1. Top tips and techniques
Year 6 SATs reading paper
Top tips and techniques

2. The basics
Text marking is a great way to help you focus on understanding each of the three texts properly as you are reading.
Then you will be ready to answer questions to show how well you have understood them.

3. Think as you read Think about…
Circle or mark key information as you go. This will help you locate information quickly when answering questions e.g. places and characters’ names.
Highlight tricky words, interesting words and any similes you notice as you read.

4. Non-fiction Think about…
Make sure that you read EVERYTHING in a non-fiction text e.g. all the text boxes, headings, dates, etc.
Highlight important information like dates and times – these are useful when answering matching and true or false questions.
Writing a quick summary of each paragraph in the margin can also help you find the right place in the text to answer a question.

5. Timing
One at a Time: Read one text fully first, then answer the questions relating to that text while it is still fresh in your mind. Then move to the second text and do the same. Then the third.
Text Marking: Don’t spend ages text marking – highlight as you go. Stick to one pen and only do this if it helps YOU to understand more fully.
Timing: You have one hour and three sections so do not spend more than 20 minutes per section (text and questions).
Clock: Make sure you keep your eyes on the clock. If you struggle to tell the time, your teacher might help by marking the clock in 20 minute sections or using a countdown.
EASY > Hard: Also remember that the sections get harder so try and spend less time on the first two to leave enough time for the last text which will be more difficult.
Poems: They may have fewer words to read but don’t skip through – you need to read and think carefully.

6. Spot the questions
The main types of questions are word, retrieval and inference questions. Get used to spotting the questions quickly, it will help you speed up when you answer as you know the right skills and tips to use.
This table shows last year’s question types and their available marks.

7. Spot the questions: word questions
Think about…
These questions are all about giving and explaining the meaning of words and phrases in the text.
Word questions are very easy to spot.

8. Often the harder, more tricky word is found in the text!
Word questions
Spot the Question! :
Spot the Question:
Often the harder, more tricky word is found in the text!

9. Word, word, word questions

10. Word questions again…

11. Top tips for word questions
Look at the beginning of the paragraph... Find it and then skim and scan for the word/phrase.
If you have text marked, you may have highlighted the word you are being asked about!
Not sure? Try replacing it with a possible synonym to see if it fits and makes sense.
Remember, re-read the sentence and the surrounding text to try to work out the meaning.

12. Answering word questions
For thousands of years the island of Mauritius was a paradise. It was spat out of the ocean floor by an underwater volcano 8 million years ago…
DO NOT repeat the word or phrase they have used in the question to explain the answer
e.g. do not say “spat it out” when explaining what “spat” means!

13. Spot the Question! Spot the questions: retrieval questions
Think about…
There are many different types of retrieval questions. Often they ask you to find key information in answer to questions which begin: Who... What… Where... When... Why... How...
Sometimes the answers are right there and easy to spot. But sometimes you need to dig a little deeper.

14. Retrieval questions

15. Retrieval questions

16. Retrieval questions
True or False questions are usually about checking facts and information.

17. Matching questions often include dates and are common in non-fiction
Retrieval questions
Matching questions often include dates and are common in non-fiction

18. Top tips for retrieval questions
Don’t guess! Even if you think you remember the answer from your reading, ALWAYS find it in the text and check.
In non-fiction particularly, you probably will have text marked dates, times and numbers, etc. So look for these when answering.
Only a few retrieval questions are literal, where the answer is right there. You usually have to think carefully to find and search for the right piece of information!
If the question asked for who, remember it is asking for a person
e.g. who = a person
where = a place
how long = a time/distance

19. Spot the Question! Spotting the question: inference questions
Think about…
Inference questions require that you look for clues to find your answer. Ask yourself: How do you know? What evidence is there?
ALWAYS explain your answers by using the clues you have found in the text to say why you think that e.g. “because…”

20. Inference questions

21. Inference questions

22. Inference questions

23. Inference questions
Remember three marks usually means three bits of evidence…

24. Inference questions

25. Top tips for inference questions
Always take your evidence from the text and use it in your answers.
Always ask yourself how do I know that? – and find those clues to prove it!
Watch out for the number of marks in the question
e.g. 2 marks = two bits of evidence
3 marks = three bits of evidence
Make sure you put enough detail in your answer to explain your ideas using the clues you have selected.

26. And finally… Proof is in the pudding…
A great way to get really used to these main question types is to practice ANSWERING lots of these questions yourself but also challenging your friends and parents to see if you can write down and ASK lots of these question types
Do they sound exactly like a SATs questions?
Use whatever you are reading at the moment and have a go at writing your own SATs paper!

27. Best of Luck!
© National Literacy Trust 2016