Read in Daily Life on the New TOEFL iBT® Test (2026): Text Types, Questions, and Tips
The everyday texts in Read in Daily Life on the 2026 TOEFL iBT® test, the questions they come with, how to answer them quickly, and a sample set with answers.
Updated October 28, 2026. Facts checked against ETS's official pages.
In short
- Read in Daily Life gives you a short everyday text, such as a notice, an email, a menu, or a chain of text messages, followed by two or three multiple-choice questions.
- Texts run from about 15 to 150 words. Longer texts get three questions, shorter ones two.
- The questions check the purpose of the text, its details, what it implies, and informal language such as idioms and the clipped style of signs and messages.
- In ETS's design, module 1 has five scored Daily Life questions and the easier module 2 has five more. These are some of the most reliable points in the section, so they're worth getting fast and right.
What the task looks like
| Read in Daily Life | |
|---|---|
| Directions | Name the text type, for example "Read a notice." or "Read an email." |
| Text | About 15–150 words, on screen the whole time you answer |
| Questions | Two or three per text, four options each |
| Scored items | 5 in module 1, 5 in the easier module 2, none in the harder module 2 |
| Scoring | 1 point per correct answer, scored automatically |
From ETS's Test Overview and Technical Manual (Table 1). ETS's paper practice tests put Daily Life sets in both modules; they note that they aren't an exact copy of the real test.
The kinds of text
ETS lists advertisements, news articles, forms, invoices, receipts, posters, signs and notices, menus, social media posts and web pages, schedules, emails, and chains of text messages. Many aren't paragraphs at all: a schedule or a receipt is read by scanning, not from top to bottom.
What the questions ask
- The main purpose: why the text was written, or what it's mainly about
- A detail: a time, a place, a price, what to bring, or how to do something
- An inference: what is suggested, or what will most likely happen next
- NOT questions: which option is not mentioned or not true
- Informal language: what a writer means by a short line or an idiom, often in text messages
ETS describes the skills: understanding non-linear formats, the main purpose, informal and idiomatic language, inferences, "telegraphic" language, and skimming and scanning. The question kinds above are what ETS's practice tests ask.
Sample set 1: a notice (two questions)
Our own text and questions, written in the style of the task.
Read a notice.
Campus Recreation Center: Main Pool Closed March 3–9
The main pool will be closed for tile repairs. During the closure, lap swimming moves to the training pool, which will open at 6 a.m. instead of 7 a.m. Swim classes scheduled for that week will be made up in April. Questions? Ask at the front desk.
1. Why will the main pool be closed?
(A) For a swimming competition(B) For repairs(C) Because few people use it(D) For a public holiday
2. What is suggested about the training pool?
(A) It usually opens at 7 a.m.(B) It is larger than the main pool.(C) It will close in April.(D) It is only for swim classes.
Answers
1. (B). "Tile repairs" is the reason, reworded as "repairs": a detail question usually paraphrases the text.
2. (A). It opens at 6 "instead of 7" during the closure, so 7 a.m. must be its normal time. Nothing in the notice supports the other options.
Sample set 2: text messages (three questions)
Read a text message chain.
Maya (4:12 p.m.): Still up for the study group tonight?
Leo (4:15 p.m.): Yes, but can we push it to 8? My shift got extended.
Maya (4:16 p.m.): Sure. Our library room is only booked till 7, though.
Leo (4:18 p.m.): Let's do the café on Elm Street then. It's open late.
Maya (4:19 p.m.): Works for me. I'll tell the others. Bring your notes from Tuesday, we're doing chapter 6.
Leo (4:20 p.m.): Will do. You're a lifesaver.
1. Why does Leo want to change the plan?
(A) He has to work longer.(B) He forgot his notes.(C) The café closes early.(D) He is sick.
2. Why do they decide to meet at the café?
(A) It is closer to Leo's work.(B) Their room reservation ends before the new time.(C) The library is too noisy.(D) The other students prefer it.
3. What does Leo mean when he writes, "You're a lifesaver"?
(A) He is thanking Maya for her help.(B) Maya once saved him from danger.(C) Maya works as a lifeguard.(D) He is worried about the meeting.
Answers
1. (A). "My shift got extended" means he has to keep working.
2. (B). The room is "only booked till 7" and they now meet at 8. The café being "open late" is why it works.
3. (A). An idiom question: "lifesaver" here means someone who helped a lot.
How to answer quickly
- Use the directions. "Read a notice" already tells you the purpose is probably to announce a change or a rule. An email has a writer, a reader, and a reason; find all three.
- Skim, then scan. ETS's own Reading lesson plans teach this: skim the title and the first and last lines for the main idea, then scan for capital letters (names, places), numbers (dates, times, prices), and the key word of each question.
- Expect paraphrase. The right answer rarely repeats the text word for word. "Tile repairs" becomes "repairs"; "my shift got extended" becomes "has to work longer".
- For inference, choose what must be true. If an option could be true but the text doesn't support it, it's wrong.
- Read NOT questions twice. Check each option against the text and cross out the three that are mentioned.
- Keep moving. ETS sets no time per task, only per module. A pace we suggest is about a minute per Daily Life question, so the academic passage later in the module gets the time it needs.
How to practice
- Read real everyday English. University websites, café menus, event posters, and group chats in English are exactly the kind of text this task uses. Ask yourself the purpose of each one.
- Collect informal phrases. Note idioms and short forms ("push it to 8", "works for me", "till") as you meet them in messages and posts.
- Work through ETS's sets. The practice test PDFs on ETS's Preparing Students page each have two Daily Life sets per module, with answer keys.
- Take a full section under time. The difficulty here is speed and accuracy together, which only shows up in a timed section. MockPrep's Reading section has Daily Life sets in adaptive modules like the real test, scored on the 1–6 scale right after you finish.
The other Reading task types are in Complete the Words and Read an Academic Passage.
Try the new format, free
Take a full mock test of the new TOEFL iBT® test, with every section scored on the 1–6 scale minutes after you finish.
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Sources
- ETS: Reading Section
- ETS: Updated TOEFL iBT Test Overview (PDF)
- ETS: TOEFL iBT Technical Manual (Research Report RR-25-12)
- ETS: TOEFL iBT Test 2026 Update, Test Blueprint and Specifications (PDF)
- ETS: Reading Lesson Plans (PDF)
- ETS: Preparing Students (practice tests, audio, and lesson plans)
MockPrep is an independent practice platform, not affiliated with ETS.