In short
- According to the Extensive Reading Foundation's website, MReader offers quizzes on more than 4,000 graded readers, free to any recognised educational institution.
- Robb and Kano (2013) found that a quiz module of this kind helped a Japanese university run extensive reading for more than 2,000 students.
- A quiz system leaves the books to the school: buying, levelling, lending and replacing them.
- An alternative with its own library makes sense when a school is short of levelled books, or of the staff time to manage them.
MReader is a quiz system made for extensive reading programs. It is free for schools, and research supports the way it works. So the question is not whether MReader is good. It is whether a quiz system fits your school's gap. This article is published by iRead, which sells a reading platform that competes with MReader. Facts about MReader come from the Extensive Reading Foundation's website as checked in October 2026. Check current details with the Foundation and with any other vendor.
When does a school need an MReader alternative?
A school needs an alternative with its own library when it does not have enough graded readers at each level, or cannot manage them. A quiz system checks reading. It does not supply the books. If your library is well stocked and labelled by level, MReader may be all you need.
Three signs that the gap is the books, not the check:
- Pupils at one level finish everything on the shelf before the term ends.
- Books go missing faster than the school can replace them.
- Pupils who read at home or learn online cannot reach the printed books.
If none of these is true, keep the system you have and look at other parts of the program first. The time set aside for reading, for example, may matter more than any new tool. If you are still deciding which kind of tool you need, Best English Reading Platforms for ESL Schools compares the main kinds.
What MReader is, according to the Extensive Reading Foundation
According to the Extensive Reading Foundation's website, as checked in October 2026, the Foundation hosts MReader. Students take quizzes there on more than 4,000 graded readers and youth readers commonly used for extensive reading.
Each quiz has 20 or more items, and each student receives a random selection of 10 questions. Teachers can set a term-end word count goal. Each student has a personal page showing the covers of books read, their current word count and a progress bar. A Moodle plug-in version is also available.
The site is free of charge to any recognised educational institution. When a school asks for access, the Foundation asks how many graded readers or other easy readers it has available. The page describes quizzes, not books, so the school supplies the reading.
The Foundation is frank about the tool's place. Its website says MReader is not a substitute for a conscientious teacher with small classes who tracks each pupil's reading personally. It adds that the tool allows extensive reading in situations where it would otherwise be impractical.
What a quiz system does well: the evidence
Robb and Kano (2013) give the clearest picture of what a quiz system can do. They studied MoodleReader, a quiz add-on for the Moodle course system developed by Robb, at Kyoto Sangyo University in Japan. It let students take short, timed quizzes with randomised questions on their graded readers.
In the 2009 school year, more than 2,000 first-year students who were not English majors had to read graded readers outside class. Their reading scores were compared with the 2008 cohort, which had followed the same curriculum without extensive reading. Students in every faculty showed a significant gain on the reading section.
The authors name four reasons for the program's success:
- The administration required extensive reading across the whole General English curriculum.
- The quiz module relieved teachers of checking that students had done the reading.
- Grades for reading were handled centrally and sent to each teacher.
- The university library bought the graded readers and labelled them by level with colour codes.
Notice the fourth reason. The quizzes worked partly because the library did the book work. The results also came with limits. These were university students, and only about 70% of them took a quiz on even one book, against a requirement of five.
What a quiz system leaves to the school
With a quiz system, the school owns the reading material and all the work around it. Day and Bamford (2002) set out what that material should be. It must be easy for the reader. There should be a wide variety on a range of topics, and learners should choose what they read.
They also suggest a book a week as probably the minimum for gaining the benefits of extensive reading and building a habit. Together, those principles mean many titles at every level, not one class set. The book work a school takes on looks like this:
- Buying enough titles at each level for a book a week, with room for choice.
- Levelling and labelling the books, so pupils can find the right shelf.
- Lending and recovering books, and replacing the ones that go missing.
- Access for pupils who read at home or learn online.
Worked example (invented for illustration)
A coordinator counts her library before the new year. She finds 140 graded readers at A1 and A2, but only 25 at B1. Forty pupils will read at B1, at a book a week. With 25 books, not every pupil can have one even in the first week, and choice is out of the question. Her gap is books at B1, so she looks at options that supply texts at that level.
None of this is a flaw in MReader. It is the shape of the job. A school with a well-stocked library and a librarian already has most of it covered. How to Start an Extensive Reading Program in Your School covers the library side of a new program.
