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FOR PARENTS · AGES 5–11

Inference: helping your child read between the lines

Inference means working out what the text doesn't say: feelings, reasons, what happens next. The best practice at home is talk, asking “How do you know?” after a question about a story.

How Litsee helps: illustrated stories your child steers, written for their age (5 to 11) and read aloud if you like.

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“Infer” turns up on homework sheets and in SATs practice, and it can sound like something only teachers can teach. It isn't. Inference is working out what a story means but doesn't say, and children do it all the time with people. This guide shows how to practise it in everyday reading, with no worksheets.

By the Litsee team · Last reviewed · About this guide

The short answer: reading between the lines, out loud

When you read, you build a picture of what's happening, “including by making inferences, that is, by going beyond what the text states explicitly”, as the DfE's reading framework puts it. A good reader is able to “draw on his experience and knowledge, to make inferences, automatically filling in the gaps” (DfE reading framework).

“Sam's lip wobbled” means Sam is upset, though the story never says so. Spotting that is inference. Your child can practise it every time you read together, just by talking.

Inference at school, from Year 1 to Year 6

In Years 1 and 2, the national curriculum asks children to understand books by “making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done”. From Year 3, that becomes “drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence” (DfE national curriculum).

It matters in the tests too. In the Year 6 reading test, questions that “make inferences from the text / explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text” (domain 2d) can carry 16–50% of the marks (STA KS2 framework). In the optional Year 2 test, “make inferences from the text” (1d) can carry 10–35% (STA KS1 framework). Our guide to the SATs reading paper shows the other skills.

But the DfE is clear that the test domains are not a teaching plan: “the domains as a whole should not be used as a framework for teaching reading”. Building reading around them “will restrict pupils’ access to the wider national curriculum and is likely to inhibit their enjoyment of reading” (DfE reading framework). At home, that's the best reason to keep inference light and conversational.

How to practise inference while you read

  • Ask “How do you know?” After any question about feelings or reasons, ask for the clue. That's the “justifying with evidence” part.
  • Think aloud yourself. “Hmm, she slammed the door. I think she's cross.” Hearing your reasoning shows them how it's done.
  • Use the pictures. Faces and body language in picture books are perfect for younger children.
  • Pause before a page turn. “What do you think will happen?” Then check together.
  • Link it to life. The DfE's tips suggest: “You could talk about how the book makes you feel and whether it reminds you of anything.” (DfE).

Try it: six very short stories

We wrote these for this page. Choose an age band, read a story aloud, ask the question, then open the answer to compare. Your choice is kept only in the page address; nothing is saved.

Ages 7–9: read it, then ask

“Leo checked the clock again. Ten minutes to go. He tapped his pencil, looked at the door, then back at the clock.”

Ask: How is Leo feeling, and how do you know?

Show what a good answer notices

Impatient or excited for something after school. Checking the clock again, tapping and looking at the door all show it.

“The dog's tail stopped wagging. It crept under the table and stayed there until the thunder had passed.”

Ask: Why did the dog hide?

Show what a good answer notices

It was frightened of the thunder. The story shows it rather than saying “the dog was scared”.

Questions that work

Keep a few of these in your head for any book:

  • How is this character feeling? How can you tell?
  • Why do you think they did that?
  • What does the writer want us to think about this person?
  • What might happen next? What makes you think that?
  • Is there anything the story doesn't tell us that we can work out?

For more, by age, see our guide to questions to ask about a book.

If your child finds inference hard

Some children answer every inference question with a fact from the page, or say “I don't know”. Start with real life and pictures, where clues are easier to see, then come back to text. Model your own thinking often. And check the basics: if decoding is still slow, there's little attention left for meaning. Our guide to reading without understanding can help work out which it is.

Questions parents ask

What is inference in reading?

Working out what a text means but doesn't say: how a character feels, why something happened, what will happen next. The reading framework describes it as going beyond what the text states explicitly.

How can I help my child with inference at home?

Talk about stories as you read them. Ask how a character feels and how they know, why something happened, and what might happen next. Accept any answer they can back up with a clue from the story, and share your own thinking too.

How much of the SATs reading paper is inference?

In the KS2 reading test framework, inference questions can carry 16–50% of the marks, the same range as retrieval. In the optional KS1 reading test, inference can carry 10–35% of the marks.

Should I use inference worksheets at home?

There's no need. The DfE's reading framework says organising the teaching of reading around test domains is likely to inhibit children's enjoyment of reading. Talking about books you read together practises the same thinking.

Sources

  1. National curriculum in England: English programmes of study (key stages 1 and 2) Department for Education, September 2013, updated 16 July 2014, checked 3 November 2026
  2. Key stage 2: English reading test framework Standards and Testing Agency, 2015, for tests from 2016, checked 3 November 2026
  3. Key stage 1: English reading test framework Standards and Testing Agency, updated 20 May 2024, checked 3 November 2026
  4. The reading framework Department for Education, July 2023, updated 22 September 2023, checked 3 November 2026
  5. 10 top tips for parents to support children to read Department for Education, 16 July 2020, updated 25 April 2022, checked 3 November 2026

About this guide

Written by the Litsee team and checked line by line against the sources listed on this page.

The six practice stories and their answers are our own, written for this page. Many answers are possible: any answer your child can support with a clue from the text is a good one.

Spotted something wrong or out of date? Email info@litsee.com and we will fix it. Last reviewed: .

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