ESL Reading Comprehension Worksheet Generator

Example ready: change it or print it as it is.

Teacher guide ↓

Teaching Guide: English Reading for Learners from Pre-A1 to B1

Reading in English as a foreign language starts with the short, real texts learners meet every day: a sign at the station, a message from a friend, a concert poster, a magazine article or a story. This free generator creates A4 worksheets with original texts levelled by the Common European Framework (CEFR), from Pre-A1 to B1, in the formats of the Cambridge English reading papers (Starters, Movers, Flyers, A2 Key and B1 Preliminary) and the PISA 2025 Foreign Language Assessment. Texts, questions and instructions are in English, and every worksheet comes with an answer key.

ESL Reading Comprehension Worksheet Generator: sample printable A4 worksheet, first page of the student sheet Student worksheet
ESL Reading Comprehension Worksheet Generator: sample answer key of the same worksheet, first page Answer key
Sample made with LearnKits. Every worksheet is new: choose the topic, level and amount and print it for free.

80 original texts

Five text types (signs and notices, messages and emails, adverts and posters, short articles, stories and diaries) and four texts of each type per level, written for LearnKits.

Levelled by the CEFR

Pre-A1 (ages 8-10), A1 (10-12), A2 (12-14) and B1 (14-16), with the grammar and vocabulary of each level and larger print for younger learners.

Exam-style questions

Multiple choice, true or false, matching signs, people and adverts, completing notes with words from the text and short answers, as in the official exams.

Signs, messages and adverts

Everyday texts drawn as signs, notes, text messages, emails and posters, with no outside pictures, so they print cleanly in black and white.

Shuffled options

Every worksheet shuffles the order of the options, the signs and the adverts, so the right answer is not always the same letter.

Answer key

The right letter or word for every question and a model answer for short answers, so marking takes minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions about ESL Reading

Which levels and ages are these texts for?
Four CEFR levels: Pre-A1 (ages 8-10), A1 (10-12), A2 (12-14) and B1 (14-16). The ages are a guide: choose the level of your learners’ English, not their age.
Do they help prepare for Cambridge English exams?
Yes. The text and question types follow the reading parts of Starters, Movers and Flyers, A2 Key and B1 Preliminary: what a notice says, the right advert for each person, completing notes and multiple-choice questions about an article or a story. The texts are original practice material, not official exam papers.
What is the PISA Foreign Language Assessment?
In 2025 PISA assessed a foreign language, English, for the first time, with short real-life texts graded by the CEFR. These worksheets practise the same kinds of everyday texts: signs, messages, adverts and short articles.
How should I use the readings in class?
Before reading, look at the title and the type of text and guess what it is about. Read it once all the way through without a dictionary, then look for the answers. Ask learners to underline the sentence where they found each answer.
What else can I use for English?
For young learners’ vocabulary there is the English Picture Vocabulary Worksheet Generator, and for grammar the English Verb Tenses Worksheet Generator and the English Irregular Verbs Worksheet Generator. For reading in a first language, try the Reading Comprehension Worksheet Generator.
Do the readings repeat?
Each text type has four texts per level. No text appears twice within one exercise, and selecting it on the sheet and clicking “New” picks others and shuffles the order of the options.
How do I print only the answer key?
Click Print and choose “Answer key”, or “Worksheet and answer key” for both. Your browser’s print dialog can also save it as a PDF.
Is any student data sent to a server?
No. Worksheets are created in your browser and no student data is stored. Templates are kept in your browser’s memory.