An inference is a conclusion that the source’s own words make reasonable. Invented support is a fact, number or quotation that the source never gave. Directed writing rewards the first and does not reward the second, so you need to tell them apart in your own drafts.
This lesson closes the skills of directed writing and source use. It builds on transforming information and addressing opposing points.
How can you tell the difference?
Ask two questions about any claim you want to make.
- Can I point to words in the source that make this reasonable? If yes, it may be an inference.
- Would the source’s author say the same, if asked? If you are putting new facts into their mouth, it is invented.
A useful rule: reasoning can go beyond the source, but evidence must not.
Steps to check a claim
- Write the claim on its own line.
- Find the source words that connect to it, and note them.
- Decide whether the claim is a fact (copy accurately), an inference (mark with “suggests”, “likely”, “it seems”) or your own reasoning (explain the logic).
- If you cannot connect it to anything, cut it or turn it into a question.
Worked example
Library extract, in brief: closure on Sundays and Mondays, and Saturday is busiest. The Youth Forum calls it the only quiet place in the district with free internet. A mobile library will visit two schools each week.
Claim A: “More than 400 students signed a petition against the closures.”
The source gives no petition and no figure. Invented. Cut it.
Claim B: “Research shows that students who use libraries get better grades.”
The source contains no research. Invented, and it is presented as if it were evidence.
Claim C: “Saturday being the busiest day suggests that many people find weekends the easiest time to visit, so Sunday closure would affect them too.”
Source words: “Saturday is still the busiest day”. The step to Sunday is a reasonable inference and is signalled by “suggests”. Permitted.
Claim D: “Students who cannot study at home may depend on the library more than anyone.”
Source words: “only quiet place in the district where students can study”. The claim reasons from this. Permitted, with careful wording such as “may”.
Result: the paragraph keeps C and D, drops A and B, and sounds more trustworthy.
The mistake to watch for
A common slip is adding a precise-sounding detail to give the argument weight.
Mistaken sentence: “Last month, 300 students were turned away from the library because it was full.”
Nothing in the source mentions turned-away students or a number. It sounds convincing, but it is made up.
Correction: “Since Saturday is the busiest day, it is likely that the library is already crowded at weekends. Closing on Sundays would add to the pressure.” Every part of this either comes from the source or is marked as reasoning.
Check yourself
1. Is this invented support or a permitted inference? “The council must have run out of money, which is why the library is closing.”
Show answer
Invented in part. The source says the change is expected to save RM90,000 a year and that visits have fallen. It does not say the council has run out of money. A safer version: “The council’s need to save RM90,000 a year suggests that budgets are under pressure.”
2. Rewrite this claim so it is a permitted inference: “Everyone in the district wants the library to stay open.”
Show answer
“The Youth Forum’s concern suggests that at least some young people in the district want the library to stay open.” The original “everyone” goes beyond the source. The revision uses the Forum’s statement and a cautious verb.
3. A student writes: “A recent survey found that 80% of students use the library at weekends.” How should the student fix the sentence?
Show answer
The survey is not in the source, so it must be removed. The student can instead write: “Because Saturday is the busiest day, weekend use appears to be high.” That is an inference drawn from the source and marked as such.
Where this leads next
With selection, transformation, stance, fairness and honest evidence in place, test the whole module with the directed writing and source use practice set. Use the writing revision compare view to check a draft for claims that are not in the source.
Sorting evidence from invention is easier with someone reading your work beside the source, which is what happens in online one-to-one English First Language tuition.