Need to Read

Need to Read is a 3-level self-study course designed for learners who need to improve their reading skills, increase reading speed and expand their vocabulary. It offers topical reading lessons sourced from international business and financial news.

Level: CEFR B1 – C1 | TOEIC® 350 – 900*

Number of Lessons: 800+ (Digital)

Lesson Duration: Approx. 30 mins

Key Content:
Banking, Finance, Economy, Innovation, the Environment, Media, Science, People, Education, Technology, Management, Employment, Politics/Government, Society

Additional features:
User discussion and rating forum; printable lessons

Need to Read is available for use on a PC, laptop or 9.6”+ tablet via a browser. *TOEIC® is a registered trademark of the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Need to Read is not endorsed or approved by ETS.

About Need to Read

Need to Read can be used flexibly as a stand-alone course, or as a homework supplement for students who need to improve their reading skills in business contexts. Those who are willing to study 2-3 hours a week over several months will see a significant improvement in their reading fluency and speed and will develop the confidence to express their ideas and opinions about what they have read.

Building Reading Fluency

At the start of Need to Read, students complete a short, adaptive diagnostic test to ensure that subsequent lessons are presented at the right level.

Each lesson begins with a warm-up activity to help introduce the topic and orientate the learner. This is followed by a focused reading exercise to practice both reading for gist and specific information. Students are then invited to reflect and comment on the content of each article and share their ideas in the Need to Read forum.

The Skills Training section offers further practice with new phrases and words in context and teaches students how particular phrases can be used to express ideas and opinion. A Word Bank is also included to provide support with new words and a review of key business concepts.

A final feedback section allows students to comment on the content of the lesson and rate how much they enjoyed it.

Need to Read features:

800+ lessons across B1 – C1 level.
Articles that cover a wide range of topics within business and finance.
Structured practice to help learners read more fluently and expand their vocabulary
An ability to share opinions with others in the Need to Read community, and to rate each lesson
Printable lesson content including results, commentary and a Word Bank.
An end-of-course test to measure progress.

Lesson Flow

Lessons follow a systematic cycle of introducing a topic, practicing macro and micro reading skills, stating opinion, and focusing on new vocabulary and usage. The material is broken down into short modules so that students can begin a lesson, take a break and simply pick up where they left off.

Students are encouraged to choose topics and articles at the right level that interest them.

A short introductory reading helps orientate the student to the topic and prepare for further reading practice.

Students practice reading for specific information and facts in the main lesson article.

Learners can express their ideas and opinions about the article’s content in the Comment section of the lesson.

Skills Training sections help students focus on useful words often used with the topic to help them to identify a writer’s opinion.