KS2 Reading · Years 3–6

🔍 Inference Detective

Every good reader is a bit of a detective — finding clues in the text to work out what a writer doesn't say outright. Pick a case, read carefully, and see what you can work out. Written answers come with a model answer to compare, not a mark — this is about thinking like a detective, not chasing a score.

📄 Printable worksheet (PDF) · More printables

Choose a year group

Choose a case to investigate

For parents & teachers

What is inference, and why practise it?

Inference means working out something the text implies rather than states directly — a character's feelings, a reason behind an action, or what might happen next — using clues from the text as evidence. It's one of the most heavily tested reading skills at KS2, and one of the trickiest to teach, because there's rarely a single "find it in the text" answer. Multiple-choice questions here have one clearly correct answer with an explanation; written questions provide a model answer and the supporting evidence to compare against, encouraging children to check their own reasoning rather than just their final answer.

Help for parents: how to build reading comprehension at home →

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