Children understand what is actually being said and done.

Children make basic inferences about what is being said and done.

Children make inferences about characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions.

Children make inferences about characters from their actions, justifying this with evidence.

Children make more complex inferences about characters and events, justifying these with evidence.

Children continue to make more complex inferences about characters and events, justifying these with evidence by quoting from the text.

Children apply their knowledge of inference to increasingly complex texts.