Developing Reading Comprehension Skills among B1-Level EFL Students through Task-Based Language Teaching

Reading comprehension is an essential skill in English language learning because it enables learners to understand, interpret, and use information from written texts. However, B1-level EFL students may experience difficulties in identifying main ideas, locating specific information, understanding unfamiliar vocabulary in context, and interpreting the overall meaning of a text. This article examines the use of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) to develop reading comprehension skills among B1-level learners. Drawing on Willis ʻ s (1996) framework of task-based learning and Nuttallʻ s (1996) principles of teaching reading, the article discusses what reading skills should be taught, who the target learners are, and how reading instruction can be organized through meaningful tasks. The practical component describes a classroom lesson entitled “The Importance of Sleep for University Students ” , conducted with six participants. The lesson included prediction, skimming, scanning, vocabulary-in-context activities, comprehension questions, and a final communicative task in which learners created practical recommendations based on the reading text. All six participants completed the assigned activities. The article demonstrates how reading strategies can be integrated into a task-based lesson in which learners read not only to answer questions but also to obtain information and achieve a meaningful outcome.