Interpreting Texts

Sometimes the text doesn’t say something directly, but it gives you clues, and you have to work out the meaning for yourself. This is called ‘reading between the lines’ or ‘inferring’.

Why Writers Don’t Always Say Things Directly

Writers often don’t say everything explicitly because it makes the story or text more interesting. By giving hints instead of answers, they invite readers to think and imagine for themselves. This also helps create mystery, build tension, or make characters feel more real.

Sometimes clues are hidden in small details like a character’s glance, a gesture, or a brief description. These tiny clues can tell you a lot about feelings or what might happen next.

Teach your child to slow down and notice tiny hints and clues in the text. What is the writer trying to show without being obvious?

Symbolism

Use Your Knowledge

Follow the Whole Text

Another important skill is being able to track ideas through the whole text. This means paying attention to what changes from beginning to end:

• Has the character’s mood or situation changed?
• Has the writer’s opinion changed?
• Do we know more now than we did at the start?
• Does the ending link back to the beginning in any way?

It’s easy to get caught up in single sentences, but the correct answers often come from thinking about the whole passage.

Spotting How a Text Is Built

Tip: Encourage your child to ask: What’s different here compared to earlier? Why might the writer want me to notice this change?

Paying Attention to Dialogue

The best way to improve reading skills is through practice. Below is a short sample text, followed by typical 11+ style questions and answers to help you show your child how they can find the right answers in their exam.

Text:

Sunday was unexpectedly warm for a late September day. Inigo sat beneath the old pear tree, its leaves rustling faintly in the gentle breeze. The sun had dipped low in the sky, turning the grass gold, and casting long, soft shadows across the garden. A book lay open in his lap, though he had not turned a page for some time.

Behind him, the house buzzed with clinks and voices. He could hear Mr Tarvin laughing – that deep, booming sound that always made Inigo’s ears ring. There was the soft voice of Mrs Tarvin too, always trying to smooth things over. She had invited him, after all. “It will be good for you to meet people,” she had said, as though he were a dusty ornament that needed airing.

Inigo didn’t mind being alone. In fact, he preferred it. His fingers played absently with the edge of the book as he stared at the moss-covered wall at the end of the garden. A gate stood in its centre — small, wooden, and very old. He had noticed it earlier, half-hidden behind an overgrown rose bush.

Without quite meaning to, Inigo stood up. The grass felt cool through his thin socks. He took a step forward, then another. The gate hadn’t been used in years, by the look of it, but something about it made him curious. He glanced back at the house. No one had noticed. The voices floated on, soft and distant.

His hand reached for the handle. Then Mrs Tarvin’s voice called from the house, ‘Inigo! Dinner’s ready!’ He sighed and turned back.

Inside, the table was already set. Mr Tarvin was trying to say something, but Mrs Tarvin kept talking over him, telling everyone where to sit. She neatly adjusted the knives and forks, wanting everything to be perfect.

Inigo sat quietly, fiddling with his napkin. He nodded politely without really hearing what had been said. He couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation he’d overheard earlier – something about him, perhaps. It made it hard to enjoy the food or the company around him.

Questions like this one test your child’s ability to understand the tone or mood that the writer is trying to create. Let’s look carefully at the first paragraph of the text…

Sunday was unexpectedly warm for a late September day. Inigo sat beneath the old pear tree, its leaves rustling faintly in the gentle breeze. The sun had dipped low in the sky, turning the grass gold, and casting long, soft shadows across the garden. A book lay open in his lap, though he had not turned a page for some time.

The writer is using the setting to develop a calm and peaceful atmosphere – it’s a lovely warm day, with rustling leaves and a golden light. Everything is soft and relaxed.

Q2. What does Inigo think of the Tarvins? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Tip: When exam questions say ‘evidence’ or ‘examples’, they really mean you should find a quote from the text to support your answer.

Here’s an example of a good answer to this question:

He doesn’t seem very comfortable around them. Mr Tarvin’s loud laugh ‘made Inigo’s ears ring’, which shows he finds it unpleasant. Mrs Tarvin’s comment about him meeting people made him feel like a ‘dusty ornament’, suggesting he feels useless and possibly old or unwanted.

Q3. What draws Inigo to the gate at the end of the garden?

He feels curious. The gate is described as ‘small, wooden and very old’, and it’s half-hidden behind a bush, which makes it mysterious. Inigo is also trying to escape the noise of the house.

Q6. What impression do you get of Mrs Tarvin? Use evidence from the text.

Mrs Tarvin seems quite proud and perhaps a little bossy. She ‘talked over her husband’ and ‘wanted everything to be perfect’, which shows she likes to be in control and wants to make a good impression.

Q7. How does the writer show that Inigo is nervous?

Look for clues in the description of Inigo’s behaviour. The writer says he ‘kept fiddling with his napkin’ and ‘nodded politely without really hearing what had been said’. These small actions suggest he is anxious and not paying attention properly because something is on his mind.