English·Reading Comprehension·conceptual
Text Features & Presentation
Identify how language choices, text structure and presentational features (illustrations, diagrams, bold print, layout) contribute to the overall meaning and effect of a text
Suggested ages 7–10
Learning journey
Your child is developing deeper reading skills — identifying main ideas across multiple paragraphs, making inferences about characters and themes, and understanding how authors use language and text features to create meaning and effect.
Evidence of understanding
- Explain how an author's word choices create a particular effect (e.g., 'The author uses "crept" instead of "walked" to make it feel sneaky and tense')
- Identify how a text's structure helps the reader (e.g., 'The headings help you find information quickly', 'The story builds suspense before the ending')
- Explain how a presentational feature contributes to meaning (e.g., 'The bold words are important vocabulary', 'The diagram shows how the water cycle works')
Assessment prompt
When Text Features & Presentation reads a page with headings, diagrams, or bold words, can they explain how those features help — like "the diagram shows the water cycle because the words alone are hard to picture"?
Standards alignment
Eng.UKS2.Read.Comp.2fGB · uk-nc-2013
Identify contribution of language and structure
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 2
Eng_LKS2_Read_Comp_14GB · uk-nc-2013
Identify contribution to meaning
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 2