Is this reading text good for beginners?

Yes. This A1 reading uses very short sentences, the present simple tense, and high-frequency words like 'plane', 'airport', and 'work'. It is ideal for absolute beginners who want easy English reading practice with comprehension questions and clear answers.

What vocabulary does this A1 pilot story teach?

It teaches simple everyday and travel words in context — pilot, airport, weather, plane, take off, land, and passenger. Beginners meet each word inside a short, natural story instead of memorising an isolated list, which makes the new vocabulary easier to remember.

How can I practise A1 reading comprehension?

Read the short passage once for the general idea, then read it again slowly. Answer the six multiple-choice questions and check the explanations. Each answer tells you which sentence proves it, so you learn to find information in an English text.

What is the main idea of this A1 reading passage?

The passage follows Captain Mara through one working day, from waking at five o'clock to landing in Rome at nine o'clock. It shows that a pilot's job is interesting but involves early starts, careful checks, and real responsibility for many passengers.

Which English skills do these comprehension questions practise?

They practise reading for specific details — times, places, and numbers — and simple inference about how the pilot feels. Each answer explanation points to the exact sentence that proves it, training beginners to locate information inside an English text.

A Day in the Life of a Pilot (A1 English Reading)

Read the passage and choose the best answer for each question.

A Day in the Life of a Pilot: A1 Reading — with Answers

0:000:00

It is five o'clock in the morning. Most people are asleep, but Captain Mara is awake. Today she flies a plane from London to Rome.

Mara arrives at the airport early. First, she checks the weather. Then she talks to her team. The plane carries 180 people, so safety is very important.

At seven o'clock, the plane takes off. Mara watches the sky and the computers. The flight is two hours long. She drinks coffee and talks to the other pilot.

The plane lands in Rome at nine o'clock. The passengers say thank you. Mara smiles. She loves her job, but it is not easy. She works hard every day.

What time does Captain Mara wake up?

About this reading

This A1 English reading text follows Captain Mara, an airline pilot, through one full working day — from waking at five o'clock in the morning to landing her plane in Rome. It is written for beginners, using short sentences, the present simple tense, and common everyday vocabulary such as airport, plane, weather and passenger.

As you read, you practise two key skills: finding specific details such as times, places and numbers, and making simple inferences about how a person feels. After the text, six multiple-choice comprehension questions check your understanding, and every answer includes a clear explanation that points to the exact sentence in the passage where the answer is found.

Reading Comprehension Questions & Answers

All A1 reading questions for “A Day in the Life of a Pilot: A1 Reading — with Answers”, each with the correct answer and a short explanation. Read the passage above, try the interactive exercises, then check your answers here.

Exercise 1: Reading Comprehension

1. What time does Captain Mara wake up?
- A. At five o'clock ✓
- B. At seven o'clock
- C. At nine o'clock
- D. At six o'clock
Answer: At five o'clock
Correct. Paragraph 1 says 'It is five o'clock in the morning' and Captain Mara 'is awake'. Seven o'clock is when the plane takes off, and nine o'clock is when it lands — neither is when she wakes up.
2. Where does Mara fly today?
- A. From Rome to London
- B. From London to Rome ✓
- C. From London to Paris
- D. From Paris to Rome
Answer: From London to Rome
Correct. Paragraph 1 says she 'flies a plane from London to Rome'. The other options reverse the two cities or add Paris, which the passage never mentions.
3. What does Mara do first at the airport?
- A. She talks to her team
- B. She drinks coffee
- C. She checks the weather ✓
- D. She watches the computers
Answer: She checks the weather
Correct. Paragraph 2 says 'First, she checks the weather. Then she talks to her team.' Checking the weather happens before she talks to her team, so it is the first thing she does.
4. How many people are on the plane?
- A. 118 people
- B. 80 people
- C. 200 people
- D. 180 people ✓
Answer: 180 people
Correct. Paragraph 2 says 'The plane carries 180 people'. The passage uses this number to explain why safety is so important on the flight; 118 is a similar-looking distractor.
5. How long is the flight?
- A. Two hours ✓
- B. Five hours
- C. One hour
- D. Nine hours
Answer: Two hours
Correct. Paragraph 3 says 'The flight is two hours long.' This matches the times in the story: the plane takes off at seven o'clock and lands at nine o'clock, which is two hours later.
6. How does Mara feel about her job?
- A. She thinks it is boring
- B. She loves it but it is hard ✓
- C. She wants a new job
- D. She finds it easy
Answer: She loves it but it is hard
Correct. Paragraph 4 says 'She loves her job, but it is not easy. She works hard every day.' So she enjoys it even though it is difficult — the text never says it is easy or that she wants a different job.

A Day in the Life of a Pilot: A1 Reading — with Answers

What time does Captain Mara wake up?

Keep practising

A Day in the Life of an Airline Pilot: A1 Reading Practice

An Email to a Friend (A1 Reading)

New Year Around the World (A1 Reading)

A / An and Plurals - A1 Grammar

About this reading

More A1 English Practice

A, An, The, No Article: Using Articles in English - A1 Grammar

A, Some, Any: Countable and Uncountable Nouns - A1 Grammar

Reading Comprehension Questions & Answers

Exercise 1: Reading Comprehension

Adjectives: old, interesting, expensive, etc. - A1 Grammar

Adverbs of Frequency - A1 Grammar

Adverbs of Manner - A1 Grammar

Can / Can't: Ability, Possibility, Permission - A1 Grammar