Why Building Knowledge Is the Key to Reading Success (Not Just SEAG Success)
When parents think about reading comprehension, particularly in the context of the SEAG, they often focus on skills such as inference, prediction, summarising or finding evidence in a text. These skills are important — but research consistently shows that they rest on a much deeper foundation:
👉 Strong reading comprehension depends on knowledge.
Children understand texts by connecting what they read to what they already know about the world. The more knowledge they have, the more easily they can make sense of new texts — in exams, in school, and in everyday reading.
What the Research Tells Us (In Simple Terms)
Research in reading and cognitive science has shown repeatedly that background knowledge is one of the strongest predictors of comprehension.
Educational theorist E. D. Hirsch demonstrated that even capable readers struggle to understand texts when they lack knowledge of the topic. No amount of strategy practice can fully compensate for this gap.
Education writer Natalie Wexler has further highlighted that many reading programmes over-emphasise comprehension “skills” while under-emphasising the systematic building of knowledge. Children may learn how to answer questions, but without knowledge, understanding remains fragile.
Put simply:
Skills show children what to do
Knowledge allows them to understand what they read
Knowledge Builds Slowly — and That Is a Good Thing
One of the most important things for parents to understand is that knowledge builds gradually over time.
Children do not suddenly develop strong comprehension in P6. It develops across years through:
reading widely
hearing rich vocabulary
learning about the world
revisiting ideas across different texts
This is why comprehension cannot be rushed or crammed before the SEAG — and why relying heavily on practice papers alone is unlikely to lead to lasting reading success.
A Simple Example: Why Knowledge Makes Reading Easier
Imagine your child is reading a passage about a drought affecting crops on a farm.
If your child already knows:
what a drought is
that crops need water to grow
that farmers depend on crops for income
they can:
make predictions (“The crops may fail if it does not rain.”)
make inferences (“The farmer is worried about his livelihood.”)
understand vocabulary such as harvest, irrigation and livestock
If they do not have this background knowledge, their brain must decode unfamiliar words, learn new concepts and answer questions all at the same time. Research shows this places a heavy load on working memory and makes comprehension far more difficult — even for fluent readers.
Reading Success Comes From Reading — Not Just Practice Papers
Practice papers can be useful in moderation, particularly for helping children become familiar with question formats. However, they do not build knowledge.
For genuine reading success — whether for the SEAG or beyond — children need to be:
reading regularly
exposed to a wide range of topics
building vocabulary and understanding through real texts
Endless practice papers may improve test familiarity, but they cannot replace the benefits of reading itself.
Why Non-Fiction and Information Texts Matter So Much
Children need regular exposure to non-fiction and information-rich texts, such as:
science and geography books
history texts
biographies
child-friendly news articles
These texts:
introduce new vocabulary
develop understanding of the world
build the background knowledge comprehension depends on
📘 This knowledge supports reading across all subjects, not just English.
The Reality: Schools Cannot Do Everything
Schools work extremely hard, but there are real constraints:
home reading books are often decodable or levelled, not knowledge-rich
curriculum time is limited
schools cannot cover every topic children may encounter in texts
This is no one’s fault. It simply means that reading at home plays a vital role.
This Is Not Just About the SEAG
It is important to say clearly:
This approach is not just for children sitting the SEAG.
Children who do not complete the exam should not fall behind simply because they have fewer opportunities to build background knowledge. Knowledge supports:
reading comprehension
writing quality
learning across the curriculum
confidence in the classroom
What Parents Can Do (Without Pressure)
Building knowledge does not require worksheets or long study sessions. Small, consistent habits matter most:
Read widely and regularly, including non-fiction
Talk about what you have read together
Watch short documentaries and discuss new ideas
Encourage curiosity and questions
👉 You may also find it helpful to explore the SEAG Building Knowledge series, designed to:
build background knowledge gradually
support comprehension skills such as inference and prediction
complement reading, not replace it
Even 10 minutes a day of reading and discussion builds knowledge that compounds over time.
Final Thought
Reading success is not created by practising papers alone.
It is built through reading, knowledge and time.
When children read widely and build understanding of the world, comprehension becomes stronger, confidence grows, and success follows — in the SEAG and far beyond.
Read more. Know more. Understand more. Visit The SEAG Reading Base