What to look for in an alternative with its own library
If the books are the gap, look for a platform that supplies levelled texts and keeps the check light. Compare it with your current set-up on the same criteria.
| Criterion | Quiz system plus school library | Platform with its own library | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texts | Bought and managed by the school | Supplied with the platform | The number of texts at each level you teach |
| Level of texts | Set by the publishers of the books you buy | Set by the platform | A sample page your pupils can read |
| Check after reading | A short online quiz | Varies by platform | Time taken, compared with time spent reading |
| Records | Books read and word counts | Varies by platform | What a teacher and a leader can see by class |
| Cost | MReader is free to recognised institutions; the books are not | Ask the vendor | Total cost, including staff time |
| Reading away from school | Depends on lending printed books | Ask whether texts can be read at home | Access for every pupil |
Check the level of the alternative's texts first. Hu and Nation (2000) studied 66 university students and concluded that reading for pleasure needs about 98% of the words to be known. A large library is no help if its texts are too hard. What Are Graded Readers? explains how texts for learners are kept within reach.
Then keep the check in proportion. Day and Bamford (2002) note that extensive reading is not usually followed by comprehension questions, because reading is its own reward. A check that confirms the reading happened is enough. How Many Questions Should a Reading Quiz Have? looks at quiz length.
Finally, count the full cost. A free quiz system with a paid library may cost more or less than a platform licence. What Should a School Reading Program Cost? A Budgeting Guide shows how to count staff hours as well as invoices.
Can you keep MReader and add a library?
Yes, and for some schools it is the best answer. MReader's quizzes cover more than 4,000 published graded readers and youth readers, so many printed books in your library can stay in use. A platform with its own texts can fill the levels where the shelves are thin.
Keep the record simple, though. Two systems mean two places to look for who read what. Decide which record the class teacher uses, and which numbers go to leaders each term.
Wherever the texts come from, fix the time for reading. Jeon and Day (2016) combined 49 studies and found that extensive reading run as part of the curriculum showed the highest mean effect of the types they compared. The effect was higher for adults than for children and adolescents, so treat this as a direction, not a promise.
How iRead handles this
iRead is a paid platform with no free tier, so it is a different kind of tool from MReader. Its global packs are ready to teach: levelled stories, word lists, four word games and quizzes ship together, from A1 to C2. A quiz runs after every session, with questions generated from the story itself. Schools can also build school packs from their own books. A school can run a free pilot with one class for 4 to 6 weeks before any school-wide decision.
The core principle: A quiz system checks reading; it does not supply it. Choose an alternative only when the books, not the checking, are what your school lacks.
See it in iRead: iRead's global packs ship levelled stories, word lists, four word games and quizzes together, from A1 to C2. Schools can ask for a free pilot with one class.
See the iRead programKey takeaway
MReader is a strong, free answer to the question of whether pupils read their books. If your real problem is having enough levelled books, look for a library, and keep the check light.
Frequently asked questions
Is MReader free?
According to the Extensive Reading Foundation's website, as checked in October 2026, MReader is free of charge to any recognised educational institution. The school still needs its own graded readers, which cost money to buy, label, lend and replace.
Does MReader supply the books?
The Extensive Reading Foundation's page describes quizzes on more than 4,000 graded readers and youth readers, not the books themselves. When a school asks for access, it is asked how many graded readers it has available. Plan the library before you plan the quizzes.
Do online reading quizzes improve reading?
Robb and Kano (2013) did not test quizzes on their own. They found reading gains when a whole university cohort had to read graded readers, with a quiz module holding students accountable. The quizzes made the reading requirement workable for teachers.
When is a quiz system all a school needs?
When the school already has many graded readers at each level, labelled and easy to borrow, and wants a light way to check the reading. In that case a free quiz system may meet the need, and the money can go on more books.
How many books does a quiz-based program need?
Enough for a book a week at every level, with choice. Day and Bamford (2002) suggest a book a week as probably the minimum, and argue that learners should choose what they read. That means many titles at each level, not one class set.
Sources
- Extensive Reading Foundation (n.d.). MReader Quizzes. Extensive Reading Foundation website (checked October 2026). erfoundation.org/wordpress/graded-readers/mreader/
- Robb, T., & Kano, M. (2013). Effective extensive reading outside the classroom: A large-scale experiment. Reading in a Foreign Language, 25(2), 234-247. doi.org/10.64152/10125/66870
- Day, R. R., & Bamford, J. (2002). Top ten principles for teaching extensive reading. Reading in a Foreign Language, 14(2), 136-141. doi.org/10.64152/10125/66761
- Hu, M. H.-C., & Nation, P. (2000). Unknown vocabulary density and reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 13(1), 403-430. doi.org/10.64152/10125/66973
- Jeon, E.-Y., & Day, R. R. (2016). The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis. Reading in a Foreign Language, 28(2), 246-265. doi.org/10.64152/10125/66901