Welcome to Non-Fiction and Information Texts!
Have you ever read a book about volcanoes, looked at a recipe to bake a cake, or searched a guidebook to find out how castles were built? If so, you have already explored the exciting world of non-fiction!
In this chapter, we will learn how to read, understand, and answer questions about non-fiction and information texts. In your Key Stage 2 English reading test, non-fiction texts are a big part of the reading booklet. Don't worry if reading information texts sometimes feels tricky or full of big words—by using a few simple detective tools, you can easily track down any fact or answer!
Note: For more on how texts use features like headings, sub-headings, and bullet points, see our separate chapter on Structure, layout and presentation features. For working out what is true versus what someone thinks, check out Fact and opinion; author's viewpoint.
What is a Non-Fiction Text?
The simplest way to remember non-fiction is:
• Fiction is made up by an author (stories, imaginary characters, adventures).
• Non-fiction is based on real-world facts, real events, and real information.
Non-fiction texts are written for a purpose and an audience. Some of the most common types of non-fiction texts you will read include:
• Information reports: Texts that give clear facts about a subject, such as animals, space, or history.
• Explanations: Texts that explain how or why something happens (for example, how the water cycle works or why birds migrate).
• Instructions: Step-by-step guides showing how to make or do something.
• Recounts: Descriptions of real events that happened in the past (such as a diary entry, a biography of an explorer, or a newspaper report).
• Reference texts: Books like dictionaries and encyclopaedias that help you look up specific information.
Key takeaway: Non-fiction texts share real information to teach, explain, guide, or describe the real world to the reader.
Core Reading Skills for Non-Fiction
In the Key Stage 2 English reading paper, there are 50 marks to collect in 60 minutes across an unseen booklet of 1500 to 2300 words. Non-fiction questions test specific reading skills, called content domains. Let's look at the main skills you need for information texts.
1. Retrieving and Recording Information (Content Domain 2b)
This is the most common non-fiction skill! Retrieval simply means finding a fact that is directly written on the page and writing it down. You are acting like a fact detective.
To retrieve information quickly, use two reading superpowers:
• Skimming: Reading quickly over the text to get the general idea of what each paragraph is about.
• Scanning: Moving your eyes across the lines looking for a specific clue word, date, or name from the question (just like using a search button on a computer).
Top Tip for "Find and Copy" Questions:
When a question asks you to "Find and copy one word..." or "Find and copy a group of words...", you must write down the exact words from the text. Do not change the word, do not swap it for a synonym, and do not copy a whole sentence if it only asks for one word!
2. Working Out Unfamiliar Words in Context (Content Domain 2a)
Non-fiction texts often include technical or specialised words. When you see a word you do not recognise, don't panic! You can use the sentence around it (the context) to work out its meaning.
Try the Swap and Test trick:
1. Read the whole sentence carefully.
2. Look at the words directly before and after the mystery word.
3. Think of a simple word that makes sense in that space and test it out.
Example: "The desert animal has special adaptations to endure the blistering heat."
If you look at the clues—desert, heat, and special adaptations—you can infer that endure means to survive, bear, or cope with the conditions.
3. Summarising Main Ideas (Content Domain 2c)
Information texts are organised into paragraphs, with each paragraph focusing on a key theme. Questions will often ask you to summarise the main idea of a paragraph or across more than one paragraph.
A summary is a brief, clear statement that captures the "big picture" without every tiny detail. To find the main idea:
• Look closely at the opening sentence of the paragraph (often called the topic sentence).
• Look at the closing sentence.
• Ask yourself: "If I had to tell a friend what this whole section is about in just one short sentence, what would I say?"
4. Making Inferences with Evidence (Content Domain 2d)
Even though non-fiction deals with facts, writers do not always state everything directly. Sometimes you must make an inference—this means reading between the lines by putting clues from the text together with your own reasoning.
Whenever you make an inference in an information text, always back it up with evidence directly from the passage. Ask yourself: "What words in the text prove that my answer is correct?"
Key takeaway: Success in non-fiction reading comes from matching your answer directly to the evidence on the page using retrieval, context clues, and summarising.
Question Types: How to Tackle Them
The reading test uses three main question formats. Knowing how to handle each one gives you extra confidence.
Selected Response Questions (Tick boxes, matching, ordering)
These questions give you the options on the page:
• Multiple choice: Always read all four options before ticking one. Check the text to see which option matches the facts.
• Matching: Draw straight lines to link a fact, person, or date to its description.
• Ordering / Ranking: Number events (1 to 4 or 1 to 5) to show the chronological order in which they happened in the text. Always find each event in the passage first!
Short Constructed Response Questions (1 mark)
These ask for a quick, direct fact or a "find and copy" answer. Keep your response short and precise. There is no need to write in full sentences for a 1-mark retrieval question—just give the exact information requested.
Extended Constructed Response Questions (2 or 3 marks)
These questions ask you to explain an idea using evidence from the text. A simple formula to remember is Point + Evidence (P-E):
• Point: State your answer or explanation clearly.
• Evidence: Refer to a specific fact, detail, or example from the text that proves your point.
If a question is worth 3 marks, it will usually ask you to give two distinct points and support them with reference to the text. Always check the number of marks in the margin!
Common Traps to Avoid
Trap 1: Answering from your own head instead of the text
You might already know lots about sharks, Romans, or the solar system! But remember: the test marker is testing how well you read this specific text. Always base your answers strictly on what the author has written, even if you know other interesting facts.
Trap 2: Copying too much
If a question says "Find and copy one word", write only that single word. Writing down the whole sentence will lose you the mark because it shows you haven't identified the exact word.
Trap 3: Rushing past the sub-headings
Sub-headings are like road signs. If a question asks, "What do emperor penguins eat?", don't read the whole text from the beginning! Scan for a sub-heading like "Diet" or "Hunting" to find the right paragraph straight away.
Quick Review: Non-Fiction Checklist
Before moving on, test yourself with this quick checklist:
• Can you tell the difference between fiction (imagined) and non-fiction (real facts)?
• Do you know the difference between skimming (reading for the general idea) and scanning (looking for a target word)?
• Can you use the Swap and Test method to work out an unfamiliar word from its context?
• Are you ready to give Point + Evidence for longer explanation questions?
• Do you remember to copy only the exact word or phrase requested in "find and copy" tasks?
With these non-fiction reading skills in your toolkit, you are ready to tackle any information text with confidence!