Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Homework, Exams & Assessments
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
1 Who felt nervous because there was no noise?
(A) Tom (B) Bella (C) Chris
2 Who heard a classmate making an annoying sound?
(A) Tom (B) Bella (C) Chris
3 Who enjoyed the quiet space?
(A) Tom (B) Bella (C) Chris
4 Who describes the strict look on the teacher’s face?
(A) Tom (B) Bella (C) Chris
5 Who was amazed by how quickly the exam finished?
(A) Tom (B) Bella (C) Chris
6 Who rested their eyes for a short time during the test?
(A) Tom (B) Bella (C) Chris
7 Who heard traffic coming from the street?
(A) Tom (B) Bella (C) Chris
Inside the Exam Hall
Tom
I usually hate exams, but today was different. I was actually happy it was so peaceful. My house is always busy and loud with my little brothers, so this calm room helped me think perfectly. The teacher walked around, but she was very friendly to everyone. I worked through the questions and didn’t look at the clock. I really couldn’t believe it when she said we had to put our pens down. It felt like only ten minutes had gone by instead of an hour!
Bella
The test hall was huge and there were lots of students. Usually, a room with two hundred teenagers is loud, but nobody made a sound. That actually made me quite anxious! I tried to answer the questions, but time moved so slowly. Halfway through, I stopped reading, put my head down, and just kept them closed for sixty seconds. That short break helped my brain to work again. I only heard one thing: somebody dropping a plastic ruler on the floor.
Chris
When we walked into the hall, our IT teacher was standing at the front. He did not smile at all and told everyone to sit down immediately. It was very serious. Unfortunately, the boy at the desk behind me kept hitting his pen on the table. It drove me crazy! I couldn’t concentrate on the questions. Also, my desk was right next to the window. I could clearly hear large trucks and motorbikes on the road below, which didn’t help me either.
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 A 4 C 5 A 6 B 7 C
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
1 Which teacher believes friendly comments help students feel less scared of exams?
(A) Mr. Davis (B) Mrs. Clark (C) Mr. Evans
2 Which teacher prefers to discuss problems with a student alone?
(A) Mr. Davis (B) Mrs. Clark (C) Mr. Evans
3 Which teacher looks for good things in a poor piece of work?
(A) Mr. Davis (B) Mrs. Clark (C) Mr. Evans
4 Which teacher puts kind notes on students’ homework?
(A) Mr. Davis (B) Mrs. Clark (C) Mr. Evans
5 Which teacher says that students make more effort when they hear nice things?
(A) Mr. Davis (B) Mrs. Clark (C) Mr. Evans
6 Which teacher thinks it is natural to get things wrong while learning?
(A) Mr. Davis (B) Mrs. Clark (C) Mr. Evans
7 Which teacher encourages classmates to be kind to one another?
(A) Mr. Davis (B) Mrs. Clark (C) Mr. Evans
Giving Positive Feedback to Students
Mr. Davis
Many children feel worried before they take an important test. I see this a lot in my classroom. However, when I tell them they are doing well and focus on their successes, they immediately become calmer and more confident. When I check their daily assignments, I always write “excellent job” or “great try” at the top of the page. Seeing those words makes them smile. I don’t usually speak to students privately about their mistakes. Instead, I show the common errors to everyone on the board, so we can all fix them together.
Mrs. Clark
I believe that when children hear nice words, they want to do better. If I smile and tell them their work is improving, they try much harder the next day. If a student has a lot of incorrect answers on a worksheet, I never tell the whole group. Instead, the two of us sit and speak quietly at my desk to find the right answer. I don’t usually put messages on their paper. I also think students should help each other, so I ask them to say positive things to their friends when they succeed.
Mr. Evans
In my lessons, I always explain to my class that everybody gets things incorrect sometimes. It is a completely normal way for our brains to learn new information! Even if a boy or girl gives me a terrible piece of homework with lots of errors, I never just give it a low mark. I always search the text to find at least one beautiful sentence or a clever idea to talk about. I don’t give them stressful exams, but they still need to study. Hearing positive words keeps them interested in the subject.
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 A 5 B 6 C 7 B
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
1 Which person stayed awake very late to finish the work?
(A) Leo (B) Maya (C) Sam
2 Which person almost missed the deadline because of technology problems?
(A) Leo (B) Maya (C) Sam
3 Which person got a good grade even though they finished late?
(A) Leo (B) Maya (C) Sam
4 Which person promises to begin their homework sooner in the future?
(A) Leo (B) Maya (C) Sam
5 Which person received assistance from someone in their family?
(A) Leo (B) Maya (C) Sam
6 Which person felt extremely nervous watching the time?
(A) Leo (B) Maya (C) Sam
7 Which person was doing a fun activity instead of studying?
(A) Leo (B) Maya (C) Sam
Handing in Assignments at the Last Minute
Leo
I always plan to start my school projects early, but for our history essay, I waited until the final day. Because I had so much to write, I didn’t go to sleep until three o’clock in the morning! I was quite calm, but I was very tired the next day. I did everything by myself, without asking my older sister to look at it. Luckily, my computer worked perfectly, so I sent the document to my teacher just five minutes before the deadline. After this tiring experience, I have decided to never leave my tasks until the last minute again!
Maya
My geography homework was due at five o’clock on Friday. I spent the whole afternoon studying and reading in my room, not doing anything fun. At four-thirty, I only had a few paragraphs ready. I was so scared while looking at the clock, and my hands were shaking! I typed as fast as I could and finally sent the email at 4:58 p.m. I was sure that the work was terrible because I hurried so much. However, my teacher actually loved my ideas and wrote a big ‘A’ on my paper! Next time, I hope I don’t feel that stressed.
Sam
I had a terrible weekend because of my science project! I completely forgot about it because I was busy playing in a big tennis tournament with my friends. On Sunday evening, I remembered the assignment, but then my house lost its Wi-Fi connection! I couldn’t go online to send the work. I was really worried, but my dad knew exactly how to fix the router just in time. I uploaded the file two minutes before midnight! I am not sure if my answers are correct, so I just hope I don’t fail the class.
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 B 4 A 5 C 6 B 7 C