When reading a lot is not enough for school tests...

My son has always loved books.

I started reading to him when he was just a few months old. Every night, we curled up with stories—sometimes the same one over and over again. He carried books around like favourite toys. By the time he started school, he was reading independently, borrowing novels from the library, and writing his own comics filled with adventure and humour.

His love for reading was pure and constant. It came from within. He reads every single day. He doesn’t always talk about what he’s reading, but if you ask—he knows. He can tell you what’s happening, who the characters are, and how the story might end. Quietly and confidently.

As a parent—and as someone who works in education—I thought this passion would naturally translate into strong results at school. But then came the quiet surprise.

His English results came back at an average level for reading and writing. Sometimes even grouped into 'behind'. Not extremely alarming. But not what I expected. How could a child who lives in books and creates stories of his own not be showing more?

And just like that, a puzzle began to form in my mind—and in my heart.

• Was he simply not showing what he knew?

• Was he unsure?

• Was he shy in the classroom?

• Was he not confident speaking up, or not yet ready to express things in the way schools expect?

• Could it be something deeper—like anxiety, or even selective mutism?

• Is the gap about comprehension, or about how we measure comprehension?

I’ve asked these questions over and over. I’ve spoken with teachers, literacy experts, and academic colleagues. And the most common advice I receive is still the same:

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“Ask him more questions after reading.”

“Get him to read more widely.”

“Have rich conversations about books.”

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These are sensible suggestions. All great and familar.

But they also assume that reading widely is the key to academic performance. And the truth is—it isn’t always.

I know children who don’t read very much, but who can perform extremely well in standardised tests and classroom tasks. They may write fluently, or respond confidently to comprehension questions, despite reading far less than my son. This made me realise something important:

Reading a lot—even widely—is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

For some children, reading opens up the world internally—it fuels their creativity, imagination, and emotional understanding. But they may still struggle to demonstrate that externally, especially in formal, structured academic formats.

For others, school tasks come easily, regardless of how much they read. They might have stronger working memory, better test-taking skills, or simply a personality that aligns more naturally with classroom expectations.

The more I reflected, the more I realised this wasn’t about ability. It was about expression—and how narrow our definitions of success can be.

So no, I don’t want to send him somewhere that will hand him more comprehension worksheets. He doesn’t need more of the same. He needs someone who will stop, look closely, and ask:

🕹️ What’s really going on here?

Takeaway: Understanding Before Solving

If you're reading this and carrying a quiet puzzle of your own—about your child, their learning, or their performance—please know you're not alone.

Sometimes our kids are doing the deep work of learning in ways that don't show up in a test. Sometimes they're thinking more than they're able—or ready—to express. And sometimes, what looks like a performance issue is really just a missing connection between how they learn and how they’re being assessed.

Before rushing to more lessons or more drills, we need to ask better questions. We need professional, thoughtful support that begins with understanding, not output.

Because real learning isn't about doing more. It's about connecting the dots, meaningfully and humanely.

That’s what learning should be.

What is your biggest puzzle about school and learning, feel free to contact us. We may have similar experience, if we don't know the answer, we will find out with you and for you.

Written by Dr Xiaoxia Wang, PhD in Education, a trained school teacher and now higher education academic and professional, a mother of two.