Work & Careers
A complete two-session B2 lesson built around reported speech — the grammar of interviews, networking, and "she said that…" — using jobs, careers, and the changing world of work as the theme. Includes a featured interactive reading on the four-day week, audio scripts, answer keys, and a self-grading workbook.
Can-Do Statements
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Talk about jobs, careers, and the workplace and their professional goals.
- Use reported speech to report statements, questions, and instructions (She said she was busy. He asked if I had experience.).
- Report a conversation — for example, what happened in a job interview.
- Use key vocabulary — CV, cover letter, career ladder, skillset, work-life balance, to land a job.
- Read and understand an article about the four-day week and answer comprehension questions.
- Write a message reporting a work conversation using reported speech.
Vocabulary & Phrases
This vocabulary set is shared across the lesson plan, the workbook flashcards, and the reading article.
Career Words
- a CV / résumé · a cover letter
- to apply for a job · to land a job
- the career ladder · a promotion
- a skillset · a colleague
- work-life balance · a deadline
- an interview · a candidate
Reporting at Work
- She said (that)…
- He told me (that)…
- They asked if / whether…
- The manager wanted to know…
- She offered to…
- He promised that he would…
The Engine of the Lesson
Reported speech — telling someone what another person said.
1. The "backshift" — tenses move back
When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told), the tense usually shifts one step back.
| present → past | "I am busy." → She said she was busy. |
| will → would | "We will call you." → They said they would call. |
| can → could | "I can start Monday." → He said he could start Monday. |
2. say vs tell, and reported questions
Use tell + person but say (without a person). For yes/no questions, use if / whether and normal word order.
| say / tell | She said she was tired. / She told me she was tired. |
| wh- question | "Why do you want it?" → He asked why I wanted it. |
| yes/no question | "Can you start?" → She asked if I could start. |
3. Commands & other changes
Report commands with tell / ask + to + verb. Pronouns and time/place words also change.
Trap: in reported questions, don't keep question word order or "do/does" — "He asked where was the office" → "He asked where the office was".
The Four-Day Week
A fresh, fact-based interactive article on the four-day week. It carries the lesson's vocabulary and lots of reported speech, so it fits perfectly into Session 2 — or set it as homework.
What's inside
- A current, balanced article on four-day-week trials and the future of work.
- Self-grading comprehension questions with instant feedback and a score.
- A "job application stages" 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 — Dream Job
Ask: "What's your dream job, and what skills does it need?" Quick pair-share, then collect job words on the board.
Interaction: Pairs → whole class.
2. Vocabulary — Career Words
Present the shared vocabulary (CV, cover letter, career ladder, skillset, work-life balance, to land a job). Match to meanings, then students use two in a sentence about their career goals.
Interaction: Teacher → class → individual.
3. Grammar — Reported Speech
Say a sentence ("I am looking for a job"), then report it ("She said she was looking for a job"). Build the backshift, say vs tell, and reported questions with if/whether.
- Concept check: "Did the tense move back? Is there a person after the verb?"
- Controlled practice: students do the workbook's reported-speech and word-order tasks.
Interaction: Guided discovery → individual.
4. Speaking — Interview & Report Back
The centerpiece (full instructions in the Activities section). Pairs do a mock interview, then report to a new partner what was said, using reported speech.
Interaction: Pairs → new pairs.
5. Wrap-Up
A few students report the most interesting thing their interviewee said. Set the reading article for homework if you'll discuss it next session.
1. Review — Reported Whispers
Whisper a sentence to one student ("I have an interview tomorrow"); they report it to the next ("She said she had an interview the next day"). Pass it down the line. Fun, fast backshift practice.
Interaction: Whole class.
2. Reading — The Four-Day Week
Use the interactive reading page (linked above). Students read the article and complete the self-grading comprehension and the "job application stages" sorter.
- Pre-reading: students predict whether a four-day week makes people more or less productive.
- While reading: underline one finding that surprised them.
- After: compare, then tap Show My Score.
Interaction: Individual → pairs.
3. Listening — After the Interview
Play Audio 2 (script below). Students complete the workbook's listening task. Play twice.
Interaction: Individual → class check.
4. Writing — Reporting an Interview
Students write a message to a friend (80–100 words) reporting what happened in a (real or imagined) job interview, using reported speech.
Model: "Hi! I just had my interview and it went well. The manager said the team was growing fast and asked why I wanted the job. I told her I loved the company. She asked if I could start in June, and I said I was free immediately. She told me the salary was competitive and promised they would call me next week. She even said it was the strongest interview of the day! Fingers crossed I land it."
- Target: 4+ reported structures (said/told/asked if), correct backshift.
- Students self-check against the workbook checklist, then review the flashcards.
Interaction: Individual.
5. Share, Score & Reflect
Students read their message to a partner, who reports back one thing they "heard". Then they tap Show My Score in the workbook and show you the result.
Speaking Activities
The centerpiece is Interview & Report Back. Rotate the games below across lessons.
