Supplementary guidance for the inspection of Welsh and English literacy in schools

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Document A: Example questions for listening to pupils in the foundation phase

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Reading

Younger pupils in the foundation phase

What is your book about?
What is happening in the pictures?
What do you think will happen next?
How do you think the story will end?
What do you do if you do not know a word?
Do you know this letter name?
Do you know which sound(s) this letter makes?
Do you enjoy reading?
Who helps you with your reading?
Does anyone read to you?

Older pupils in the foundation phase

Did you choose this book?
Did you know anything about it before you started reading it?
Do you enjoy reading?
Does the school have the sorts of books that you like to read?
Do you read information books?
How often do you read?
Do you read at home?
Do adults read to you in school? Do you enjoy that?
What advice does your teacher give to you about your reading?

Fiction text

What has happened so far in your book?
What do you think will happen next? What makes you think that?
Tell me about your favourite character. Why do you like this character?
What is your favourite part of the book and why?
How do you think the author wants us to feel at this moment in the book?
What do you do if you come across a word you haven’t seen before?

Non-fiction text

What is this book about?
Can you explain to me how I can find information in this book?
When might I use this book?
What do you do if you come across a word you haven’t seen before?
Which part of the book do you find most interesting and why?

When pupils are reading aloud, you might ask:

Have you come across this word before?
Do you know what the word means or can you work out what it means in this sentence?
What other word could the author have used that means the same sort of thing?
Why did you change your voice when you read that part of the sentence?

Writing

Younger pupils in the foundation phase

Do you like writing?
What do you like writing about?
Can you write your name and what you like doing in school, if I help you?
What do you do if you cannot spell a word?
Do you sometimes write on a laptop or a tablet?
Can you show me some of your writing?
Do adults help you with your writing? How do they help you?
Where do you do your writing?

Older pupils in the foundation phase

What type of writing do you like best – writing stories, poems or information writing?
What do you find easy about writing?
What do you find difficult about writing?
Do you sometimes plan your writing? Do you sometimes plan with a friend or in a group?
What do you do if you cannot spell a word?
Tell me how you wrote this story/these instructions etc?
Can you show me a piece of your writing that you think is good?
Do you ever go back to your work to try to make your writing better?
How do you know which punctuation to use?
How do you know how to set out your writing? Why have you written this in a list etc?