Year 6 SATs Reading Past Papers

Year 6 SATs Reading Paper

The Year 6 SATs reading paper assesses comprehension across a range of text types:

• Three reading booklets covering fiction, non-fiction and poetry
• Retrieval questions: finding specific information stated in the text
• Inference questions: explaining character feelings, motivations and implicit meaning
• Language questions: explaining the effect of specific words or phrases

Key Comprehension Skills

Targeted practice on individual question types is an effective way to improve:

• Retrieval: locate, copy or paraphrase information directly from the text
• Inference: use clues in the text to explain what is suggested but not stated
• Summarising: identify and explain the key points across a section of text
• Language analysis: explain what a word or phrase tells the reader

Preparation Tips

Build the stamina and skills needed to perform well on the reading paper:

• Read widely — fiction, non-fiction, newspapers and poetry — to build vocabulary
• Practise answering comprehension questions with textual evidence
• Time yourself: the reading papers are time-pressured
• Review answers carefully — understand why marks were lost, not just that they were

YearWise generates a varied set of curriculum-aligned questions every time — so your child has fresh material to practise. Sessions are short (10–30 questions), focused and available on any device. No account needed to get started.