What is verbal reasoning?

Verbal reasoning is the ability to understand and think with words. It covers knowing what words mean, seeing how ideas connect and explaining why something makes sense. Pupils draw on it to follow explanations, work out what a question is asking and put their own thinking into words.

How our test measures it

Our Similar words task (Synonyms) looks at one part of verbal reasoning: understanding word meanings. The pupil reads and hears a word, then picks the word that means the same. It's part of the Dyslexia and Cognitive screener for pupils aged 7 to 16, where it sits alongside Shapes (visual reasoning) as a baseline for the rest of the profile.

Implications (in class and at home)

In class, a pupil who finds word meanings harder may lose the thread of an explanation full of new vocabulary, misread what a question is asking, or know an answer but struggle to explain it. At home, it can show up in homework instructions or when talking through ideas.

Implications of a low score in our test

A low score on Similar words suggests the pupil finds word meanings harder than most pupils their age. On its own, it never raises the dyslexia risk level. For pupils learning English as an additional language, a lower score may reflect their exposure to English rather than their reasoning. Low scores across every area, including reasoning, fit a general learning difficulty better than a specific one, so look at the whole profile. A screening result is not a diagnosis, and it's one point in time.

What helps

Time to rehearse an answer, for example with a partner, and a short frame that shows how ideas connect, such as "I think ___ because ___", help in class and at home.

• In class: Using rehearsal to support extended verbal responses

• In class: Using speaking frames to support verbal reasoning

• At home: Building verbal reasoning through everyday conversation

More ideas: Verbal, in the classroom and Verbal, at home.