Reading and Writing for KS2 is a series of four workbooks for ages 8 to 11. Two Reading Comprehension books build the skills children need to understand, explain and enjoy what they read. Two Creative Writing books teach a different genre in every unit, then give children the support to write their own. Book 1 in each strand is for Lower KS2 and Book 2 for Upper KS2.
Every unit maps to the reading and writing programmes of study in the National Curriculum for England. Questions are labelled with the reading skill they practise, and every piece of writing can be marked with a 50-mark scheme in the style of 11+ creative writing marking.
Reading and writing grow together, so the series has two strands. Each book has ten units, and each unit follows the same clear pattern: warm-ups and a discussion to get children thinking, a Vocabulary Check to teach new words, then the main reading or writing task. Every book has a glossary, a My Progress page and a certificate of completion.
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Book 1 (Lower KS2)
Paperback · 86 pages · Ages 8 to 11
Ten texts to talk about, from a library dragon and a lighthouse mystery to cave art, a storm poem, a jungle survival story, talking trees and a wartime evacuee. Each passage of 450 to 500 words is followed by about 15 questions worth 25 marks, with full answers at the back.
Buy on Amazon: Coming soonBulk order this titleFree sample: Reading Comprehension Book 1 (Lower KS2), PDF, 9 pages, 0.6 MB
Book 2 (Upper KS2)
Paperback · 84 pages · Ages 8 to 11
Richer, more demanding texts for Upper KS2 and the 11+: the mystery of the Mona Lisa, a dystopian city, the story of chocolate, a night-mail poem, how English grew, the promise and peril of DNA, a newspaper front page and a library under threat. Several units pair two or three texts to compare.
Buy on Amazon: Coming soonBulk order this titleFree sample: Reading Comprehension Book 2 (Upper KS2), PDF, 9 pages, 0.7 MB
Choose a cover to see the book.
Book 1 (Lower KS2)
Paperback · 88 pages · Ages 8 to 11
Ten genres, ten units: story openings, character description, instructions, diaries, dialogue, information reports, poetry, newspaper reports, describing places, and myths. Children meet a vanishing shop, a robot pet, an unstoppable ball, a talking dog and the brain’s secret code, and the final unit ends with a 40-minute exam-style story.
Buy on Amazon: Coming soonBulk order this titleFree sample: Creative Writing Book 1 (Lower KS2), PDF, 9 pages, 0.8 MB
Book 2 (Upper KS2)
Paperback · 90 pages · Ages 8 to 11
Writing with power and purpose: persuasive speeches, formal and informal letters, fables, tall tales, memory and sensory writing, suspense, reflective writing, formal proposals, balanced arguments and point of view. The final unit ends with a 40-minute, 11+ style timed writing task.
Buy on Amazon: Coming soonBulk order this titleFree sample: Creative Writing Book 2 (Upper KS2), PDF, 9 pages, 1 MB
Quick activities that switch on children’s thinking about the topic.
Questions to talk about with a parent, tutor or teacher. There are no wrong answers.
Six key words from the text, matched to their meanings and used in different forms.
Fiction, non-fiction or poetry of 450 to 500 words, sometimes with a second text to compare.
About 15 questions worth 25 marks, each labelled with the skill it practises.
Questions cover retrieval, vocabulary, inference, language, structure, sequencing, summary, comparison and personal response. Full answers at the back explain how to award every mark.
Quick activities and talk questions to get ideas flowing.
Six useful words to learn, then use in the writing tasks.
One technique taught clearly, with examples.
An example piece, numbered to show where the writer used each technique.
A guided task with a picture, word bank, sentence starters and checklist, then an open task on the same theme.
A 50-mark Creative Writing Mark Scheme at the front of each book helps parents and teachers give specific praise and one clear target after every piece. Answers to the Vocabulary Checks are at the back.
A four-book series for children aged 8 to 11, covering the reading and writing content of the KS2 English curriculum. The books work at home or in class, and suit children preparing for 11+ and ISEB entrance tests as well as those who simply want to read and write with more confidence.
Stories, mysteries, poems, true adventures, history, science and persuasive writing, chosen to interest children and spark discussion.
A Vocabulary Check before every passage and writing task, with all the key words collected in a glossary at the back.
11+ style comprehension questions with marks, and writing marked with a 50-mark scheme covering structure, vocabulary, imagination, grammar, punctuation and spelling.
Answers and explanations, a My Progress page, a glossary and a certificate of completion in every book.
Choose Book 1 for children in Years 3 and 4 (Lower KS2), and Book 2 for children in Years 5 and 6 (Upper KS2) or preparing for the 11+. The Reading and Writing strands can be used side by side or one at a time. Within each book the units can be worked through in order, or chosen by text type or genre using the Curriculum Map at the front.
The books suit: children aged 8 to 11; families preparing for 11+ or ISEB tests; teachers and tutors looking for structured comprehension and creative writing practice.
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Reading and Writing for KS2 series
Unit 1, The Library Dragon: two warm-ups, a discussion, the Vocabulary Check, the passage and its comprehension questions, with the answers.
Get the sample (PDF, 9 pages): Reading Comprehension Book 1 (Lower KS2)Reading and Writing for KS2 series
Unit 1, The Arrival: two warm-ups, a discussion, the Vocabulary Check, the passage and its comprehension questions, with the answers.
Get the sample (PDF, 9 pages): Reading Comprehension Book 2 (Upper KS2)Reading and Writing for KS2 series
Unit 1, The Vanishing Shop: warm-ups, a discussion, the Skill Focus on opening a story, a Model Text and two writing tasks, with the Vocabulary Check answers.
Get the sample (PDF, 9 pages): Creative Writing Book 1 (Lower KS2)Reading and Writing for KS2 series
Unit 1, A Leader's Voice: warm-ups, a discussion, the Skill Focus on rhetorical devices, a Model Text and two writing tasks, with the Vocabulary Check answers.
Get the sample (PDF, 9 pages): Creative Writing Book 2 (Upper KS2)Book 1 is written for Years 3 and 4 and Book 2 for Years 5 and 6. If your child is a confident Year 4 reader preparing for the 11+, Book 2 will stretch them.
Yes. The Reading Comprehension books have full answers with mark-by-mark explanations. The Creative Writing books include the vocabulary answers and a 50-mark mark scheme for marking the writing.
Yes. Every question has answer lines, and each writing task has space for a full piece: about one page for the guided task and one and a half pages for the open task.
Yes. The comprehension questions follow the style and marking of 11+ English papers, and the writing tasks and mark scheme mirror 11+ creative writing.
The series pairs naturally with our 11+ and ISEB practice papers and with the Vocabulary Builder books. Comprehension and creative writing appear in almost every English entrance test, and steady practice makes the exam papers far less daunting.
Bulk pricing is available for schools, tutors and learning centres, typically for orders of 30 books or more. With answers, a mark scheme and a Curriculum Map in every book, the series makes a ready-made KS2 reading and writing course.
