Year 6 Reading Comprehension Worksheet - Intermediate

Year 6 Reading Comprehension worksheet for Year 6 (Key Stage 2 / Year 3-6 (Ages 7-11)). Intermediate level english practice, aligned to the UK National Curriculum. Print-ready with answer key included.

English•Key Stage 2 / Year 3-6 (Ages 7-11)•Reading Comprehensionintermediate

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Reading Between the Lines

Year 6 Reading Comprehension | Ages 10–11 | Intermediate

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Instructions: Read the passage carefully, then answer each activity using evidence from the text. For questions asking you to explain, give a clear reason and support it with a relevant word or detail from the passage.

Read the Passage: The Harbour Clock

Read the whole passage once to understand what happens. Then read it again, noticing how the writer describes the harbour and how Mara’s feelings change.

The Harbour Clock

At six o’clock, the harbour was still wrapped in fog. Mara stood beside the old clock tower, its face pale behind a veil of mist. She had promised to meet her grandfather there before the first ferry left. He had gone ahead to check the fishing boat, but the warning bell had sounded twice since she last saw him.

Mara tightened her scarf and hurried along the quay. The wooden boards were slick beneath her boots. Somewhere beyond the fog, a rope creaked and a gull gave a sharp cry. She called her grandfather’s name, but the mist swallowed her voice.

Then a small light flickered near the end of the pier. Mara recognised the brass lantern her grandfather always carried. She followed its wavering glow and found him beside the boat, struggling to free a tangled line from the propeller. One hand was trembling with cold.

“I thought you might come,” he said, smiling. “Could you hold the lantern steady?”

Mara planted her feet and raised the light. Together they loosened the rope. As the ferry’s horn sounded, the fog began to thin. The clock’s hands emerged above them, pointing to half past six. Mara had arrived late, but her grandfather squeezed her shoulder. For the first time that morning, the harbour seemed less like a maze and more like a place she knew.

Vocabulary in Context

Use the sentence around each word to work out its meaning. Choose the best meaning and write it in the box; you may use your own words.

1. In the first paragraph, what does “veil” suggest about the fog around the clock face?

2. What does “quay” mean in this passage?

3. The lantern’s glow is described as “wavering”. What does this tell you about its light?

4. What does “tangled” mean in “a tangled line”?

5. In the final sentence, what does “maze” suggest about how Mara felt in the harbour earlier?

Retrieve the Details

Find each answer directly in the passage. Keep your answers brief, but include the precise detail requested.

1. Where had Mara promised to meet her grandfather?

2. What two sounds had Mara heard before she went along the quay?

3. What was her grandfather trying to free from the propeller?

4. What did her grandfather ask Mara to do?

5. What time did the clock show when the fog began to thin?

Infer and Explain

Make a sensible inference from the clues in the passage. Explain your thinking and refer to a word or detail as evidence where you can.

1. Why might Mara have felt anxious as she hurried along the quay? Give one clue from the passage.

2. What does the detail that her grandfather’s hand was “trembling with cold” help the reader understand?

3. How can you tell that Mara and her grandfather work well together? Use evidence from the passage.

4. How have Mara’s feelings about the harbour changed by the end? Explain using the final sentence.

Explain the Writer’s Choices

Write your answer in the box below.

Summarise the Passage

Write a concise summary of the main events. Include only the most important points, and show how the situation changes from the beginning to the end.

In 2–3 sentences, summarise what happens to Mara at the harbour and how the situation is resolved.

Answer Key

Activity 1: Passage for reading; no written answer.

Activity 2: 1. A covering or layer of mist partly hiding the clock face. ; 2. A walkway or platform beside the harbour where boats can be reached. ; 3. The light was unsteady or flickering. ; 4. Twisted or knotted together. ; 5. The harbour felt confusing and unfamiliar to her.

Activity 3: 1. Beside the old clock tower. ; 2. A rope creaking and a gull crying. ; 3. A tangled line/rope. ; 4. Hold the lantern steady. ; 5. Half past six.

Activity 4: 1. She may be worried because her grandfather is missing in the fog and the warning bell has sounded twice; she calls for him but cannot see him. ; 2. He is cold and struggling with the problem, suggesting the task is difficult and he may need help. ; 3. Mara holds the lantern steady while they work together to loosen the rope. ; 4. At first she feels lost or uncertain; by the end she feels familiar and more at ease, as the harbour seems “a place she knew”.

Activity 5: 1. It suggests the fog absorbs or blocks her call, making her seem isolated and increasing the suspense. ; 2. It presents the fog as thick and enclosing, hiding the harbour. ; 3. It suggests the light flickers or moves unsteadily, creating a mysterious, uncertain atmosphere. ; 4. It highlights Mara’s change from feeling confused and lost to feeling familiar and secure.

Activity 6: Example: Mara goes to meet her grandfather in a foggy harbour and becomes worried when she cannot find him. She follows his lantern and helps him free a rope from the boat, then feels more at home as the fog clears.