Interview & Report Back
Pairs, then new pairs. Goal: run a mock interview, then report it with reported speech.
- In pairs, one student is the interviewer and one is the candidate for a job they choose. They run a short interview (4–5 questions).
- Swap roles so everyone interviews and is interviewed.
- Re-pair students with someone from a different interview. Each must report what was said: "She asked me why I wanted the job, and I told her…"
- The new partner listens and reports one detail back to the class. Award points for accurate backshift.
More Activities (rotate these)
Reported Whispers
Whisper a sentence to one student; each person reports it to the next using reported speech, until it reaches the end. Compare the start and finish. Fun, fast backshift practice.
Dream Job Pitch
Each student pitches their dream job in 60 seconds — the skills, the ladder, the work-life balance. The partner then reports the pitch to the class. Vocabulary + reporting.
Spot the Backshift
Show reported sentences with errors ("She said she is tired", "He asked where was the office"). Teams race to fix each one and explain the rule. Sharpens accuracy.
Quote Reporter
Each student writes one true sentence about their work or studies on a slip. Mix them up; students draw one and report it ("This person said they had…"). Others guess who.
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 1My Career So Far (model)+
Speaker: I applied for my first job five years ago. At the interview, the manager asked me why I wanted the role, and I told her I was eager to learn. She said the team was friendly and that I would get good training. I started the next month. Since then I've climbed the career ladder, and last year I was promoted. My advice? Be honest in interviews. When they ask about your weaknesses, tell them the truth — and tell them what you're doing about it.
How to use: Play once as a model before the speaking activity. Ask students to catch the reported speech ("she asked…, I told her…, she said…"). Then they tell their own work story.
Audio 2After the Interview (listening task)+
Ben: How did your interview go?
Sara: Really well! The manager said the team was growing fast.
Ben: Nice. Did they ask hard questions?
Sara: She asked me why I wanted the job, and she asked if I could start in June.
Ben: What did you say?
Sara: I told her I was available immediately. She said they would call me next week.
Ben: Did they mention the salary?
Sara: She told me the salary was competitive and that I would get training.
Ben: That sounds promising. I'm sure you'll land it!
How to use: This is the source audio for the workbook's Listening task. Two voices work best. Play for gist first ("How did it go?"), then for detail. Notice every reported sentence.
Audio 3Pronunciation — weak "that" & reporting verbs (optional)+
Listen-and-repeat. In reported speech, "that" is often dropped or said weakly; the reporting verb is unstressed.
She said she was busy. — He told me he would call. — They asked if I could start.
How to use: B2 students often over-stress the reporting verb. Drill the natural rhythm so their reported speech sounds fluent.
Workbook & Reading Answers
These match the self-grading workbook and reading page. Both grade automatically; keys are here for board correction.
Workbook Reading — Teaser
- How many employees took part in the 2025 study? — about 2,900 (2,896)
- What share of companies continued the four-day week after the trial? — 90%
- In the UK trial, burnout fell by how much? — 71%
Listening — Fill in the Blank (Audio 2)
- The manager said the team was growing fast.
- She said they would call Sara next week.
- The manager told Sara the salary was competitive.
Listening — Multiple Choice (Audio 2)
- What did the interviewer ask Sara? — b) why she wanted the job
- When will the company call Sara? — c) next week
Grammar — Reported Speech
- She said she was very busy.
- He said he would start on Monday.
- They said they could help us.
- He asked me if / whether I wanted the job.
- She told me to send my CV.
Word Order
- She said she was looking for a job.
- He asked if I had any experience.
Reading Page — Comprehension
- How many employees took part in the 2025 study? — about 2,900
- What share of companies kept the four-day week? — 90%
- In the UK trial, burnout fell by… — 71%
- What did most workers say they would give up for a four-day week? — some salary (8%)
- The most popular work model is… — b) hybrid work
- The article's main message is… — c) how we work is changing, with promising results
Reading Page — Application Stages (sorter)
- Applying for a job: writing a CV, sending a cover letter, filling in the form
- After you're hired: signing the contract, meeting your colleagues, getting training
Common Student Errors
Watch for these at B2 and correct gently in the moment.
| Typical Error | Correct Form | Why & How to Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "She said she is tired." | "She said she was tired." | After a past reporting verb, the tense shifts back. |
| "He said me he was busy." | "He told me…" / "He said he…" | "say" takes no person; "tell" needs a person. |
| "He asked where was the office." | "He asked where the office was." | Reported questions use normal word order. |
| "She asked do I have experience." | "She asked if I had experience." | Yes/no questions take "if/whether", no "do". |
| "She told to call her." | "She told me to call her." | Commands: tell/ask + person + to + verb. |
| "a good advice in the interview" | "good advice in the interview" | "advice" is uncountable → no article. |
Extension & Homework
In-Class Options
- Turn a short dialogue into a fully reported paragraph.
- Write five interview questions, then report a partner's answers.
- 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.
- Interview a family member about their job and report it in 100 words.
- 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.
Open the Student Workbook Open the Reading