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Years 5 and 6 English · Key Stage 2 · Reading – comprehension

Years 5 and 6 reading: inference, prediction and summarising

Understanding what you read means more than reading the words. In Years 5 and 6 children check that a text makes sense, ask questions, work out what characters feel and want from what they do, predict what will happen next and summarise the main ideas from more than one paragraph. They also look at how language, structure and presentation shape meaning. The skills are the same as in earlier years, but they are applied to longer and more complicated writing, and they are the skills the English reading test in May of Year 6 asks about.

Inference, prediction and summarising, explained

Inference is working out something the writer hasn’t said directly, by putting clues from the text together with what you already know. If a character’s palms are damp, they keep looking at the clock and they don’t hear the people around them, the writer never needs to say “he was nervous”. The National Curriculum asks children to infer characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and, importantly, to justify the inference with evidence. “He was nervous” isn’t enough. “He was nervous because his palms were damp and he didn’t hear anyone talking” is.

Prediction works in the same way. Children are asked to say what they think will happen from details that are stated and details that are only implied, and to back it up. A prediction isn’t a wild guess: it comes from clues, and it can change as new information arrives. Alongside this, children are taught to check their understanding as they read. They pause when something doesn’t make sense, reread, discuss what they have understood, and work out the meaning of an unknown word from the sentences around it. They also ask questions of the text, such as “why did she do that?” or “what does this word suggest?”

Summarising is the skill of picking out the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and the key details that support them, leaving out the rest. A summary is much shorter than the original and in the child’s own words. It isn’t a retelling of the whole text, and it shouldn’t copy sentences. Children practise this on stories, on information texts and on poems.

The final strand is identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning. Language covers the author’s word choices, such as short, sharp sentences to create tension. Structure covers how the text is organised, for instance an opening that sets a scene before something happens. Presentation covers headings, bullet points, diagrams, captions and layout. In the Year 6 reading test children meet questions that test these skills, but they are most helpfully built through regular, enjoyable reading and talk about books.

Words your child will hear

Infer
Work out what the writer means but hasn’t said, using clues in the text.
Evidence
The words or details in the text that prove a point.
Motive
A reason why a character does something.
Predict
Say what you think will happen next, based on clues.
Summarise
Sum up the main points of a text briefly, in your own words.
Context
The words and sentences around a word, which help you work out its meaning.
Implied
Suggested but not stated outright.

What the National Curriculum says

In Years 5 and 6, pupils should be taught to:

  • Understand what they read by checking that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context
  • Understand what they read by asking questions to improve their understanding
  • Understand what they read by drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
  • Understand what they read by predicting what might happen from details stated and implied
  • Understand what they read by summarising the main ideas drawn from more than 1 paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas
  • Understand what they read by identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A worked example: reading between the lines

Read this extract. How does Sam feel, how do we know, what might happen next, and what is a one-sentence summary? Sam stared at the clock above the door. His palms were damp and he wiped them on his trousers again and again. Around him the other children whispered and giggled, but he did not hear a word. “Next, please,” called Mr Okafor. Sam’s chair scraped the floor as he stood. He walked to the front, then realised he had left his notes on his desk. He swallowed hard and began anyway, in a voice that was barely a whisper.

  1. Infer the feeling. The text never says how Sam feels, so look for clues: damp palms, wiping them again and again, not hearing the others, swallowing hard, a whisper. Together they show that Sam is very nervous.
  2. Give the evidence in a full answer. “Sam is nervous because the text says his palms were damp and he swallowed hard before he began, and his voice was barely a whisper.”
  3. Check a phrase in context. “Swallowed hard” means more than swallowing food: in this sentence it suggests Sam is anxious and is forcing himself to carry on.
  4. Predict. Sam has forgotten his notes and his voice is faint, but he began anyway. He might get steadier as he goes on, or the teacher might encourage him. Either prediction is sensible if it is tied to these clues.
  5. Summarise across both paragraphs, leaving out the small details: Sam waits anxiously to speak in front of his class and then starts, even though he has forgotten his notes.

Sam is nervous (evidence: damp palms, swallowing hard, a whisper). He might grow more confident as he speaks. Summary: nervous Sam begins his talk without his notes.

Common mistakes and how to help

Giving an inference with no evidence, or evidence with no inference

Children often answer with a feeling (“he was scared”) or copy a line from the text, but do not link the two.

What helps: Use the sentence pattern “I think … because the text says …”. Ask “which words made you think that?” and have your child point to them.

Looking for an inference answer sitting in the text word for word

Some questions can be answered by finding a line in the text, so children expect all questions to work that way.

What helps: Ask whether the text says it directly. If yes, it is retrieval. If the answer must be worked out from clues, it is inference. Practise telling the two apart.

Making a summary as long as the original, or copying sentences

Children find it hard to decide what to leave out, and copying feels safer than rewording.

What helps: Set a limit, such as one sentence or ten words, and ask “what is the one thing the whole text is about?” Cover the text before writing to avoid copying.

Predicting something from nowhere, or sticking to a prediction when the story goes another way

Children treat prediction as imagination rather than detective work, or feel that changing their mind means they were wrong.

What helps: Ask “what in the text makes you say that?” Then, later, “was it right, and what clue did you miss or notice?” Changing a prediction because of new evidence is a strength.

How to help at home

  • Stop and ask. While reading together, pause at a good moment and ask “how is she feeling, and how do you know?” or “what do you think happens next?” A short chat every few pages is more useful than a long quiz at the end.
  • Picture clues. Look at a photograph or a scene in a film with the sound off. Ask what the people are feeling and what clues show it, such as posture, faces and what is around them. This is inference without any reading.
  • Summary in a sentence. After a chapter or an article, ask for a one-sentence summary. Then ask for a shorter one. Cutting it down helps your child decide what really matters.
  • Wonder aloud. Model asking questions about the text yourself: “I wonder why he did that” or “why did the writer choose that word?” Children copy the habit of questioning if they hear adults doing it.

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