Read @ Surrey is series of web information pages for advanced learners, which gives practice in the skill of reading. It is specially designed for students of GCE AS level, but the texts and exercises may be used at higher or lower levels, depending on the ability of the learner.

This series is currently available in the following languages:

• French – compiled by Juliet Jackson
• German – compiled by Birgit Linton
• Spanish – compiled by Leila Farage

Many of the texts included in Read @ Surrey are shorter than those traditionally used at GCE A level. They are grouped under topic headings, which have been chosen to reflect those topics habitually studied during the first year (AS) of the two-year A-level course. Some texts are short press reports which do not lend themselves readily to categorisation. Most of the texts have a strong narrative or descriptive tendency, and deal with everyday issues. They are taken from sources such as magazines, newspapers and the Internet.

The texts are aimed at students who are working towards the standard of reading comprehension required at A level, but who still have a great deal to learn in terms of knowledge, understanding and technique. Some more challenging texts are also included in order to cater for those learners who are ready for more complex language and who have developed a high level of reading skill early in the course.

A wide variety of exercises has been devised in order test reading comprehension. Most of the principal types of task found in public examinations are used, such as:

• true /false
• multiple choice
• information-gap
• synonym search
• definitions
• matching
• sequencing
• questions and answers in the target language

The texts are not graded but within each topic we have attempted, where possible, to place the more accessible texts near the beginning of the topic section and the least accessible ones near the end. We recommend strongly that students attempt the shorter texts first in order to gain confidence in preparation for more complex reading material later in the course.