Reading Skills and Comprehension

What you will find

This unit sits in the Communication Skills strand of English language. It mixes short reading passages with the techniques for answering questions on them. Notes such as Short Story (The Hasty Act) - Beginners and Reading about Canada - Intermediate Level give you simple texts to read. Quizzes then test what you took in.

Where to start

Begin with the strategy material. The mind maps on skimming and scanning, intensive and extensive reading, and reading strategies are quick to read. The flashcard decks Skimming & Scanning and Types of Context Clues help the ideas stick.

1. Read a short note or story for a gentle warm-up.
2. Look at a strategy mind map.
3. Take a quiz such as READING PART 4 or Fact, Opinion or Bias?
4. Move on to a full exam-style passage.

Exam-style practice

Many resources are tied to named exams. TOEFL is well covered, with quizzes like TOEFL Reading Comprehension. and slide sets on TOEFL reading. Cambridge-style practice includes PET MOCK, C1 English Test and a flowchart of CAE reading strategies. For GCSE English Language and National 5 English, look for the flashcards on close reading question types and key language techniques. The RUAE Quiz asks about the steps for understanding, word choice and imagery questions.

Using quizzes and maps together

Use a map to learn the method, then a quiz to try it on a real text. If you miss a question, go back to the map or flashcards and note which question type tripped you up. Teachers can set a passage quiz as classwork and use a mind map to recap the method.

Next step

Pick one passage that suits your level and give it a go. When you are ready, you can make your own maps and flashcards from what you find.