diff --git a/src/core/ObservableQuery.ts b/src/core/ObservableQuery.ts
index 7db43eaeceb..49b8a791d3e 100644
--- a/src/core/ObservableQuery.ts
+++ b/src/core/ObservableQuery.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import { isNonEmptyArray } from '../utilities/common/arrays';
 
 export type ApolloCurrentQueryResult<T> = ApolloQueryResult<T> & {
   error?: ApolloError;
+  partial?: boolean;
 };
 
 export interface FetchMoreOptions<
@@ -131,8 +132,12 @@ export class ObservableQuery<
   }
 
   public getCurrentResult(): ApolloCurrentQueryResult<TData> {
-    const { lastResult, lastError } = this;
-    const { fetchPolicy } = this.options;
+    const {
+      lastResult,
+      lastError,
+      options: { fetchPolicy },
+    } = this;
+
     const isNetworkFetchPolicy =
       fetchPolicy === 'network-only' ||
       fetchPolicy === 'no-cache';
@@ -145,7 +150,7 @@ export class ObservableQuery<
 
     const result: ApolloCurrentQueryResult<TData> = {
       data: !lastError && lastResult && lastResult.data || void 0,
-      error: this.lastError,
+      error: lastError,
       loading: isNetworkRequestInFlight(networkStatus),
       networkStatus,
       stale: lastResult ? lastResult.stale : false,
@@ -155,6 +160,9 @@ export class ObservableQuery<
       return result;
     }
 
+    const { data, partial } = this.queryManager.getCurrentQueryResult(this);
+    Object.assign(result, { data, partial });
+
     const queryStoreValue = this.queryManager.queryStore.get(this.queryId);
     if (queryStoreValue) {
       const { networkStatus } = queryStoreValue;
@@ -176,11 +184,10 @@ export class ObservableQuery<
       // the original `ObservableQuery`. We'll update the observable query
       // variables here to match, so retrieving from the cache doesn't fail.
       if (queryStoreValue.variables) {
-        this.options.variables = {
+        this.variables = this.options.variables = {
           ...this.options.variables,
           ...(queryStoreValue.variables as TVariables),
         };
-        this.variables = this.options.variables;
       }
 
       Object.assign(result, {
@@ -193,7 +200,10 @@ export class ObservableQuery<
       }
     }
 
-    this.updateLastResult(result);
+    if (!partial) {
+      result.stale = false;
+      this.updateLastResult(result);
+    }
 
     return result;
   }
diff --git a/src/core/QueryManager.ts b/src/core/QueryManager.ts
index f6cb7a57702..391476e2dc2 100644
--- a/src/core/QueryManager.ts
+++ b/src/core/QueryManager.ts
@@ -1052,7 +1052,7 @@ export class QueryManager<TStore> {
     this.queries.delete(queryId);
   }
 
-  private getCurrentQueryResult<T>(
+  public getCurrentQueryResult<T>(
     observableQuery: ObservableQuery<T>,
     optimistic: boolean = true,
   ): {
diff --git a/src/core/__tests__/ObservableQuery.ts b/src/core/__tests__/ObservableQuery.ts
index 07dfe0dbfcd..5c8e3dbe9e1 100644
--- a/src/core/__tests__/ObservableQuery.ts
+++ b/src/core/__tests__/ObservableQuery.ts
@@ -1450,6 +1450,7 @@ describe('ObservableQuery', () => {
           loading: false,
           networkStatus: 7,
           stale: false,
+          partial: false,
         });
         resolve();
       });
@@ -1459,6 +1460,7 @@ describe('ObservableQuery', () => {
         data: undefined,
         networkStatus: 1,
         stale: false,
+        partial: true,
       });
 
       setTimeout(
@@ -1468,12 +1470,40 @@ describe('ObservableQuery', () => {
             data: undefined,
             networkStatus: 1,
             stale: false,
+            partial: true,
           });
         }),
         0,
       );
     });
 
+    itAsync('returns results from the store immediately', (resolve, reject) => {
+      const queryManager = mockQueryManager(reject, {
+        request: { query, variables },
+        result: { data: dataOne },
+      });
+
+      return queryManager.query({ query, variables }).then((result: any) => {
+        expect(stripSymbols(result)).toEqual({
+          data: dataOne,
+          loading: false,
+          networkStatus: 7,
+          stale: false,
+        });
+        const observable = queryManager.watchQuery({
+          query,
+          variables,
+        });
+        expect(stripSymbols(observable.getCurrentResult())).toEqual({
+          data: dataOne,
+          loading: true,
+          networkStatus: NetworkStatus.loading,
+          stale: false,
+          partial: false,
+        });
+      }).then(resolve, reject);
+    });
+
     itAsync('returns errors from the store immediately', (resolve, reject) => {
       const queryManager = mockQueryManager(reject, {
         request: { query, variables },
@@ -1563,7 +1593,7 @@ describe('ObservableQuery', () => {
       }).then(resolve, reject);
     });
 
