During devolatilisation, physical behaviour of coals was investigated in horizontal electrically heated furnace with an inert gas atmosphere, and gasification rates of four coal chars and coke were measured thermogravimetrically in a carbon dioxide atmosphere at temperatures in the range 1100oC - 1500oC. The volume change of chars was also measured in horizontal electrically heated furnace at various temperatures. Both reactivity and the activation energy for the gasification of coal chars were found to be strongly influenced by pore structure and the carbonisation conditions employed during preparation. CO2 reactivity of chars increases with increasing reaction temperature, and particularly increases more rapidly over 1300C. CO2 reactivity of coke is lower than that of non-coking coal chars in the range of 1100C to 1500C. CO2 reactivity of chars with smaller pore area and bigger pore diameter is less than that of chars with bigger pore area and smaller pore diameter. During gasification, the volume of chars did not change significantly at the lower temperatures of 1100C and 1200C, but at the high temperatures, 1300C to 1500C, the volume of chars quickly decreased due to ash softening and melting. The CO2 reactivities of the chars are controlled by the mixed control of chemical reaction and pore diffusion in the temperature range 1100C to 1300C, and by bulk diffusion in the temperature range 1400C to 1500C.