Abstarct: The ability to read and comprehend widely used academic tactics is vital to the Iraqi EFL students, but most of them fail to grasp, structure and internalize what they read in complex works because they adopt passive reading styles. In overcoming such a challenge, this paper explores the relative efficacy of two active reading interventions graphic organizers and annotation on academic reading comprehension. The study will identify the strategy that accommodates better results in terms of comprehension and whether the effectiveness depends on the level of English proficiency of learners. The design used was quasi-experimenting whereby there were two intact classes of higher secondary EFL classes that were randomly assigned a group in the graphic organizer strategy and the other group was the annotation strategy group. The participants of the research were subjected to strategy-equipped training in the frxamework of customary reading classes lasting more than eight weeks. The data were measured via pre/post-intervention academic reading comprehension, checklists of strategy use and focus group interviews. The results indicated the statistically significant development in both groups, one technique proved to have a more comprehensive effect overall on the comprehension. The level of engagement and preference were also shown by qualitative data reflecting the learner to find each method easy to use and convenient to apply. The findings have valuable implications towards teachers, curriculum designers and policymakers in the process of selecting and incorporating effective strategies in the EFL reading instruction process in Iraq.