Reading practice
Read short real-life texts — a profile, an email and a notice — and practise finding key information quickly.
In this lesson you will
- Read short texts for the main idea
- Scan for specific details: names, times, prices
- Understand new words from context
Learn
Read for the main idea first. Look at the title, the first line and any pictures. Ask: Who is writing? Why?
Scan for details. If a question asks What time…?, move your eyes quickly and look only for numbers and am/pm. For Where…? look for capital letters (place names).
Guess new words. Look at the words around them. In I love my job — I help sick animals every day, the job is probably a vet.
Don’t translate every word. At A1 you can understand a lot from the words you know.
Examples
- Main idea: “This email is an invitation to a party.”
- Scanning: “The class starts at 7 pm” → answer: 7 pm.
- Guessing: “I’m starving — I didn’t have lunch!” → starving = very hungry.
Vocabulary
main idea
the most important point of a text
scan
read quickly to find specific information
notice
a short public message on a wall or board
invite
ask someone to come to an event
free
costing no money; also: not busy
“Are you free on Saturday?”
In real life
Text 1 — an email.
From: Lucy · To: Marco · Subject: Saturday!
Hi Marco, it’s my birthday on Saturday and I’m having a small party at my flat. It starts at 8 pm. My address is 14 Park Road, flat 3 — it’s opposite the library. Please bring something to drink. There’s a lot of food! Can you come? Lucy
Practice
Text 1: Why is Lucy writing?
Speaking
Read Lucy’s email aloud. Then say your answer to her as if you are Marco: can you come? What will you bring?
Writing
Reply to Lucy’s email (40–60 words). Say yes or no, give a reason, and ask a question.
Lesson quiz
To find a time in a text, you should…
Review
Key points
- Read for the main idea first.
- Scan for details: numbers, names, times.
- Guess new words from context.
What you learned
- ✓ I can understand short emails and notices.
- ✓ I can find specific information quickly.
- ✓ I can guess some new words.