ESOL - communications skills for life and work Entry 3 (Reading)

What is the course about?

This course will help you understand what you read, learn new words, increase your vocabulary and range, check and improve your own writing and speech, and practise reading different types of texts.

This course prepares you for the ESOL Skills for Life Entry 3 Reading exam, with the English Speaking Board (ESB). It will boost your skills for work, education, and daily life in the UK.

What will we cover?

You will practise your reading skills at entry level, and if you pass your in-class assessments you will then prepare for a reading exam which takes place a week after the course ends. Each class will focus on a certain topic such as life in the UK, different cultures, work, technology, health, and enjoyment. You will focus on:

• Reading everyday text types including stories, descriptions, articles, messages, signs, instructions, notices, posters, leaflets, letters and emails

• Developing your everyday reading skills, recognising the use of different tenses and how they affect meaning: present continuous, past simple, past continuous, present perfect and future forms

• Understanding text structure including paragraphing, headings, layout and organisational features (e.g. bullet points and lists)

• Developing your vocabulary on a range of topics and reading words correctly

• Reading emails, letters, and messages – formal and informal

• Reading descriptions of people, places, and objects

• Finding information in a text and for a text using skimming and scanning skills

• Reading for gist and detail, understanding the main and supporting ideas in different texts

• Recognising the difference between fact and opinion

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

Read and understand straightforward texts on familiar topics

• Identify the main points and specific details in a variety of written materials

• Use reading strategies such as skimming, scanning, and inference effectively

• Understand the purpose and structure of different text types

• Use clues and reference tools to understand unfamiliar vocabulary

• Demonstrate improved confidence and independence in reading tasks

• Apply reading skills to real-life situations, including work and study situations

• Demonstrate readiness for the ESOL ESB Entry 3 Reading assessment and progress onto ESOL Entry 3 Speaking & Listening

You will also improve your digital skills using:

· Google Classroom

· the internet

· Microsoft Word

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This is an Entry 3 course. This course is ideal for you if you can ask and answer questions about personal information, routines, likes and dislikes using the present simple and past simple tenses. You will need to attend regularly, and complete and pass all in class assignments to your tutor’s satisfaction to be entered for the exam.

IMPORTANT: Please DO NOT travel or take holidays during the course unless it is an emergency. Regular attendance is required to allow you to sit the exam.

The ESB Entry 3 ESOL Reading exam will be on Monday 10th November 2025.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

You will learn in a supportive and welcoming environment with an emphasis on your discovering how to do and complete tasks, with guidance from the tutor. You will learn in a step-by-step manner so you can complete challenging tasks in enjoyable and relaxing ways. You will work in pairs and small groups. Your tutor will work with you individually, so you know how to improve and how to work in a way that improves your learning. You will need to do work outside the classroom and use Google Classroom to help you.

You will need to do homework every week and use Google Classroom.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Please bring:

· a pen

· a lined A4 paper notepad or notebook

· a folder for your work

Your tutor will give you worksheets, other materials and a code to join Google Classroom.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

This course has three parts. You usually complete one part each term.

After this course, you can move on to the Speaking & Listening unit.

There are other courses you can do at the same time or after this one. These include:

· ESOL - Communication skills for life and work - Entry 3 (Speaking & Listening, Writing) ACCREDITED COURSE

· ESOL - Communication skills for life and work - Level 1 (Reading, Speaking & Listening, Writing) ACCREDITED COURSE

· ESOL: Develop your speaking and listening skills (Entry 3-Level 1)

· Communication Skills for Life and Work (ESOL Entry 3 - Level 1) – Online Weekend Course

· Grammar in practice: Intermediate (Entry 3-level 1)

· Conversation Club

· ESOL: Learn English and learn about London, its people and your rights (Entry 3-Level 1)

Your tutor will help you choose the right next course during progression week.

Questions? Contact: universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk or call 0204 582 0423.