Need to Read

Need to Read is a three-level self-study course designed for learners who want to improve reading skills, increase reading speed, and expand their vocabulary. Each themed text is sourced from international business and finance news.

Need to Read can be used flexibly as a standalone course or as supplemental homework to strengthen reading in business contexts.

Learners who study 2–3 hours per week over several months will see significant gains in reading speed and fluency, and build confidence expressing opinions on what they have read.

Building fluent reading

At the start of Need to Read, learners complete a short placement check to ensure subsequent lessons match their level.

Each lesson begins with a warm-up to introduce the topic and set a purpose for reading, followed by a focused reading task that practices both reading for gist and reading for specific information. Learners are then invited to reflect on the text and share their views in the Need to Read forum.

The Skills Training section provides practice with new vocabulary and phrases in context and guides learners on how to use them to express opinions. A vocabulary bank supports learning new items and revisiting key business concepts.

An end-of-lesson rating allows learners to evaluate the content and indicate how much they enjoyed the lesson.

Need to Read provides:

• 800+ lessons at B1 – C1 level.
• Readings that cover a broad range of business and finance topics.
• Structured practice to build reading fluency and expand vocabulary.
• Opportunities to share opinions with others in the Need to Read community and rate each lesson.
• Print-ready lesson content including results, notes, and vocabulary bank.
• A final progress test to evaluate learning outcomes.