Make bounded inferences
Infer what the passage supports while preserving its qualifications and leaving unknown details unknown.
What you will tackle
- Infer a supported conclusion from stated and implied information
- Preserve scope, chronology and uncertainty
- Reject answers requiring unstated assumptions
An inference connects supplied details
An inference need not repeat a sentence word for word, but the text must provide its basis. Mark words such as some, may, often and under these conditions. Replacing them with all, proves or always changes the claim.
Test necessity against plausibility
Ask whether an alternative could fit the same evidence. If so, a strong claim may be unsupported. A narrator's hesitation can suggest uncertainty without establishing a particular secret motive. In science, an unmeasured explanation should not become an observed result.
Build your notes, then practise
Work on paper before opening an explanation. Guided tasks provide a starting point; independent tasks remove the scaffolding; application tasks ask you to justify a method or interpretation in context.
Guided practice
Guided 1
Original passage: ‘The researcher found the pigment in three sealed pots. None of the open bowls tested contained it. She noted that only one household had been sampled.’ What can be inferred about the pigment's use, and what cannot?
Show a starting hint
Keep the sample boundary in the conclusion.
Compare with the explained answer
- The tested sealed pots contained the pigment.
- The small sample does not establish a rule for all households or all vessel types.
- The vessel comparison suggests a question for further study, not universal proof.
Answer / response criteria: Pigment occurred in those three pots; universal use, exclusive use and the reason for it remain unestablished.
Independent practice
Independent 1
Original prose: ‘Jon folded the letter twice before answering. He read the address again, then chose a clean sheet rather than the postcard already on his desk.’ Infer something about his response, avoiding an invented relationship with the recipient.
Compare with the explained answer
- The repeated reading and deliberate choice of paper show care or deliberation.
- A longer or more considered response is consistent with those actions.
- The text does not identify romance, hostility or the contents of the letter.
Answer / response criteria: Jon appears to be preparing a deliberate response; its exact motive and content are unknown.
Application practice
Application 1
A small experiment finds an effect under dry conditions but no detectable effect under wet conditions. Write the strongest justified conclusion and one future question.
Compare with the explained answer
- The observed result depends on the tested conditions.
- No detectable effect is not proof of an effect of exactly zero in every wet setting.
- Further work could test whether moisture changes the mechanism or whether the wet-condition measurement was less sensitive.
Answer / response criteria: An effect was detected only in the tested dry condition; the moisture mechanism and measurement limits need further investigation.
What can you explain now?
A small experiment finds an effect under dry conditions but no detectable effect under wet conditions. Write the strongest justified conclusion and one future question.
Compare with the explanation
An effect was detected only in the tested dry condition; the moisture mechanism and measurement limits need further investigation.
Explain the reasoning before comparing. This review records your self-assessment rather than an official score or mastery decision.
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Source and review status
Core coverage follows the detailed SAT skills in Appendix B of the September 2026 framework. The conditional School Day Essay is separate. The framework is maintained rather than issued as an annual subject syllabus.
Original teaching and explained self-check practice are available. Independent subject-specialist review and difficulty calibration remain pending; this is not an exam-board endorsement or a mastery certificate.
Official source specification / guide