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75 pages

Graded stories

Short stories written for your level, with notes in the margin.

All page types 29

Reading & writingGraded storyB2
B2 French reading: when a factory becomes a public venue
Explore a converted factory in a B2 French feature. Compare heritage, public access and running costs with eight glosses, translation and three questions.
Reading & writingGraded storyC1
A French narrator can be mistaken: read the evidence against the voice
Read a French first-person story whose confident memory meets a dated letter, separating a mistaken inference from proof of deliberate lying.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French story: the flat has a view of a wall, not the park
Read an A2 French viewing story where a cropped photo suggests a park view. Compare the advert’s actual words, the visible courtyard and the visitor’s final decision.
Reading & writingGraded storyA1
A1 French story: Le chat du voisin, with translation
Read a short A1 French story about a neighbour’s cat visiting a flat. Follow the present-tense action with eight glosses, an English translation and three questions.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French short story: a birthday on the wrong evening
Hugo throws a surprise party for Sophie, but on the wrong date. An A2 story about a misunderstanding with dates, with glosses, translation and questions.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French story: the volunteer remembers the wrong start time
Read an A2 French first-volunteering story in which an old email conflicts with a dated update. Identify the correct arrival time and the confirmation.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French story: the hotel sends the bag to the previous room
Follow an A2 French hotel story in which an old room label sends a bag to the wrong floor. Use six glosses and comprehension questions to track the fix.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French short story: two neighbours swap a recipe
Madame Ferrand, 82, and her young neighbour Inès trade recipes: a tarte aux pommes for a dal. An A2 story with glosses, translation and questions on ingredients and substitutions.
Reading & writingGraded storyB1
B1 French story: a concert without its singer
The singer cannot come, but the concert goes ahead. Read a B1 French story with six glosses, instrument picture cards and questions on roles and reactions.
Reading & writingGraded storyB1
B1 French story: who says je in an old family letter?
Read a French family story with a letter inside it. Track who says je, who lent the scarf and when the journey happened, with glosses and questions.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French story: the viewing shows a room the advert never mentioned
Read an A2 French flat-viewing story where an unmentioned storage room changes a visitor’s decision. Follow the rooms, measurements and explicit qui, que and où references.
Reading & writingGraded storyA1
A1 French story: Inès draws in the park
Read a gentle A1 French story with translation and glosses. Discover what Inès draws, what she writes and where she keeps her pencil.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French reading: a snowball saved in the freezer
Read an A2 French memory story about a dated box found in a freezer. Separate repeated winter games, one unusual decision and the present discovery.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French short story: a surprise on the balcony at dawn
Léon finds a pigeon nesting in a flowerpot on his balcony. An A2 story in the past tenses about patience and small changes, with glosses and questions.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French reading: a hotel guestbook brings back a promise
Read an A2 French hotel-return story in which an old guestbook note recalls a promise. Follow the earlier stay, current discovery and planned photograph.
Reading & writingGraded storyA1
A1 French short story: the first morning at a new job
Read a short present-tense French story about a first day at work, with tap-to-see glosses, a full translation and three comprehension questions.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
La clé perdue: a short French story for A2 learners (with translation)
A 170-word A2 French story with margin notes, three comprehension questions, an English translation and a note on the past tenses it uses.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French story: a muted chat and a missed update
Read an A2 French digital-life story about a missed rehearsal update. Separate a sent message, a hidden notification and the moment the message is read.
Reading & writingGraded storyB1
B1 French short story: an unexpected retirement party visitor
Read a B1 French retirement party story with eight glosses and translation. Trace the earlier events that explain an unexpected colleague’s visit.
Reading & writingGraded storyC1
A French story told in two family languages
Read a French story about translating a family phrase, with two notebooks, glosses, an English translation and evidence-based comprehension questions.
Reading & writingGraded storyC1
C1 French reading: three accounts of the same workplace incident
Read three C1 French accounts of a meeting incident, with eight glosses and translation. Compare selective detail, responsibility and direct contradictions.
Reading & writingGraded storyB1
B1 French story: a curtain becomes a stage costume
Follow floral cloth from a cupboard to the stage. A B1 French story with textile picture cards, six glosses and questions about what changes and what remains.
Reading & writingGraded storyA1
A1 French reading: an early ferry to the island
A short French reading about catching the morning ferry to Belle-Île: times, tickets and what the traveller forgets. Glosses, translation and questions.
Reading & writingGraded storyA1
A1 French story: the two coats look the same
Read an A1 cloakroom story with eight glosses. Identify two similar black coats using a red or blue button, pocket contents and lining colour.
Reading & writingGraded storyA1
A1 French reading: a visitor arrives one week early
Read an A1 French story about an empty meeting room. Use this week, next week and an exact date to discover why the visitor arrived early.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French reading: a borrowed book contains a seed packet
Read an A2 French story about a seed packet found in a borrowed library book. Use the labelled note to distinguish sender, finder and intended recipient.
Reading & writingGraded storyA1
A1 French reading: a campsite without electricity
An easy French text about a night at a simple campsite: a tent, a torch, a gas stove and no phone signal. Glossed words, translation and questions.
Reading & writingGraded storyB1
B1 French story: the last page changes the reader’s mind
Salim suspects a neighbour until a novel’s final page changes his view. Read a B1 French story with glosses, object picture cards and four comprehension questions.
Reading & writingGraded storyA1
A1 French story: the missing jigsaw piece
Read a short French family story with picture vocabulary and English support. Follow two coloured jigsaw pieces, then check the sequence in four questions.
Reading & writingGraded storyA1
A1 French reading: the passenger brings the map
Read an A1 French day-trip story with three named adults. Track the driver, the passenger with the map and the friend waiting with lunch.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French short story: the couple who swap jobs for a day
Julien, a baker, and Sarah, a primary-school teacher, swap jobs for a charity day. An A2 story with glosses and questions on what went wrong and what they learned.
Reading & writingGraded storyB1
B1 French short story: a town’s last public telephone
Read a B1 French story with eight glosses, English translation and three questions about a public telephone that changes its neighbours’ minds.
Reading & writingGraded storyA1
A1 French reading: the portrait has one surprising detail
Read a short French story about an unexpected detail in a painted portrait. Compare today’s shirt with an older party photo and follow the artist’s agreed change.
Reading & writingGraded storyA1
A1 French reading: the spare room becomes a craft room
Read an A1 French story about turning a spare bedroom into a sewing room. Track furniture kept, moved and given away, then find how a guest can still sleep there.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French story: the cheaper course costs more in travel
Read an A2 French story where the lower course fee leads to a higher total after train tickets. Follow the amounts, the budget and the final choice.
Reading & writingGraded storyA2
A2 French story: a free exhibition and a separately booked workshop
Read an A2 French cultural-outing story where free exhibition entry and a paid workshop have separate conditions. Follow the booking, tickets and arrival times.