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Academy11+

11+ Comprehension · Topic explained

Retrieval: finding information

What if the answer is already in the text, waiting for you?

The big idea

Retrieval means finding what the text actually says, then giving it back accurately.

Picture it

It's a treasure hunt: the question's key word is your map to the right spot.

Key words

Retrieve
Find and bring back information from the text.
Key word
The important word in the question to hunt for in the text.
Scan
Run your eyes quickly over the text to spot the key word.

Worked examples

  1. 1Warm-up

    "Tom's bike was red, with a silver bell and a basket on the front." What colour was Tom's bike?

    • Key word: bike.
    • Read around it: red.
  2. 211+ standard

    "Although the village hall was built in 1902, it only became a shelter during the floods of 1953, when forty families stayed there for almost a month." What made the hall become a shelter?

    • Don't grab the first date you see.
    • Answer: the floods of 1953.
  3. 311+ standard

    "The path wound upwards, slippery with moss, until it vanished into the mist." Find and copy one word that shows the path was hard to walk on.

    • "Find and copy" means the exact word.
    • Answer: slippery.
  4. 411+ standard

    "Gran packed sandwiches, a flask of tea and, for reasons nobody understood, an umbrella shaped like a duck." Give two things Gran packed.

    • Two marks, so two separate things.
    • Any two: sandwiches, a flask of tea, the duck umbrella.

The common mistake

The mistake

Answering from memory, or from what you know about the world.

Instead

Go back to the text and find the exact words every time.

Why: Marks come from the passage. A sensible answer the text doesn't say scores nothing.

Where it comes up in the 11+

GL and CEM papers open with retrieval: "Which of these is true?", "Find and copy…", "Give two…"

The video

Video coming soon

We're making a short video that explains retrieval: finding information step by step. Until then, everything it covers is on this page.

Free printable

Retrieval: finding information worksheet

Practice questions on this topic to print and try on paper, at home or on the way to school.

Download the worksheet (PDF)

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Quick quiz

Have a go first, then tap to see the answer.

  1. 1. "The shop opened at nine, but the baker arrived at six to light the ovens." When did the baker arrive?

    • Nine o'clock
    • Six o'clock
    • Midday
    • We are not told
    Show the answer

    Six o'clock

    Nine is when the shop opened. The baker arrived at six.

  2. 2. What is the best first step for a retrieval question?

    • Answer from memory
    • Find the question's key word in the text
    • Reread the whole passage slowly
    • Write a long answer
    Show the answer

    Find the question's key word in the text

    The key word leads you straight to the part of the text you need.

  3. 3. "Find and copy" means…

    • Put it in your own words
    • Write the exact words from the text
    • Explain why
    • Draw a picture
    Show the answer

    Write the exact words from the text

    Copy means the same words, spelled correctly, straight from the passage.