Prepare your Year 6 pupils for the KS2 SATs reading test with this engaging mini practice pack. Each resource centres on a carefully selected text and includes SATs-style questions that develop key reading skills, including vocabulary, retrieval, inference, summarising and predicting, and comparing and explaining.
For more texts and SATs practice, explore our full KS2 SATs reading collection.
About the text: The Wrath of Vulcan
This extract from Jon Mayhew’s The Wrath of Vulcan immerses readers in a tense moment as people react to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. As with all fiction extracts in our SATs practice range, the text comes from our Real Writing collection of high-quality texts by celebrated children’s authors, giving pupils exposure to rich vocabulary, vivid description and authentic narrative tension.
The dramatic setting, the contrasting reactions of characters such as Dad and Sclopius, and the chaotic environment provide excellent material for developing comprehension skills.
Pupils can explore character perspective, cause and effect and the sequence of events, all of which are key areas assessed in the KS2 SATs reading test.
Why this text works well for SATs revision
- Inference-rich narrative: Pupils can analyse how characters respond differently to danger, drawing conclusions from their actions and dialogue.
- Tier 2 vocabulary in context: Words such as sulphurous, pillar, laden, and boiled give direct practice for vocabulary questions.
- Clear retrieval opportunities: Pupils can locate details about the eruption, the crowd and character actions with confidence.
- Short, high-impact extract: The fast-moving, dramatic scene allows repeated readings, ideal for focused revision sessions.
- Natural links to predicting and summarising: The narrative’s tension and cliffhanger moments encourage pupils to make predictions and summarise key events, supporting essential SATs skills.
What’s included in this resource pack
- Quick Reading Questions PowerPoint
- PDF version of the fiction text The Wrath of Vulcan
- Vocabulary Questions worksheet
- Retrieval Questions worksheet
- Inference Questions worksheet
- Summarise and Predict Questions worksheet
- Compare and Explain Questions worksheet
- Teacher notes
How to use this pack
Use the PowerPoint for whole-class modelling or small-group intervention, focusing on test technique and question analysis. Each section contains a warm-up question followed by SATs-style questions linked to specific reading skills.
Pupils can then apply their understanding using the PDF worksheets, either in class or as homework, using the text to justify their answers.
For more Year 6 reading practice, visit our KS2 SATs resources collection.