Question 1
text organisation · core
Testing the shade cloth
Our class wanted to find out whether a shade cloth helped the soil stay damp. We filled two identical trays with the same amount of soil and water. We put them side by side outside. One tray was covered by shade cloth; the other was uncovered. We checked both trays at three o'clock each afternoon.
Monday: covered soil damp; uncovered soil damp.
Tuesday: covered soil damp; uncovered soil slightly damp.
Wednesday: covered soil slightly damp; uncovered soil dry.
We concluded that, in our three-day trial, the covered soil stayed damp longer. We want to repeat the trial in different weather before making a general claim.
Which heading best suits the daily list?
- Equipment prices.
- Soil observations.
- Instructions for making cloth.
- Plant heights.
VC2E4LA03 · VC2E4LY08
Question 2
audience and purpose · core
Make a seed label
You need a clean, dry ice-cream stick, a pencil and a waterproof pen. Ask an adult to check that the stick has no splinters.
1. Write the plant's name lightly in pencil near the top of the stick.
2. Check the spelling against the seed packet. Correct any mistakes now.
3. Trace over the name with waterproof pen.
4. Wait until the ink is dry, then push the blank end into the soil beside the seeds.
If you are labelling several rows, finish one label before beginning the next. This helps you match each label to the correct packet. Keep the writing above the soil so that it remains easy to read.
Who is this text mainly written for?
- Someone who wants to label planted seeds.
- Someone reviewing a gardening film.
- Someone selling waterproof pens.
- Someone studying how ice cream is made.
VC2E4LY08
Question 3
procedure structure · core
Use the text at Question 2.
Why are the main actions numbered?
- Each number gives the price of equipment.
- Their order matters for completing the task.
- The reader should choose just one action.
- Every action takes exactly one minute.
VC2E4LA03 · VC2E4LY08
Question 4
persuasive language · core
A quieter lunchtime choice
Dear Student Council,
Please turn the unused corner beside the library into a quiet lunchtime space. Students who enjoy reading or drawing sometimes struggle to find a calm place in the busy playground. Two benches and a box of drawing boards would give them somewhere to settle.
Some students worry that a quiet space will take away a place to run. However, the corner is already too narrow for running games. The large oval would remain open for active play.
Could we try the quiet space for two weeks and ask students whether it helps? A trial would let us improve the idea before spending money on more equipment.
Yours sincerely,
Amir, Year 4
Which words show Amir is making a request?
- “Two benches”.
- “the large oval”.
- “Amir, Year 4”.
- “Please turn the unused corner”.
VC2E4LY08
Question 5
audience · core
Use the text at Question 4.
Which reader is directly addressed?
- A sports commentator.
- A book publisher.
- Amir's grandparents.
- The Student Council.
VC2E4LY08
Question 6
persuasive structure · core
Use the text at Question 4.
Which statement best describes the letter's structure?
- Equipment list followed by numbered steps.
- Request, reasons, response to an objection, proposed trial.
- Alphabetical definitions followed by a quiz.
- Characters, magical problem, surprise ending.
VC2E4LA03 · VC2E4LY08
Question 7
text features · core
Tuesday's rehearsal
I thought I knew every line of our play. At rehearsal, I spoke before Jo had finished, skipped a whole sentence and forgot to turn towards the audience. Our teacher asked us to try the scene again, more slowly.
This time I listened for Jo's final word. I took a breath before answering. The pause felt enormous to me, but our teacher said it helped the audience understand the change of speaker.
At home I was going to practise the speech ten times without stopping. Now I have a different plan: Mum will read Jo's part, and I will practise listening as well as speaking. Knowing my own lines is only part of the job.
Which feature makes this text a personal reflection?
- It reports only other people's opinions.
- It provides ticket prices and booking times.
- It defines every theatre term alphabetically.
- It explains what the writer learned from an experience.
VC2E4LA03 · VC2E4LY08
Question 8
reading efficiently · core
Subject: Changes to Friday's garden visit
Hello Year 4,
Our visit to the community garden will still take place on Friday. However, we will leave school at 10:00 am instead of 9:30 am because the gardener has a morning delivery.
Bring a hat, a water bottle and a packed lunch. You will not need a gardening tool; the garden will supply tools for our activity. Wear closed shoes.
