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English Reading: Genres and Key Skills

Reading comprehension in English is an essential skill for success in lower secondary school entrance exams. This section helps you recognize common text types and develop the reading skills needed to confidently handle any English reading task in the exam.

1. Common Genres in English Reading Tests​

a. Short Stories or Dialogues​

  • Features: Short narrative passages, conversations between two or more people, daily life scenarios.
  • Typical questions:
    • What is the main idea of the story?
    • Who are the characters in the dialogue?
    • What did the main character do after school?

b. Informational Texts​

  • Features: Factual passages, including short articles, notices, or descriptions about a place, animal, event, or rule.
  • Typical questions:
    • What is the text mainly about?
    • Name two things mentioned in the text.
    • What is the rule described in the notice?

c. Emails, Letters, or Notes​

  • Features: Personal emails, letters to friends/teachers, reminders, or invitations.
  • Typical questions:
    • Who sent the email?
    • What is the invitation for?
    • When will the event happen?

d. Descriptions and Advertisements​

  • Features: Descriptions of people, places, objects, or advertisements for products, events, clubs, etc.
  • Typical questions:
    • Who is being described?
    • What is special about the place in the text?
    • What does the ad invite you to do?

2. Key Reading Skills to Practice​

a. Skimming for Main Ideas​

  • Read quickly to understand the overall meaning or purpose of the text.
  • Practice: Read the first and last sentences to get the topic.

b. Scanning for Specific Information​

  • Find exact facts, names, numbers, or details without reading every word.
  • Practice: Locate the answer by looking for keywords from the question.

c. Understanding Context and Inference​

  • Guess the meaning of unknown words from context.
  • Understand what is implied even if it is not stated directly.
  • Practice: Read around the unknown word for clues.

d. Identifying True/False Information​

  • Decide if statements are true, false, or not given, based on the text.

e. Paraphrasing and Restating​

  • Rewrite information from the passage using your own words.
  • Practice: Say the answer differently, using simple sentences.

3. Tips for Effective English Reading Practice​

  • Read the questions first to know what information you need.
  • Underline keywords in both the questions and the text.
  • Don't worry if you don't understand every word—focus on the main ideas.
  • Practice both short answers and full-sentence responses.
  • Try timing yourself to improve speed and concentration.

4. Sample Question Types​

Example 1:
Read the passage and answer the questions.
"Anna goes to school by bus every day. She likes studying English and playing badminton with her friends."

  1. How does Anna go to school?
  2. What sport does Anna play with her friends?

Example 2:
Read the email and choose True or False.
"Hi Minh,
Are you free this Saturday? Would you like to come to my birthday party at 3 pm?"

  • The party is on Saturday. (True/False)
  • The party starts at 4 pm. (True/False)