-    itAsync('returns partial data from the store', (resolve, reject) => {
+    itAsync('returns partial data from the store immediately', (resolve, reject) => {
       const superQuery = gql`
         query superQuery($id: ID!) {
           people_one(id: $id) {
@@ -1600,10 +1630,11 @@ describe('ObservableQuery', () => {
         });
 
         expect(observable.getCurrentResult()).toEqual({
-          data: void 0,
+          data: dataOne,
           loading: true,
           networkStatus: 1,
           stale: false,
+          partial: true,
         });
 
         // we can use this to trigger the query
@@ -1618,28 +1649,19 @@ describe('ObservableQuery', () => {
 
           if (handleCount === 1) {
             expect(subResult).toEqual({
-              data: void 0,
+              data: dataOne,
               loading: true,
               networkStatus: 1,
               stale: false,
             });
 
           } else if (handleCount === 2) {
-            expect(subResult).toEqual({
-              data: dataOne,
-              loading: false,
-              networkStatus: 7,
-              stale: false,
-            });
-
-          } else if (handleCount === 3) {
             expect(subResult).toEqual({
               data: superDataOne,
               loading: false,
               networkStatus: 7,
               stale: false,
             });
-
             resolve();
           }
         });
@@ -1670,6 +1692,7 @@ describe('ObservableQuery', () => {
           loading: true,
           networkStatus: 1,
           stale: false,
+          partial: false,
         });
 
         subscribeAndCount(reject, observable, (handleCount, subResult) => {
@@ -1679,29 +1702,21 @@ describe('ObservableQuery', () => {
             networkStatus,
           } = observable.getCurrentResult();
 
-          expect(subResult).toEqual({
-            data,
-            loading,
-            networkStatus,
-            stale: false,
-          });
-
           if (handleCount === 1) {
-            expect(stripSymbols(subResult)).toEqual({
-              data: void 0,
-              loading: true,
-              networkStatus: NetworkStatus.loading,
+            expect(subResult).toEqual({
+              data,
+              loading,
+              networkStatus,
               stale: false,
+              partial: false,
             });
-
           } else if (handleCount === 2) {
             expect(stripSymbols(subResult)).toEqual({
               data: dataTwo,
               loading: false,
-              networkStatus: NetworkStatus.ready,
+              networkStatus: 7,
               stale: false,
             });
-
             resolve();
           }
         });
@@ -1727,12 +1742,12 @@ describe('ObservableQuery', () => {
           variables,
           fetchPolicy: 'no-cache',
         });
-
         expect(stripSymbols(observable.getCurrentResult())).toEqual({
           data: undefined,
           loading: true,
           networkStatus: 1,
           stale: false,
+          partial: false,
         });
 
         subscribeAndCount(reject, observable, (handleCount, subResult) => {
@@ -1748,6 +1763,7 @@ describe('ObservableQuery', () => {
               loading,
               networkStatus,
               stale: false,
+              partial: false,
             });
           } else if (handleCount === 2) {
             expect(stripSymbols(subResult)).toEqual({
diff --git a/src/react/data/QueryData.ts b/src/react/data/QueryData.ts
index fe56dc4f3ef..a1ed59e5c06 100644
--- a/src/react/data/QueryData.ts
+++ b/src/react/data/QueryData.ts
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ export class QueryData<TData, TVariables> extends OperationData {
     } else {
       // Fetch the current result (if any) from the store.
       const currentResult = this.currentObservable.query!.getCurrentResult();
-      const { loading, networkStatus, errors } = currentResult;
+      const { loading, partial, networkStatus, errors } = currentResult;
       let { error, data } = currentResult;
 
       // Until a set naming convention for networkError and graphQLErrors is
@@ -390,6 +390,7 @@ export class QueryData<TData, TVariables> extends OperationData {
         const { partialRefetch } = options;
         if (
           partialRefetch &&
+          partial &&
           (!data || Object.keys(data).length === 0) &&
           fetchPolicy !== 'cache-only'
         ) {