If heavy rain is forecast on Thursday afternoon, we will send another message to families and hold the planting activity in our classroom instead. Please do not assume the visit is cancelled just because it is cloudy.
We expect to return to school by 1:30 pm.
Ms Tran
What is the best first place to look when deciding whether this email concerns the trip?
- The teacher's surname alone.
- The subject line.
- The final punctuation mark.
- The list of clothes alone.
VC2E4LA05 · VC2E4LY08
Question 9
digital navigation · core
Museum website mock-up
PAGE TITLE: River Town Museum
TOP MENU: Visit | Collections | Learn | Contact
Visit drop-down: Opening hours | Tickets | Getting here
BREADCRUMB: Home > Learn > School workshops
HEADING: Build a bridge workshop
The workshop is for school groups in Years 3–6. Bookings are essential.
UNDERLINED LINK: Download the teacher planning sheet
BUTTON: Book a school workshop
IMAGE CAPTION: Students test a model bridge with small weights.
FOOTER: Accessibility | Site map
This is a fictional page layout for reading practice. Its labels are not live links.
Which menu path would help you find how to travel to the museum?
- Collections > New objects.
- Contact > Staff biographies.
- Visit > Getting here.
- Learn > School workshops.
VC2E4LA05 · VC2E4LY08 · VC2E4LY09
Question 10
digital navigation · core
Use the text at Question 9.
What does the breadcrumb help the reader understand?
- Who built every bridge in town.
- The museum's postal address.
- Where the current page sits within the website.
- How much the workshop costs.
VC2E4LA05 · VC2E4LY08 · VC2E4LY09
Question 11
action labels · support
Use the text at Question 9.
Which feature provides an action for reserving a place?
- The “Book a school workshop” button.
- The image caption.
- The footer label “Site map”.
- The page title alone.
VC2E4LA05 · VC2E4LY08 · VC2E4LY09
Question 12
audience · core
Use the text at Question 9.
Which reader is most likely to use the planning-sheet link?
- A swimmer checking tide times.
- A driver looking for petrol prices.
- A cook ordering bridge-shaped biscuits.
- A teacher organising a class visit.
VC2E4LA05 · VC2E4LY08 · VC2E4LY09
Question 13
readability · support
Use the text at Question 9.
Why is “Build a bridge workshop” a useful heading?
- It tells every visitor where to park.
- It identifies this page's topic before the details.
- It guarantees that the workshop is free.
- It replaces the need for a booking.
VC2E4LA05 · VC2E4LY08 · VC2E4LY09
Question 14
images and text · core
Use the text at Question 9.
What does the image caption add?
- It explains what the students in the image are doing.
- It promises all bridges will hold the same weight.
- It changes the workshop's age group.
- It lists every item in the museum.
VC2E4LA05 · VC2E4LY08 · VC2E4LY09
Answers and review guidance
Open responses, handwriting and spoken tasks need adult review. The models are examples; different responses may meet the criteria.
Question 1
Answer: Soil observations.
The list records what the soil was like each afternoon.
Question 2
Answer: Someone who wants to label planted seeds.
The equipment list and numbered actions help a reader carry out this task.
Question 3
Answer: Their order matters for completing the task.
Checking before tracing and drying before placing depend on following the sequence.
Question 4
Answer: “Please turn the unused corner”.
“Please” and the action “turn” ask the council to do something.
Question 5
Answer: The Student Council.
The greeting explicitly identifies the audience.
Question 6
Answer: Request, reasons, response to an objection, proposed trial.
The argument develops through these stages to persuade the council.
Question 7
Answer: It explains what the writer learned from an experience.
First-person thoughts and a revised plan reveal reflection.
Question 8
Answer: The subject line.
The subject summarises the topic: changes to Friday's garden visit.
Question 9
Answer: Visit > Getting here.
“Getting here” is listed inside the Visit menu and directly matches the travel question.
Question 10
Answer: Where the current page sits within the website.
Home > Learn > School workshops shows the route through the site hierarchy.
Question 11
Answer: The “Book a school workshop” button.
The button names the booking action; the caption describes a picture.
Question 12
Answer: A teacher organising a class visit.
The link explicitly offers teacher planning information for a school workshop.
Question 13
Answer: It identifies this page's topic before the details.
The heading helps readers scan and decide whether the page is relevant.
Question 14
Answer: It explains what the students in the image are doing.
The caption connects the pictured activity to testing model bridges.