Inference Skills: What the Story Doesn't Say

Year 4 EnglishReading Comprehension4 pages

About this worksheet

Leo is panicking the night before the Great Year 4 Bake-Off. His Volcano Cupcakes look like flat, beige puddles, and his friend Maya quietly offers to read the recipe out loud. This four-page inference sheet for Year 4 English uses that story, The Big Bake, for nine questions. They move from two plain facts to reading between the lines, then to evidence and prediction. The answer key gives model answers for all nine. It matches the England National Curriculum objectives on inference and prediction.

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Curriculum objectives covered

Reading - comprehension

โ€œDrawing inferences such as inferring characters' feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidenceโ€

Questions 3 to 8, from Leo's anxious mood to why Maya speaks 'casually' when she offers help.

Reading - comprehension

โ€œPredicting what might happen from details stated and impliedโ€

Question 9 asks for a prediction about the cupcakes, backed by details such as the fresh mixing bowl.

What's inside this worksheet

Reading for Clues: The Big Bake

A story full of clues to read: sweaty palms, a blob of batter on Leo's forehead and a neat diagram taped to the fridge.

Part 1: Finding the Facts

Two retrieval questions on the name of the competition and the prize Leo wants, the golden spatula trophy.

Part 2: Reading Between the Lines

Pupils tick how Leo feels (angry, excited, anxious or bored) and find two clues. They then explain why Maya bites her lip and why Leo insists everything is fine.

Part 3: Providing Evidence and Predicting

Questions 7 to 9 ask how Leo's mood changes, what Maya's real motive is and what will happen to the cupcakes.

Answer Key

Model answers with quoted evidence, such as 'his shoulders dropped', and guidance to accept any prediction the text supports.

How teachers use it

Guided reading

Read the story aloud and use a high, squeaky voice for Leo's 'absolutely, completely fine' line. Pupils hear the clue before they read it.

Evidence hunt

Give pupils highlighters for question 4. They mark every clue in the first paragraph, then choose their best two.

PSHE link

Question 8, on Maya's motive, leads into a talk about how to offer a friend help without embarrassing them.

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