The purpose of the current study was to examine the reading strategies used by Iraqi male and female students considering their general English proficiency level.200 Iraqi EFL high school students (100 male and 100 female) took part in this study. They were between the ages of 15 and 18, and were chosen based on convenience sampling. The data were collected in two days. On day one, all the learners filled out a background survey and took the Oxford Placement Test, the purpose of which was to get students’ personal information and find out their general language proficiency level. On Day 2, the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI) was administered to the students to be completed in 30 minutes. The Participants were told that there was no correct or incorrect answer for MARSI, and their honest and straightforward responses were significant, and confidentiality was maintained. The Pearson correlation and the independent samples t-test were used to analyze the data.The results showed no discernible differences between the males and females in the use of reading strategies, and it was shown that reading strategy awareness helps both males and females at the same level. The findings also showed that there was a substantial difference between students with low and high proficiency level . It was concluded that reading strategy awareness was more beneficial for learners with higher proficiency levels. Finally, the results showed a significant correlation between learners' language proficiency and the usage of reading strategies.The findings have some implications for teachers and practitioners in the Iraqi EFL context.
