The Solar System — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 6 the solar system & space worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheetYear 6 · Science · The Solar System & SpaceThe Solar System — Answers
Part A: Our place in space
Read the passage. Then circle the best answer.
Our solar system is the Sun and everything that travels around it, including eight planets and their moons.
The Sun is a star — a huge ball of very hot, glowing gas. It is much, much bigger than the Earth. It looks bigger and brighter than other stars because it is so much closer to us.
In order from the Sun, the eight planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. The first four are small and rocky. The last four are giant planets made mostly of gas and ice. Pluto is a dwarf planet.
The Earth travels around the Sun in a path called an orbit. One trip around the Sun takes about one year. The Moon orbits the Earth, taking about one month. The Moon does not make its own light — it reflects light from the Sun.
- Aa planet
- Ba star
- Ca moon
- Da comet
Answer: a star
The Sun is a star — a huge, hot ball of glowing gas. It is the closest star to Earth.
- AVenus
- BEarth
- CMercury
- DMars
Answer: Mercury
Mercury is the first planet from the Sun.
- AJupiter
- BSaturn
- CEarth
- DNeptune
Answer: Jupiter
Jupiter is the biggest planet. It is a giant planet made mostly of gas.
- Athe Sun only
- BMars
- CJupiter
- Dthe Earth
Answer: the Earth
The Moon orbits the Earth, and the Earth and Moon travel around the Sun together.
- AUranus
- BNeptune
- CSaturn
- DPluto
Answer: Neptune
Neptune is the eighth planet. Pluto is not a planet — it is a dwarf planet.
Part B: Planets in order
Answer: Earth
Answer: Jupiter; Uranus
Answer: My = Mercury, Very = Venus, Easy = Earth, Method = Mars, Just = Jupiter, Speeds = Saturn, Up = Uranus, Naming = Neptune
- star
- planet
- moon
- orbit
- a huge ball of hot, glowing gas that makes its own light
- the path one object takes around another
- a natural body that orbits a planet
- a large body that orbits the Sun
Answer: star → a huge ball of hot, glowing gas that makes its own light; planet → a large body that orbits the Sun; moon → a natural body that orbits a planet; orbit → the path one object takes around another
Part C: True or false?
Write True or False.
Answer: True
The Sun is our closest star.
Answer: False
The Moon reflects light from the Sun.
Answer: False
Mars is one of the four small, rocky inner planets.
Answer: True
One full orbit of the Sun takes about one year.
Answer: False
Pluto is classed as a dwarf planet. There are eight planets.
Part D: Explain and evaluate
Model answer: Rotating means the Earth spins on its axis, about once a day; this causes day and night. Orbiting means the Earth travels all the way around the Sun, which takes about one year.
Success criteria:
- Rotation = spinning on its axis, about once a day, causing day and night
- Orbit = travelling around the Sun, about once a year
Model answer: It shows the planets in the right order from the Sun and that some planets are much bigger than others. It does not show well how far apart the planets really are (real distances are far too big), and the model planets do not move in orbits.
Success criteria:
- Names a strength, e.g. order of planets or relative size
- Names a limitation, e.g. distances not to scale, no movement, wrong materials
- Shows understanding that models simplify the real thing
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.
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