Graded reading · Teens and adults
Reading texts for teens and adults
Sixteen original texts from A2 to B2, non-fiction and short stories. Each one comes with key vocabulary, questions students can check on screen, discussion prompts, a writing task and a printable worksheet with answers.
All texts
16 texts
Short story
The Phone on the Train
Lena leaves her phone on the train, and a stranger answers.
- Ages 12+
- A2
- Reading
Short story
My First Job Abroad
Marta, nineteen, works in a café in Edinburgh and learns more than English.
- Ages 12+
- A2
- Reading
Non-fiction
A Library of Things
Libraries where you borrow drills, tents and sewing machines instead of books.
- Ages 12+
- A2
- Reading
Non-fiction
How Bread Is Made
Four simple ingredients, one living thing and a very hot oven.
- Ages 12+
- A2
- Reading
Non-fiction
Why We Procrastinate
Why putting things off is about feelings, not laziness — and what helps.
- Ages 12+
- B1
- Reading
Non-fiction
The City That Said No to Cars
How Pontevedra in Spain gave its streets back to people on foot.
- Ages 12+
- B1
- Reading
Short story
The Wrong Suitcase
Daniel opens the suitcase in Lisbon and finds red dresses and dancing shoes.
- Ages 12+
- B1
- Reading
Non-fiction
Renting Your First Flat
What experienced renters wish they had known the first time.
- 18+
- B1
- Reading
Short story
The Neighbour's Note
A polite note under the door turns a noise problem into a friendship.
- Ages 12+
- B1
- Reading
Non-fiction
The Science of Sleep
The two systems that make us sleepy, and why teenagers' clocks run late.
- Ages 12+
- B2
- Reading
Non-fiction
The Four-Day Week
Full pay for four days' work — what the trials found, and what critics say.
- 18+
- B2
- Reading
Non-fiction
Why We Remember Things Wrong
One verb in a question can change what people remember seeing.
- Ages 12+
- B2
- Reading
Short story
The Last Train Home
After a bad audition, Nadia plays for five strangers on a stopped train.
- Ages 12+
- B2
- Reading
Non-fiction
Is It Too Late to Learn a Language?
What research says about age and language learning — and what helps adults.
- 18+
- B2
- Reading
Short story
The Job Interview
Carmen prepares for every question except the one that matters.
- 18+
- B2
- Reading
How to use a text in class
- Start with the pre-reading question, books closed, for two or three minutes.
- Go through the key vocabulary. Students guess the meaning before they look.
- First read for the gist, second read for the questions. Turn on audio if students want to hear a sentence.
- Check the answers on screen together and ask students to point to the line that proves each one.
- Finish with the discussion questions, then set the writing task for homework.
True, False or Not given?
Three of the six questions use the format of international exams. True means the text says it. False means the text says the opposite. Not given means the text doesn't say, even if it sounds likely. Not given is the one students find hardest, so make them find the evidence.
Carry on talking
For a speaking lesson after the reading, use the discussion topics or a real-life role-play.