Question Mark or Full Stop?: Year 6 SPaG

Year 6 SPaG worksheet on question marks or full stops: 4 SATs-style questions with answers. Free printable PDF.

3-page A4 PDF from the Tiger Shark Education question bank (Punctuation): two pages of questions (tick-box grids) and an answer page. Example questions: Tick one box in each row to show which mark each sentence MUST end with. / Tick one box in each row to show which mark each sentence MUST end with.

Question mark or full stop? A direct question asks something and ends with a question mark: Where did you put it? An indirect question reports a question within a statement and ends with a full stop: She asked where I had put it. I wonder if it will snow. Indirect questions often use if, whether or a question word, but the sentence itself is a statement.

Common mistakes and tips: The classic error is adding a question mark to any sentence containing a question word such as where, why or how. Ask children to decide whether the sentence is actually asking the reader something. Rephrasing an indirect question as a direct one (‘Where did you put it?’) shows clearly how the punctuation changes.

This topic is part of the Year 6 English grammar, punctuation and spelling curriculum and appears in the SATs. Because the test uses precise terminology, practising with the correct terms here helps children recognise what a question is asking.

How teachers use it: as a ten-minute daily grammar slot, as a homework task, or as part of a mixed revision pack in the run-up to the SATs. Pairs can work through it and compare answers before checking the answer page. Revisiting the same topic a few weeks later is an effective way to check retention.

Building understanding, not just recognition: the SATs ask children to identify features, but the real aim is for them to use grammar confidently in their own writing. After completing the sheet, ask pupils to find examples of the topic in a class text and discuss why the author used them. Then set a short writing task where the feature must be used deliberately, such as a paragraph of a story or a piece of non-fiction. Shared editing, where the class improves a weak sentence together, is a powerful way to show the effect of a grammatical choice. Linking grammar to purpose and effect helps children remember the terminology, because it becomes a tool rather than a label.