STUDENTS’ABILITY IN READING DESCRIPTIVE TEXT AT GRADE 8 OF SMP GAJAH MADA MEDAN

The purpose of the study was to analyze the students‘ ability in reading descriptive text at grade 8 of SMP Gajah Mada Medan. The study was conducted using a descriptive quantitative method. The subject of this study was class VIII-1 consisting of 30 students. The data were collected through a multiple-choice reading comprehension test consisting of 20 questions based on descriptive texts.
The results of the study showed that the students‘ ability in reading descriptive text was categorized as good,‖ with a mean score of 76.3. The students demonstrated good ability in identifying general information and specific
information but showed lower ability in identifying inference and reference. The findings also revealed that 12 students (40%) were in the excellent‖ category, 10
students (33.3%) in the good‖ category, 6 students (20%) in fair,‖ and 2 students (6.7%) in the poor‖ category. Based on the results, it is suggested that teachers continue to enhance students‘ reading comprehension by focusing more on inference and reference understanding. The level of descriptive text reading ability of grade VIII students of SMP Gajah Mada Medan varies, some are very good, good, and sufficient. Some students can understand descriptive text well, identify details and make conclusions, while others still need help to improve their reading skills.