This is an upper-intermediate PDF worksheet about promotions and demotions which includes a video segment. Students will discuss relevant qualifications, experience, and traits required for different jobs, learn useful business English vocabulary, and learn to use they/them when describing a single unknown person.
The lesson starts with some basic warm-up questions, after which students will read through a story about a manager who must decide between three candidates for a promotion. The class will match relevant vocabulary in the story to its definitions (words such as “resign” and “KPI”), and then discuss as a group which candidate they think is better suited to the job. Afterward, they will ask each other some conversation questions using the language they have learned.
Next, the class will read about how to use they/them when describing an unknown person (for example, “If we hire someone for this position, they have to be reliable”) and then practise using it by writing a short description of the attributes, experience, and qualifications that are necessary for someone to do the job.
After this, the class will look at six different professions (police chief, airline captain, etc.) and decide what qualities a person would need to do each job, and then compare their list with a partner. Again, this will be a useful exercise to practise they/them for single people.
Finally, the class will watch a video about the Peter Principle, a principle which essentially says that people will be promoted until they finally reach a job they are not good at, and then stay there.
Quick and Easy English is not affiliated with the Sprouts YouTube channel. The video included is used for educational purposes only.
