BrightPath Back to Lessons
Pax the Koala thinking
Year 6 KS2 SATs Reading

Year 6 KS2 SATs — Reading Prep

Read the passage carefully, then answer questions just like the real KS2 Reading test — retrieval, vocabulary, inference and summary.

Exam Tips for the KS2 Reading Test

1. Read the whole passage first — don't jump straight to the questions. Get a feel for the story before you answer.
2. Go back to the text — every answer can be found or worked out from the passage. Don't rely on memory alone.
3. Use your own words when summarising, but quote directly when asked to “find and copy” a word or phrase.
4. For inference questions, explain your thinking — the text doesn't say it directly, so show how you worked it out.

Note: The real KS2 Reading test lasts 60 minutes and covers three texts of increasing difficulty. This practice uses one shorter extract so you can focus on question technique.

The Lighthouse at World's End

Mara had lived on the island her whole life, yet she had never once seen the lighthouse door standing open.

It was early, and a thin mist still clung to the rocks like smoke that refused to clear. She picked her way along the path, her boots crunching on broken shells, until she reached the old iron door. It creaked as though it had not moved in years, and a cold draught slipped out to meet her.

Mara's stomach twisted. Her grandfather had kept that door locked for as long as she could remember, ever since the night the last keeper had vanished without a word. Still, curiosity pulled at her harder than fear pushed her back.

Inside, the spiral staircase wound upwards into darkness, and somewhere far above, a light flickered — faint, uneven, like a candle fighting a draught rather than the steady beam a lighthouse ought to throw. She began to climb, one hand trailing along the cold stone wall, counting the steps without meaning to: twelve, thirteen, fourteen.

At the top, she found not a keeper, but a single old lamp, burning low, and beside it, a logbook left open on a wooden desk, its final entry unfinished mid-sentence.

Knowledge Check

KS2 SATs Style

Answer all 10 questions about the passage above. Each is labelled with the KS2 reading skill it tests.

Score: 0 / 0

Question 1 — Retrieval (2b)

Where does Mara live?

Question 2 — Vocabulary in context (2a)

In the text, what does the word “clung” mean?

Question 3 — Inference (2d)

Why does Mara's stomach twist when she reaches the door?

Question 4 — Retrieval (2b)

According to the text, who kept the lighthouse door locked?

Question 5 — Writer's language (2g)

The text compares the light to “a candle fighting a draught”. What does this suggest about the light?

Question 6 — Inference (2d)

What can you infer happened to the last keeper?

Question 7 — Retrieval (2b)

What is found beside the lamp at the top of the lighthouse?

Question 8 — Summarise (2c)

Which sentence best summarises what happens in this extract?

Question 9 — Predict (2e)

Based on the extract, what is Mara most likely to do next?

Question 10 — Vocabulary in context (2a)

Which word from the text means “a written record of events”?

Key Concepts Summary