Society & Global Issues
A complete two-session B2 lesson built around comparatives and superlatives — the grammar of comparing trends, data, and societies — using global challenges and progress as the theme. Includes a featured interactive reading full of world statistics, audio scripts, answer keys, and a self-grading workbook.
Can-Do Statements
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Discuss social and global issues and compare different societies and trends.
- Use comparatives and superlatives accurately (more crowded, the biggest, far better, the most important).
- Describe change and data with comparison structures (than ever, the …est).
- Use key vocabulary — inequality, poverty, literacy, urbanization, sustainable development, to raise awareness.
- Read and understand an article full of global statistics and answer comprehension questions.
- Write an opinion paragraph about a global issue using comparison.
Vocabulary & Phrases
This vocabulary set is shared across the lesson plan, the workbook flashcards, and the reading article.
Global Issue Words
- inequality · poverty
- discrimination · a refugee
- literacy · urbanization
- sustainable development
- living standards · a charity (NGO)
- to raise awareness · tolerance
Comparing & Arguing
- … is far more … than …
- The biggest problem is…
- … than ever before.
- The more …, the more …
- One of the most …
- not nearly as … as…
The Engine of the Lesson
Comparatives and superlatives — comparing two things, or singling out the most extreme.
1. Forming comparatives & superlatives
Short adjectives add -er / -est; longer ones use more / the most. Watch the spelling and the irregulars.
| short adj | big → bigger → the biggest |
| long adj | crowded → more crowded → the most crowded |
| irregular | good → better → the best; bad → worse → the worst |
2. Making comparisons stronger or equal
Add much / far / a lot before a comparative; use (not) as … as for equal or unequal things.
| much stronger | Cities are far more crowded than villages. |
| equal | This country is as rich as its neighbor. |
| not equal | Poverty is not as common as it was. |
3. Useful comparison patterns
Two B2 favorites: than ever (before) for change over time, and the more…, the more… for linked change.
Trap: don't double the comparison ("more bigger" → "bigger"). And use "than", not "that", in comparisons: "richer than before".
The World in Numbers
A fresh, fact-based interactive article on how global society is changing. It is full of comparison data and the lesson's vocabulary, so it fits perfectly into Session 2 — or set it as homework.
What's inside
- A balanced, data-rich article on population, cities, poverty, and connection.
- Self-grading comprehension questions with instant feedback and a score.
- A "getting better vs getting worse" sorting task and a vocabulary flashcard deck.
- A discussion box to extend the topic into speaking.
How to use it: project it for shared reading, or assign it for homework before the discussion. Students read, then tap Show My Score on the comprehension quiz and bring the result to class.
Open the Reading →Timed Lesson Stages
Each stage lists timing, teacher instructions, and the interaction pattern.
1. Warm-Up — The Biggest Issue
Ask: "What's the biggest social or global issue today, and why?" Quick pair-share, then collect issues on the board.
Interaction: Pairs → whole class.
2. Vocabulary — Global Issue Words
Present the shared vocabulary (inequality, poverty, literacy, urbanization, sustainable development, to raise awareness). Match to meanings, then students use two in a sentence about their country.
Interaction: Teacher → class → individual.
3. Grammar — Comparatives & Superlatives
Compare two countries or cities on the board ("more crowded", "the richest"). Build short vs long adjectives, irregulars, much/far + comparative, and "than ever before".
- Concept check: "Are we comparing two things, or choosing the most extreme one?"
- Controlled practice: students do the workbook's comparison and word-order tasks.
Interaction: Guided discovery → individual.
4. Speaking — Rank the Issues
The centerpiece (full instructions in the Activities section). Groups rank global issues from most to least urgent and defend their order with comparatives and superlatives.
Interaction: Small groups.
5. Wrap-Up
Each group shares its number-one issue and one reason. Set the reading article for homework if you'll discuss it next session.
1. Review — Comparison Quickfire
Say two nouns ("cities / villages"); students fire back a comparison ("Cities are more crowded than villages"). Go round at speed. Fast comparative fluency.
Interaction: Whole class.
2. Reading — The World in Numbers
Use the interactive reading page (linked above). Students read the article and complete the self-grading comprehension and the "getting better vs getting worse" sorter.
- Pre-reading: students guess how much of the world now lives in cities.
- While reading: underline one statistic that surprised them.
- After: compare, then tap Show My Score.
Interaction: Individual → pairs.
3. Listening — The Class Project
Play Audio 2 (script below). Students complete the workbook's listening task. Play twice.
Interaction: Individual → class check.
4. Writing — An Opinion Paragraph
Students write an opinion paragraph (80–100 words) about a global issue, using comparatives and superlatives.
Model: "In my opinion, inequality is the biggest challenge our world faces. The gap between the richest and the poorest is wider than ever, even though the world is far richer than it was a century ago. Education is one of the most powerful tools we have: the more children who go to school, the fairer society becomes. We are more connected than any generation before us, so we have no excuse. The most important thing is to act, not just to talk."
- Target: 3+ comparatives/superlatives, shared vocabulary, a clear opinion.
- Students self-check against the workbook checklist, then review the flashcards.
Interaction: Individual.
5. Share, Score & Reflect
Students read their paragraph to a partner, who adds one comparison of their own. Then they tap Show My Score in the workbook and show you the result.
Speaking Activities
The centerpiece is Rank the Issues. Rotate the games below across lessons.
Rank the Issues
Groups of 3–4. Goal: rank global issues and justify the order with comparison language.
