Year 6 • Age 10–11 • 10 questions • Free

The Old Oak Tree — Year 6 Reading Comprehension Story

Original story • Comprehension questions • Vocabulary • Parent tips

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For Parents and Teachers

This Year 6 reading comprehension explores the relationship between a girl and an ancient oak tree threatened by a new road development. Written for age 10–11, it blends environmental themes with character study, providing ten questions at SATs level covering the full range of reading skills.

The Story: The Old Oak Tree

The planning notice had been fixed to the oak tree itself — nailed there, which Mia thought was either a cruel joke or a sign that nobody had considered what they were doing at all.

PROPOSED ROAD DEVELOPMENT. THIS TREE IS SCHEDULED FOR REMOVAL.

Mia had climbed the oak tree every summer since she was five. She knew the exact shape of the branch she always sat on, worn smooth by decades of children before her. She knew where to put her feet, which handholds to trust, how the bark smelled after rain. She knew the tree in the way you know something that has been yours your whole life, and now she stood at the foot of it holding the planning notice and could not quite believe the word removal.

It was a thousand years old. The council information sheet said so. A thousand years. William the Conqueror had invaded England, and this tree had been forty years old. The plague had come and gone. Whole countries had risen and fallen. And the tree had been here, on this village green, the entire time.

Mia went home and did something she had never done before: she wrote a letter.

It took four drafts. In the first she was too angry and wrote things she knew an adult would dismiss. In the second she was too sad and it sounded like self-pity. In the third she listed facts — the tree's age, its ecological importance, the number of species it supported — but it felt cold, like a report rather than an argument.

In the fourth, she wrote about what the tree was. Not its age. Not its statistics. What it was. The worn branch. The smell after rain. The summer afternoons. The fact that every child in the village had known this tree, and their parents had known it, and their parents before them.

She sent it to the council, the local newspaper and her MP.

The local newspaper published it on a Thursday.

By the following Monday, forty-seven other people had written letters of their own.

The tree was not removed. The road was rerouted at additional cost. When Mia climbed the oak that August, the planning notice was gone but the nail-hole remained — a small dark mark that would, she knew, be there for the next hundred years.

Comprehension Questions

Click each answer to check it. An explanation will appear after each question.

Scroll down to see all the answers.

Question 1 of 10

Why does Mia think nailing the planning notice to the tree itself was significant?

  • It made the notice easier for people to see
  • It showed either cruelty or a failure to think about what the tree meant
  • It damaged the tree before it had even been removed
  • It was against the law to attach things to trees

Question 2 of 10

What does the word 'scheduled' mean in 'this tree is scheduled for removal'?

  • Suggested but not decided
  • Planned and officially arranged for
  • Possible if funding allows
  • Proposed by local residents

Question 3 of 10

Why does the author include the historical details about William the Conqueror and the plague?

  • To show Mia has done a lot of historical research
  • To convey the extraordinary scale of the tree's age compared to human events
  • To explain why the tree is valuable to historians
  • To suggest the tree is too old and should be removed safely

Question 4 of 10

What was wrong with Mia's first three attempts at the letter?

  • The first was too angry, the second too self-pitying, the third too cold and factual
  • They used words that were too complicated for a council
  • She had not included her contact details
  • They were too short and lacked detail

Question 5 of 10

What made Mia's fourth draft different from the others?

  • It described what the tree actually meant to people
  • It was politely worded and formal
  • It was shorter and clearer than the previous versions
  • It included more scientific facts about the tree's ecology

Question 6 of 10

What does the word 'ecological' mean in this story?

  • Related to economics and cost
  • Related to the legal protection of old trees
  • Related to local history and tradition
  • Related to living things and their relationship with their environment

Question 7 of 10

What does the detail of the 'worn smooth by decades of children' branch tell you?

  • The branch was the only safe place to sit in the tree
  • The tree was unsafe and should have been replaced sooner
  • The branch showed the tree had been used and loved by generations of children before Mia
  • The tree had been poorly maintained by the council

Question 8 of 10

How did Mia's letter cause the tree to be saved?

  • A judge ruled that the planning decision was illegal
  • The council immediately agreed the tree was historically important
  • Her MP passed a law protecting ancient trees
  • The published letter inspired 47 others to write, creating public pressure that led to the road being rerouted

Question 9 of 10

What does the nail-hole in the bark represent at the end of the story?

  • A permanent mark of what was nearly lost
  • Proof that the council had acted wrongly and should be held responsible
  • Evidence that should be preserved for historical records
  • A reminder of Mia's success that she wants people to notice

Question 10 of 10

What quality does Mia demonstrate most clearly in this story?

  • Intelligence
  • Physical courage
  • Popularity
  • Persistence

Answers

  1. Q1: It showed either cruelty or a failure to think about what the tree meant
  2. Q2: Planned and officially arranged for
  3. Q3: To convey the extraordinary scale of the tree's age compared to human events
  4. Q4: The first was too angry, the second too self-pitying, the third too cold and factual
  5. Q5: It described what the tree actually meant to people — its human significance
  6. Q6: Related to living things and their relationship with their environment
  7. Q7: The branch showed the tree had been used and loved by generations of children before Mia
  8. Q8: The published letter inspired 47 others to write, creating public pressure that led to the road being rerouted
  9. Q9: A permanent mark of what was nearly lost — a scar that will outlast all of them
  10. Q10: Persistence — she drafts the letter four times until she finds the right approach

Vocabulary

Key words from the story, with simple definitions.

scheduled

Officially planned and arranged for a specific time.

ecological

Relating to living things and how they interact with their environment.

rerouted

Changed to follow a different path or direction.

self-pity

An unhelpful feeling of being sorry for yourself, especially in a way others find excessive.

persistence

Continuing to try despite difficulty or failure.

convey

To communicate or express an idea or feeling to someone else.

How to Use This Story

Recommended Books

Books your child might enjoy after reading this story.

The Day the World Went Loco by Tom Fletcher

An environmental adventure story ideal for Year 6 readers interested in nature and community action.

The Explorer by Katherine Rundell

A stunning adventure in the Amazon rainforest — natural world themes with exceptional writing quality.

Street Child by Berlie Doherty

For Year 6 readers who also enjoy historical fiction, this is an excellent companion to the evacuation story.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this suitable for SATs preparation?

Yes — the questions follow the format of the KS2 Year 6 reading SATs paper, with retrieval, inference, vocabulary and evaluation questions.

Can this be used for PSHE or citizenship as well as English?

Absolutely. The story raises questions about community, environment and democratic participation that work excellently in PSHE discussions.

My child finds inference questions difficult — how can I help?

Always ask your child to point to the exact words in the text that give them the clue. Inference is about finding evidence, not guessing.

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