. physician
48) guarantee Do they guarantee the machine? guarantee
49) endeavour I will endeavour to finish on time. endeavour
50) privilege It was a privilege to be able to go. privilege
 Edmonton Spelling Scale

Test 6

1) up They went up the hill. up

2) is She is at home. is
3) five Tom has five cents. five
4) door The front door is open. door
5) make Can you make a snowman? make

6) out My mother is out just now. out

7) buy I would like to buy a house. buy
8) got He got himself into trouble. got
9) stay You will have to stay at home. stay
10) top Put this book on the top shelf. top

11) river They crossed the river in a boat. river

12) kill The men will kill the bear. kill
13) eye John hurt his eye during the game. eye
14) goes There goes my best friend. goes
15) should They should be here by now. should

16) able I shall be able to come. able

17) offer Let us offer a prayer of thanks. offer
18) wear May I wear my new dress today? wear
19) drown Many fishermen drown each year. drown
20) vacation Did you enjoy your vacation. vacation

21) begun The game had begun before we begun

arrived.
22) cast A plaster cast was placed on his arm. cast
23) death His death affected all of us. death
24) aboard The troops marched aboard ship. aboard
25) total What is the total cost of the trips? total

26) weather He is a good weather forecaster. weather

27) period This sentence ends with a period. period
28) objection The judge overruled the attorney’s objection
objection.
29) vessel A pitcher is a vessel for holding vessel
liquid.
30) recent This is a recent edition of his book. recent
31) relief A relief train was sent to the scene relief
of the accident.
32) cereal You should eat cereal for breakfast. cereal
33) doubt There is no doubt that he did it. doubt
34) difficulty Did you have any difficulty with difficulty
that question?
35) official What was the official score? official

36) importance This discovery was of great importance. importance

37) convict The court hopes to convict the convict
kidnapper.
38) practical His invention has no practical value. practical
39) employee He is an employee of the railroad. employee
40) annual Mr. Brown’s annual salary is $3000. annual

41) surgeon Dr. Hal is an expert surgeon. surgeon

42) experience This experience was invaluable to us. experience
43) orchestra The orchestra played dance music. orchestra
44) individual That player has an individual style. individual
45) associate I would not associate with a thief. associate

46) eliminate We will eliminate two teams. eliminate

47) consequence What was the consequence of your consequence
action?
48) immediately I expect you to do it immediately. immediately
49) syllables Divide the word into syllables. syllables
50) appendicitis John had an acute attack of appendicitis. appendicitis