Big picture
An informational passage explains a subject rather than primarily telling a story. It may describe a process, compare alternatives or present evidence about a problem. Informational reading requires following how ideas are organised and judging what the supplied information actually supports.
A passage can include facts, estimates, opinions and recommendations together. Readers must distinguish them without assuming that every confident sentence is a proven fact. Good answers use the passage's evidence, interpret numbers carefully and avoid importing unsupported claims from general knowledge.
Learning goals
Identify topic, main idea and supporting details.
Recognise common informational structures.
Distinguish facts, opinions and qualified claims.
Interpret tables, comparisons and numerical statements.
Produce accurate inferences and concise summaries.
Core ideas
1. Topic and main idea
The topic is the subject, such as school water use. The main idea is what the passage chiefly says about that subject. Supporting details provide explanations, examples or evidence. A title may suggest the topic but should be checked against the whole passage.
For example, a passage describing measured water use and a repair plan might have the main idea “Careful measurement helps a school reduce avoidable water waste.” Writing only “water” gives the topic, not the complete idea. A detail about one leaking tap supports the main idea but is too narrow to summarise the whole text. Read opening and closing sentences while checking intervening evidence.
2. Text structures
Description presents features; sequence explains ordered stages; comparison examines similarities and differences; cause and effect links conditions with consequences; problem and solution presents a difficulty and response. One passage can combine several structures.
Signal words help: first and next indicate sequence, whereas however suggests contrast and therefore suggests a conclusion. Signals are clues, not substitutes for meaning. A description of two water containers may compare capacity without explaining a causal relationship. In an answer about structure, identify the organising pattern and show how specific paragraphs follow it.
3. Facts, opinions and qualified statements
A fact claim can be checked against evidence. An opinion expresses judgement, such as “This is the most attractive garden.” A recommendation proposes an action and may be supported by facts without itself being a measurement.
Words such as may, often, approximately and under these conditions limit a claim. If the passage says a method may reduce waste, do not paraphrase it as “always eliminates waste.” Similarly, a small trial does not establish the result for every school. Precision includes preserving uncertainty. Strong critical reading neither accepts every statement blindly nor rejects a measured result merely because it is unfamiliar.
4. Evidence and inference
Evidence is information used to support a claim. It can include observations, counts, comparisons or quotations from identified people. An inference connects this evidence to a reasonable conclusion. If a tap continues dripping after users leave, a faulty fitting is plausible; deliberate misuse by a named learner is not established.
Ask whether alternative explanations remain. A lower water reading on a school holiday may reflect fewer users rather than successful repairs. A fair comparison should consider similar conditions. This does not make all evidence useless; it shows why context matters. In a case-based answer, state the evidence and the limit of the conclusion separately.
5. Vocabulary, references and connectors
Infer unfamiliar words through surrounding explanations and examples. If a text calls a container “calibrated” and explains marked volume divisions, the context suggests it has been marked to measure quantities. Identify the grammatical role before selecting a replacement word.
Pronouns and reference phrases connect sentences. In “The team checked the taps. These fittings needed new washers,” these fittings refers to the taps. Connectors such as although, because and in contrast determine relationships. Replacing although with because can change a concession into a cause. Read the complete sentence rather than choosing a connector solely because it sounds formal.
6. Tables and numerical information
Read a table's title, column labels, units and time period before calculating. Total, mean and difference answer different questions. A daily mean of 6 litres over five days implies a total of 30 litres, not that every day's reading was identical.
Percentages require a stated base. A reduction from 40 litres to 30 litres is 10/40 × 100 = 25%, not 10%. If a table records only one sink, do not report the number as the whole school's use. Numbers look precise, but their meaning depends on what was measured and how the data were collected.
7. Original passage
During a school water-awareness week, the Eco Club decided to examine one washing station near the playground. Members first planned posters asking everyone to use less water. Their teacher suggested beginning with an observation: how much water was being lost when nobody was washing?
For four days, two pupils checked the same three taps after the lunch break. They placed a marked container beneath each dripping tap for ten minutes and recorded the combined volume. The amounts were 1.2 litres on Monday, 1.5 on Tuesday, 0.9 on Wednesday and 1.2 on Thursday. The club did not include water used for handwashing in these readings.
A caretaker then replaced worn washers in two taps and adjusted the third fitting. During a similar ten-minute check on Friday, the combined leakage was 0.3 litres. The pupils were pleased, but their teacher reminded them that one low reading did not show the repair would remain effective forever. They agreed to repeat the check the following week.
The club still made posters, but the message changed. Instead of telling pupils to avoid washing, the posters asked them to close taps properly and report leaks. A separate notice explained that clean hands remained important. The caretaker suggested a simple reporting book, so a fault would not remain unnoticed merely because everyone expected someone else to mention it.
The investigation covered only one washing station. It could not show how much water the whole school used. Nevertheless, it gave the club a practical lesson: a useful conservation plan combines responsible behaviour, working equipment and repeated measurement.
8. Worked literal and data questions
What was measured? Combined leakage from three taps over ten minutes after lunch. The passage explicitly excludes ordinary handwashing water. Why were washers replaced? They were worn and contributed to leaking fittings. Do not say the pupils repaired the school pipeline, since that is not stated.
What was the total of the first four readings? 1.2 + 1.5 + 0.9 + 1.2 = 4.8 litres. Their mean was 4.8/4 = 1.2 litres per ten-minute check. Friday's 0.3 litres was 0.9 litre lower than that mean, a reduction of 0.9/1.2 × 100 = 75% under the compared checks. This is not automatically a 75% reduction in all school water use.
9. Worked inference and purpose questions
Why did the teacher suggest observation before posters? Measurement could identify a specific problem and guide a useful response. This inference follows from the discovery of leakage and the later repair. The text does not imply that posters are always useless, since the club still makes them.
Why does the final paragraph mention the investigation's limited scope? To prevent readers from treating one station's result as a whole-school measurement. Why do the posters protect handwashing? Conservation should reduce avoidable waste without discouraging hygiene. A suitable title is “Measure the Leak Before Making the Plan.” It captures the evidence-based approach more accurately than “Never Use School Taps.”
10. Summaries and answer presentation
A summary retains central points while removing minor details and repetition. It should preserve meaning, scope and qualifications. Do not add an opinion or new solution unless asked. An appropriate brief summary of the passage is: “The Eco Club measured leakage at one washing station, arranged repairs and checked the result. Its revised campaign combined proper tap use, fault reporting and repeat measurements while protecting handwashing.”
For a short factual answer, give the requested detail directly. For an inference, state the conclusion and supporting evidence. For a calculation, show the operation and unit. A useful marking checklist is accuracy, relevance, evidence, scope and clarity. If asked for two reasons, provide two distinct reasons rather than repeating one in different words. Check that your answer does not turn a possibility into a certainty.
A reliable approach to questions
Identify topic, purpose and organising structure.
Mark the exact information and any limits or qualifications.
Read tables with their units and measurement scope.
Use evidence to support inferences and calculations.
Write concise answers and check that summaries add no new claims.
Connections that matter
Science uses fair tests, observations and cautious conclusions.
Mathematics supplies totals, averages, differences and percentages.
Writing skills uses topic sentences and organised explanations.
Common mistakes
Reporting a topic word as the main idea omits the passage's message.
Ignoring may or approximately overstates a claim.
Treating one sample as a whole population exceeds the evidence.
Adding personal recommendations to a summary changes the task.
Revision checklist
I can identify main ideas and supporting details.
I can recognise text structures and connectors.
I can distinguish measurements, opinions and recommendations.
I can interpret data without changing their scope.
I can write evidence-based answers and accurate summaries.