English Year 6 12 questions with answers

Year 6 English: a question for each objective

The national curriculum lists what children are taught in English in Year 6. Here is each objective in its own words, with one question on it, its answer and the reason.

Questions written by Remelia for the objectives of the national curriculum for England; not taken from any test paper.

Grammar

Objective: Vocabulary typical of informal speech against vocabulary appropriate for formal speech and writing
Which of the following is the best choice for a newspaper report?
- A Hedgehog numbers in Millbrook have risen for the first time in ten years, according to a survey published yesterday. Local volunteer Mrs Patel said that the new gaps between gardens had made a real difference.
- B Look, a hedgehog! It is small and round. It has lots of prickles on its back. It likes to eat bugs. At night it goes out to look for food.
- C I am writing to ask the council to leave small gaps under the new fences on Elm Road. Hedgehogs travel a long way each night, and these gaps would allow them to reach our gardens safely.
- D To build a hedgehog house, first find a wooden box and cut a small hole in one side. Next, put some dry leaves inside. Finally, place the box in a quiet, shady corner of the garden.
Show the answer to question 1
Answer: A · Hedgehog numbers in Millbrook have risen for the …
Why:
A newspaper report tells the reader what happened, where and when, and often gives the words of someone who was there. You can see this in the best choice: "Local volunteer Mrs Patel said". The other paragraphs would suit a picture book for a 4-year-old, a letter to the council and a set of instructions.
Objective: The passive to affect the presentation of information
Which sentence is written in the passive?
- A The police were catching the thief near the station.
- B A new kind of frog was discovered by the scientists in the rainforest.
- C The farmer milked the cows at dawn.
- D The scientists discovered a new kind of frog in the rainforest.
Show the answer to question 2
Answer: B · A new kind of frog was discovered by the scientists in the rainforest.
Why:
"A new kind of frog was discovered by the scientists in the rainforest." is in the passive: a new kind of frog was discovered, and the scientists did it. In the active it would be "The scientists discovered a new kind of frog in the rainforest."
Objective: Structures typical of informal speech against formal: question tags; the subjunctive
Which sentence is the most formal?
- A If he were here, he would know what to do.
- B We haven't missed the bus, have we?
- C If he was here, he would know what to do.
Show the answer to question 3
Answer: A · If he were here, he would know what to do.
Why:
"If he were here, he would know what to do." uses the subjunctive "were", which is formal. "If he was" is how people speak, and question tags like "have we?" belong in speech.
Objective: Subject and object; active and passive, as terminology
In space, the telescope was repaired by the astronauts.
This sentence is in the passive. Write its subject.

Show the answer to question 4
Answer: the telescope (also accept telescope)
Why:
In the passive, the subject is the thing the action is done to: "the telescope" comes before the verb "was repaired". The astronauts did the action, but are not the subject here.
Objective: A wider range of cohesive devices: repetition, grammatical connections, ellipsis
Hot and Cold
The Sahara is one of the hottest places on Earth. In summer, it can reach fifty degrees. In contrast, Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth.
Which words link the last sentence to the one before it? Write them.

Show the answer to question 5
Answer: In contrast
Why:
"In contrast" is a linking adverbial. What comes next is different from, or the opposite of, what came before.
Objective: Layout devices to structure text
Planting Sunflowers
Why grow them?
Sunflowers can grow taller than a grown-up in one summer. Bees love their bright yellow flowers.
You will need
For each seed, you will need:
• a small pot
• some compost
• a sunny windowsill
Watering
Water the pot a little every other day.
Under which sub-heading would you find out why bees like sunflowers? Write the sub-heading.

Show the answer to question 6
Answer: Why grow them?
Why:
The part headed "Why grow them?" tells you why bees like sunflowers. Sub-headings help a reader find the part they need.

Punctuation

Objective: The semi-colon, colon and dash to mark the boundary between independent clauses
Which sentence uses a semi-colon correctly?
- A Some children walked to the park; others rode their bikes.
- B We walked down to the beach; with our cousins.
- C The keeper fed the penguins; at three o'clock.
- D We stayed indoors; because it was raining.
Show the answer to question 7
Answer: A · Some children walked to the park; others rode their bikes.
Why:
Some children walked to the park; others rode their bikes. Each side of the semi-colon could be a sentence on its own. In the others, one side could not.
Objective: The colon to introduce a list; semi-colons within lists
Our team has three new players: a goalkeeper, who is very tall; a defender, who never gives up; and a striker, who scores lots of goals.
Why has the writer used semi-colons in this list?
- A Every list needs semi-colons.
- B Each thing in the list is a question.
- C The list is inside speech.
- D The things in the list already have commas inside them.
Show the answer to question 8
Answer: D · The things in the list already have commas inside them.
Why:
"a goalkeeper, who is very tall" already has a comma in it. Semi-colons between the things show where each one ends.
Objective: Punctuation of bullet points
Our Camping Trip
Year 6 are going camping in June. We will stay for two nights.
Everyone should do these things before the trip:
• Pack a sleeping bag.
• Pack a torch.
• Pack a warm jumper.
• Pack a waterproof coat.
A full list will be sent home next week.
What is the name of the punctuation mark at the end of the words that introduce the bullet points?

Show the answer to question 9
Answer: colon (also accept a colon, :)
Why:
"Everyone should do these things before the trip:" ends with a colon. A colon introduces a list, and bullet points are a list.
Objective: Hyphens to avoid ambiguity
Which sentence can only be about a writer of short stories?
- A Our visitor was a short-story writer from Wales.
- B Our visitor was a short story-writer from Wales.
- C Our visitor was a short story writer from Wales.
Show the answer to question 10
Answer: A · Our visitor was a short-story writer from Wales.
Why:
"short-story writer": the hyphen joins "short" and "story" into one describing word, so it means a writer of short stories. Without it, "short story writer" could also mean a story writer who is not very tall.

Spelling

Objective: The Years 5–6 statutory word list, group 3 (25)
Which word is this? Making your mind up before you know.
Fill in the missing letter: "pr_judice"
Write the missing letter.

Show the answer to question 11
Answer: e (also accept prejudice)
Why:
prejudice. Watch the "e": pr[e]judice.
Objective: The Years 5–6 statutory word list, group 4 (25)
Which word is spelt wrongly?
- A reccomend
- B restaurant
- C vehicle
- D system
Show the answer to question 12
Answer: A · reccomend
Why:
"reccomend" should be spelt "recommend". One c, two m's: re-com-mend.

Answers

1. A · Hedgehog numbers in Millbrook have risen for the …
2. B · A new kind of frog was discovered by the scientists in the rainforest.
3. A · If he were here, he would know what to do.
4. the telescope (also accept telescope)
5. In contrast
6. Why grow them?
7. A · Some children walked to the park; others rode their bikes.
8. D · The things in the list already have commas inside them.
9. colon (also accept a colon, :)
10. A · Our visitor was a short-story writer from Wales.
11. e (also accept prejudice)
12. A · reccomend

More Year 6 English

Remelia practises English for the child's own year group, in short sessions, and brings back on later days what they got wrong.

Open the app What it teaches

The other years: Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5. Every practice page