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WorksheetYear 5Level 2 · Standard

Free Year 5 Insect Life Cycles: Complete and Incomplete Metamorphosis Worksheet

Students compare the four-stage life cycle of insects such as butterflies and beetles (egg, larva, pupa, adult) with the three-stage cycle of grasshoppers and dragonflies (egg, nymph, adult), and sequence and explain each stage.

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Year
Year 5
Subject
Science
Topic
Living Things & Life Cycles
Difficulty
Level 2 · Standard
Estimated time
30 minutes
Curriculum
New Zealand Curriculum
Questions
15
Answers
Included, with working
Format
PDF (A4), print or complete online

Students will practise

  • sequencing the stages of an insect life cycle
  • comparing complete and incomplete metamorphosis
  • naming larva, pupa and nymph stages
  • classifying insects by their life cycle
  • using observations to explain change

Curriculum: New Zealand Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.

What's next?

Completed: Insect Life Cycles: Complete and Incomplete Metamorphosis

  1. 1How Seeds Travel: Seed Dispersal
  2. 2Food Chains and Habitats
  3. 3Adaptations of Plants and Animals
  4. 4Decomposers: Nature's Recyclers

How to use this worksheet

  1. Print the PDF or complete it on screen. Write the student's name and date at the top.
  2. Read the instructions for each part together before starting. Encourage working to be shown.
  3. Mark with the answer sheet. Use the model answers and success criteria as a guide rather than a single right answer.
  4. Record the score, celebrate what went well, then follow the "What's next" suggestion.

Common questions

Who is this worksheet for?

Year 5 students (typically ages 9–10) working on living things & life cycles. It is pitched at level 2 · standard.

Are the answers included?

Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.

How long does it take?

About 30 minutes for 15 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.

Do I need to sign up to download?

No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.

What should we do next?

Try How Seeds Travel: Seed Dispersal.

Preview

Success TutoringWorksheetsYear 5 · Science · Living Things & Life Cycles

Insect Life Cycles: Complete and Incomplete Metamorphosis

Name

Date

Score /

Use the words egg, larva, pupa, nymph, adult and metamorphosis in your answers.

Part A: Two kinds of life cycle

Read the passage. Then circle the best answer.

All insects begin life as an egg, but they grow up in two different ways. Big changes in body shape during a life cycle are called metamorphosis.

Complete metamorphosis has four stages: egg → larva → pupa → adult. The larva looks nothing like the adult. It eats and grows, then forms a pupa. Inside the pupa its body changes completely. Butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, bees and ants all grow this way.

Incomplete metamorphosis has three stages: egg → nymph → adult. A nymph looks like a small adult without full wings. It grows by moulting — shedding its hard outer skin — several times. Grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches and dragonflies grow this way.

Some young insects live in a different place from the adults. Dragonfly nymphs and mosquito larvae live in water, but the adults fly in the air.

1.What is the correct order for complete metamorphosis?
  1. Aegg → pupa → larva → adult
  2. Begg → larva → pupa → adult
  3. Clarva → egg → adult → pupa
  4. Degg → nymph → adult
2.A butterfly larva is called a…
  1. Acaterpillar
  2. Bnymph
  3. Ctadpole
  4. Dmaggot
3.Which insect goes through incomplete metamorphosis?
  1. Aa butterfly
  2. Ba beetle
  3. Ca grasshopper
  4. Da bee
4.What happens inside the pupa?
  1. AThe insect lays eggs.
  2. BThe insect eats lots of leaves.
  3. CThe insect hatches from an egg.
  4. DThe insect's body changes into the adult form.
5.Why does a nymph moult?
  1. AIts hard outer skin cannot stretch as it grows.
  2. BIt is too cold.
  3. CIt wants to change colour.
  4. DIt is turning into a pupa.

Part B: Stages and names

6.Match each insect to the name of its young.
  • butterfly
  • fly
  • grasshopper
  • caterpillar
  • nymph
  • maggot
7.A butterfly's pupa is also called a (answer space).
8.Incomplete metamorphosis has (answer space) stages.
9.Name the stage that complete metamorphosis has but incomplete metamorphosis does not. (answer space)

Part C: True or false?

Write True or False.

10.A caterpillar and a butterfly are the same insect at different stages. ☐ True   ☐ False
11.A grasshopper nymph has to become a pupa before it is an adult. ☐ True   ☐ False
12.Every insect life cycle starts with an egg. ☐ True   ☐ False
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Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.

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About this resource

Created by
Success Tutoring Science Team
Last reviewed
1 October 2026
How it was made
Written by our team

Free to print and share for personal, classroom and homeschool use. Please don't resell. Spotted an error? Let us know.