What the exam asks
In AQA 8700, inference is most visible in these places:
| Paper | Question | How inference is tested |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Q1 | selecting details, including implied information from a narrow line range |
| Paper 1 | Q2 | explaining what words and phrases suggest about feelings, setting or character |
| Paper 1 | Q4 | judging a statement by interpreting attitudes, motives and effects |
| Paper 2 | Q2 | summarising differences or similarities through implied ideas, not copied phrases |
| Paper 2 | Q3 | analysing how language conveys a viewpoint or tone |
| Paper 2 | Q4 | comparing writers’ perspectives, bias, purpose and methods |
Across other boards, the same skill appears under different labels: implicit meaning, interpretation, viewpoint, synthesis, or reading between the lines.
Core ideas
What inference actually is
Inference means using clues in the text to work out something unstated.