- Give each group a set of issue cards (poverty, climate change, inequality, lack of education, conflict, disease).
- Groups must rank them from most to least urgent, defending each choice: "Poverty is more urgent than…, but education is the most important because…"
- Groups compare their rankings with another group and try to agree on a shared top three.
- Each group presents its final ranking to the class. Award points for accurate comparatives and superlatives.
More Activities (rotate these)
Comparison Quickfire
You say two things; students race to compare them with the best adjective ("The internet is faster than the post"). Quick, competitive comparative fluency.
Fact or Myth?
Read global statistics ("More than half the world lives in cities"). Pairs guess fact or myth, then rewrite each as a comparison. Critical thinking + grammar.
Superlative Challenge
Groups race to make true superlative sentences about the world ("the largest city", "the most spoken language"). Check facts together. Vocabulary + superlatives.
Spot the Comparison Error
Show sentences with errors ("more richer", "as bad than"). Teams race to fix each one and explain the rule. Sharpens accuracy.
Audio & Transcripts
Tap a transcript to open it. Add your recording in the player, and use the same file in the student workbook's Listening task.
Audio 1An Issue I Care About (model)+
Speaker: The issue I care about most is education, because it's one of the most powerful tools we have. The world is richer than ever before, yet some children still can't read. I think inequality is a bigger problem than many people realize: the gap between the richest and the poorest is wider than it was a generation ago. But there's hope. More children are in school now than at any time in history, and the more we raise awareness, the faster things improve. Education is the best investment a society can make.
How to use: Play once as a model before the speaking activity. Ask students to catch the comparatives and superlatives. Then they describe an issue they care about the same way.
Audio 2The Class Project (listening task)+
Maya: Did you know more than half the world now lives in cities?
Leo: Really? That's higher than I thought. It's much more crowded than in our grandparents' time.
Maya: Exactly. And there are more internet users than ever — about six billion.
Leo: That's almost three-quarters of everyone! The world has never been more connected.
Maya: True, but inequality is still one of the biggest problems. The gap between rich and poor is wider in some places.
Leo: Yeah. Poverty is lower than it was twenty years ago, though.
Maya: That's the most hopeful fact. Fewer people live in extreme poverty than a generation ago.
Leo: So things are getting better and more complicated at the same time.
How to use: This is the source audio for the workbook's Listening task. Two voices work best. Play for gist first ("What's their project about?"), then for detail. Notice every comparison.
Audio 3Pronunciation — weak "than" (optional)+
Listen-and-repeat. In natural speech, "than" is weak and sounds like /thən/.
Cities are bigger than villages. — It's far more important than money. — Better than ever before.
How to use: B2 students often over-pronounce "than" or confuse it with "then". Drill the weak form so their comparisons sound natural.
Workbook & Reading Answers
These match the self-grading workbook and reading page. Both grade automatically; keys are here for board correction.
Workbook Reading — Teaser
- What is the world's population now? — about 8.2 billion
- What share of people now live in cities? — more than half (about 56%)
- About how many people use the internet? — about 6 billion (three-quarters)
Listening — Fill in the Blank (Audio 2)
- More than half the world now lives in cities.
- There are about six (6) billion internet users.
- Poverty is lower than it was twenty years ago.
Listening — Multiple Choice (Audio 2)
- How does Leo describe the world's connection? — b) it has never been more connected
- What does Maya call the most hopeful fact? — c) fewer people live in extreme poverty than a generation ago
Grammar — Comparatives & Superlatives
- Cities are more crowded than villages.
- This is the biggest problem in the world.
- Poverty is lower than it was before.
- The internet has made the world more connected than ever.
- Education is one of the best ways to fight poverty.
Word Order
- Cities are more crowded than ever before.
- It is the biggest challenge we face.
Reading Page — Comprehension
- What is the world's population now? — about 8.2 billion
- What share of people live in cities? — more than half (about 56%)
- About how many internet users are there? — about 6 billion
- Is extreme poverty higher or lower than a generation ago? — lower
- Where do 7 in 10 of the world's poorest now live? — b) Africa
- The article's main message is… — c) the world is improving and facing new challenges at the same time
Reading Page — Better vs Worse (sorter)
- Getting better: literacy rates, internet access, child survival
- Still a challenge: inequality, the climate, refugee numbers
Common Student Errors
Watch for these at B2 and correct gently in the moment.
| Typical Error | Correct Form | Why & How to Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Cities are more bigger." | "Cities are bigger." | Don't use "more" with a short -er comparative. |
| "It is more cheap than before." | "It is cheaper than before." | Short adjective → add -er, not "more". |
| "Richer that before." | "Richer than before." | Use "than", not "that", in comparisons. |
| "the most biggest city" | "the biggest city" | Don't combine "most" with an -est superlative. |
| "as bad than before" | "as bad as before" | Equal comparison uses "as … as". |
| "an information about poverty" | "information about poverty" | "information" is uncountable → no article. |
Extension & Homework
In-Class Options
- Write five "the most…" facts about the world and check them online.
- Compare your country today with fifty years ago in five sentences.
- Use the workbook flashcards to quiz a partner on the vocabulary.
At-Home Practice
- Read the interactive article and complete the comprehension quiz; bring your score.
- Research a charity and write 100 words on the issue it tackles, using comparison.
- Finish any workbook tasks and review the flashcards.
How to Measure Success
Ready to run the lesson?
Open the student workbook (self-grading, with flashcards) and the interactive reading article. No login.
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