Hi everyone!
I have realised that the reading pages of this blog are looking a little empty, so have decided to make today’s post focus ‘reading comprehension’ and to provide you with some useful reading comprehension exercises so that you can practise your reading comprehension skills more often.

But first, some quick questions:
-How often do you read? Every day? Once a week? Once a month?
-Would you describe the reading experience as enjoyable?
-Do you read for pleasure or because you have to for your work or for your studies?
-Do you read a variety of different sources – newspapers/magazines/websites?
-Do you read a wide variety of topic areas or stick to those you are interested in?
-Have you ever tested your reading skills by completing an official reading exam?
-Do you understand most of what you read or are there many gaps?
-Do you ever complete reading comprehension exercises?

Regardless of your answers to the above questions, you will benefit from regular reading comprehension practice. Today I would like to share with you some great reading comprehension worksheets, but in order to better develop your skills and to use the worksheets more effectively, it is first important to have a better understanding of exactly what the process of reading comprehension involves.

So, what exactly does reading comprehension mean? Essentially, reading comprehension is the level of understanding of a written text. It is the ability to quickly and effortlessly recognise individual words and groups of words, combined with the skill of remembering the specific information given and connecting this to your general knowledge of that topic.

Reading comprehension exercises develop essential critical thinking skills as well as the ability to search a passage for specific information, and to absorb or recall specific details.

What can you do to develop your reading comprehension skills? Well, regular practice and challenging yourself with more and more difficult texts is the answer. I would suggest spending just 10-15 minutes per day completing a short reading comprehension exercise and then working your way up to longer and more challenging texts so that you are practising for about 30 minutes a day.

Where can you find reading comprehension activities? Well, there are several official English tests available (IELTS, Cambridge, TOEFL, TEOIC, GMAT, GAMSAT…) where reading comprehension is a major element – any of the practice tests for these exams are brilliant ways to practise and develop your comprehension skills. There are also numerous reading comprehension activities available on the internet, with some being better than others, so I will share with you my choice of the best reading comprehension websites to visit:
–English For Everyone
–ESL Reading Passages
–RHL Reading Comprehension
–Read Theory
–Info Squares Reading Comprehension

All exercises on the above websites are for differing levels of ability – you can work your way through them from easy to medium to difficult to super-challenging. Also, you may have noticed that the topics of the given texts are varied, so if you work your way through the exercises you will cover a wide variety of topic areas and a wide variety of vocabulary.

So now that you know what reading comprehension is, have a better idea of how to practise, and have a list of useful resources, there are no more excuses! Start today and develop your specific and detailed comprehension through daily practice exercises. Remember – small steps achieve great results. Happy reading!
:) Nicole

© Nicole Sammer, Sydney English Teacher, 2015.

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