Reading Comprehension Question Types

By Gemma Louise Bull

In the Reading Comprehension section of the 11+ exam, your child could be asked a variety of different types of questions.

To support your preparations, I have included a selection of the key skills your child will need to master:

Key Skill 1: Summarising a Text

• Understand what happens in an extract.

• Identify who the main characters are and what happens to them

• Identify the setting in an extract

  
  

Key Skill 2: Select and Retrieve Information

• Scan a text to find information

• Support answers using evidence from the text

  
  

Key Skill 3: Inference

• Make inferences using evidence from the text

• Use evidence from the text to back up answers

  
  

Key Skill 4: Vocabulary and Literary Devices

• Show understanding of the meaning of words

• Understand how words fit into sentences and paragraphs

• Identify synonyms and antonyms

• Identify, and understand the impact of, figurative language e.g. metaphor, simile, personification, etc.

  
  

Key Skill 5: Structure

• Understand how and why writers structure their writing, including paragraph organisation, ordering of events, cohesive devices, etc.

  
  

Key Skill 6: Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar

• Identify both inaccurate and accurate spellings

• Understand the different punctuation marks and why they are used

• Identify the class of different words e.g. adjectives, verbs, prepositions, etc.

• Understand different grammar rules, including accurate tense, sentence structure, etc.

  
  

Key Skill 7: Writer’s Purpose and Viewpoint

• Understand what a writer intends to communicate to a reader

• Identify how a writer communicates their viewpoint

• Recognise the different features of different text types and purposes