Inference questions are the highest-mark and highest-difficulty type within 11+ comprehension. Strong inference is the difference between a top score and a middle score.
What this question type tests
Inference questions test the child's ability to read between the lines: to deduce what the writer means without it being directly stated. Typical question stems: "What does the writer suggest about...", "Why might the character have...", "What can be inferred from..."
How it appears in real papers
In GL English, inference questions appear in roughly half of comprehension marks. In CEM English, the proportion is even higher. CSSE comprehension is heavily inference-weighted. Recognising the question type within five seconds is the marker of a confident candidate; recognising it after thirty seconds of re-reading typically means a lost mark on a tight paper.
The technique to learn
The technique: re-read the relevant section of the passage carefully (not just skim), then ask "what is the writer NOT saying directly that they want me to understand?" The answer is usually in the gap between two pieces of stated information.
For multiple-choice inference questions, eliminate the obviously wrong answers first. There are typically two plausible answers and two distractors; narrowing to two doubles the child's odds.
Worked example
Worked example: a passage describes a character "glancing repeatedly at her watch and tapping her fingers". The inference question asks "How is the character feeling?" Direct evidence: glancing at watch, tapping fingers. Inferred answer: anxious or impatient. The passage does not say "she was anxious"; it shows it.
Common errors
Common error: choosing the answer that uses words from the passage. Question-writers deliberately put the wrong-answer text closer to the passage wording than the right answer. Read for meaning, not for word-matching.
Practice approach
Practise by reading short passages and producing written inference answers (not multiple-choice) — the writing forces deeper engagement than ticking a box. One passage per day across Year 5 builds the habit. Embedding the technique requires repeated exposure across different surface presentations — a child who has only seen one phrasing will be thrown by the next.