English Reading Comprehensionusually ages 9–10

Structure of information texts

Describe the overall structure of an informational text (chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) and explain how the author's chosen structure helps convey information and ideas

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Identify which organisational structure an informational text uses (chronological order, compare/contrast, cause/effect, or problem/solution) and cite textual features that signal it
Explain how signal words (first, then, finally for chronology; however, similarly for comparison; because, as a result for cause/effect; the solution was for problem/solution) reveal text structure
Compare two informational texts on the same topic that use different structures and explain how each structure affects the way information is presented to the reader

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Try this together

When your child reads a non-fiction text, can they identify how it's organised — for example, "this one is structured as a problem and solution" or "this one goes through events in time order" — and explain why that structure works?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Structural terminologyages 8–9Informational text structure (chronology, cause/effect, problem/solution) builds on text structure terminology knowledge

Connecting Ideas in Textsages 8–9Understanding how text structure conveys information builds on prior work identifying connections between ideas in informational text

Structure of information textsthis skill · ages 9–10

Unlocks

Comparing Structure in Information Textsages 10–11Comparing structures builds on describing text structure

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Candidate matches to official curriculum codes — machine-suggested, unreviewed (v0.1).

Show candidate curriculum codes · 3 ACARA · 2 NSW · 3 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9E3LA04high confidenceYear 3 · Language

understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of the stages of written texts, grouping related information together

AC9E6LA03medium confidenceYear 6 · Language

explain how texts across the curriculum are typically organised into characteristic stages and phases depending on purposes, recognising how authors often adapt text structures and language features

AC9E5LA04medium confidenceYear 5 · Language

understand how texts can be made cohesive by using the starting point of a sentence or paragraph to give prominence to the message and to guide the reader through the text

NSW syllabus codes & stages only

EN2-CWT-02medium confidenceEnglish K-10 · Stage 2

EN3-CWT-01medium confidenceEnglish K-10 · Stage 3

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2E6LA03high confidenceEnglish · Level 6 · Language strand

VC2E6LY06medium confidenceEnglish · Level 6 · Literacy strand

VC2E3LA04medium confidenceEnglish · Level 3 · Language strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Combining information from textsages 9–10 Cultural Allusions and Word Meaningages 9–10 Explaining Events & Ideasages 9–10 Finding Theme and Summarisingages 9–11

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