Unit 7. Work — Teacher’s Copy

Teacher’s notes — Unit 7: Descriptive writing (integrated) — Work

Text type. Integrated descriptive paragraph about a job.

Key teaching points

Relative clauses (who / which / that) are the grammar focus. Students at A2+ often produce them correctly in isolation but drop them in paragraph writing. Make this a marking criterion for Part E.
Students must use evidence from BOTH sources. A paragraph that only summarises the reading without using the listening should be marked incomplete.
Part A item 3 differs from the printed booklet. In print the options are In addition / Although with In addition keyed — but stressful versus rewarding is a contrast, so that answer teaches the wrong meaning. Here the options are However / Although and the answer is However. The grammatical teaching point is unchanged: However, opens a new sentence, Although joins two ideas inside one. The linking-words table now carries a However, row to match.
Exercise 1 items 2, 3 and 5 accept either that or which. Both are marked correct here.
Students do not have the listening transcripts. They are behind the reveal buttons in this copy only.

Common student error. Choosing a job they know little about and writing very general sentences. Encourage students to choose a job that appears in the reading or listening materials and use those details.

Understand

About this text type

What is descriptive writing (integrated)?

A descriptive integrated paragraph describes a job by combining information from a reading text and a listening. You describe what the job involves, what it requires, and what makes it interesting or rewarding — using your own words throughout.

Purpose. to describe a job clearly and explain why it is important, interesting, or rewarding.

Key features

Begin with a topic sentence that names the job and uses a relative clause (who / which / that).
Describe what the job involves — what the person does, where they work, what skills they need.
Explain what makes the job interesting or rewarding, using evidence from both sources.
Combine details from the reading and the listening. Use your own words.
End with a personal comment or evaluation.

Remember — your paragraph has three parts

Topic sentence. Name the job and say why it is interesting. Use a relative clause: who / which / that
Body sentences. Describe what the job involves, needs, and looks like. Add evidence from both sources.
Concluding sentence. Give a personal evaluation. Use In conclusion, / Overall,

Study

Grammar & vocabulary

Vocabulary bank

Word / phrase	Meaning	Example sentence
career	the profession you follow as your life’s main work	She has built a very successful career in medicine.
profession	a job requiring special training and qualifications	Teaching is a demanding but highly respected profession.
skill	an ability developed through practice and experience	Strong communication is a key skill in almost any job.
rewarding	giving you a deep feeling of satisfaction and purpose	Helping others makes the job feel truly rewarding.
demanding	requiring a lot of effort, skill, and time	Working as a nurse is both rewarding and very demanding.
workplace	the environment or place where you do your job	A positive workplace improves both well-being and productivity.
colleague	a person you work alongside regularly	She has supportive and knowledgeable colleagues.
responsibility	a duty or task you are required to carry out	Senior doctors carry enormous professional responsibility.

Grammar Relative clauses — who / which / that

Structure	Example
… who + verb (for people)	A nurse is a professional who looks after sick and injured patients.
… which + verb (for things or places)	Nursing is a profession which requires both skill and compassion.
… that + verb (for people or things)	It is a job that makes a genuine difference to people’s lives.
Tip	Use a relative clause to combine two short sentences into one longer, more complex one.

Useful linking words Notice the example sentences — they show you exactly how to use each word.

Linking word	When to use it	Example sentence
… who… / … which… / … that…	To add detail about a person or thing	A nurse is someone who provides vital daily care to patients.
First, / In addition,	To add more descriptive information	In addition, nurses provide emotional support to patients.
For example,	To open a new sentence with an example. Followed by a comma.	For example, they take blood pressure and change bandages.
such as	To give examples inside a sentence. Not followed by a comma.	They perform practical tasks such as giving injections and changing bandages.
However,	To contrast in a NEW sentence. Followed by a comma.	The job is extremely demanding. However, it is deeply rewarding.
Although	To contrast inside ONE sentence. No comma after it.	Although the job is demanding, it is deeply rewarding.
Overall, / In conclusion,	To give a personal final evaluation	Overall, nursing is one of the most important careers.

Extra practice · Part A Two options are given for each gap. Only ONE is correct. Think carefully about the meaning before you choose.

1A surgeon is a specialist ?performs complex operations that can save lives.

who — A surgeon is a person, and which is never used for people.

2Medicine is a career ?demands years of study, dedication, and continuous learning.

that — A career is a thing, not a person — so who cannot be used here.

3Working in healthcare can be extremely stressful. ?, it offers a deep sense of purpose and personal satisfaction.

However — Stressful and rewarding pull against each other, so you need a contrast linker — and these are two separate sentences. Although needs both ideas inside one sentence (Although healthcare is stressful, it offers…), so it cannot open this one.

4There are many careers in the public sector, ?teaching, nursing, and social work.

such as — The examples continue the same sentence after a comma. such as takes no comma after it; for example, would need to start a new sentence and take one.

5?the salary is not always high, most teachers say they find their work genuinely meaningful.

Although — Low pay and meaningful work pull against each other, and both ideas sit in one sentence with a comma between them.

6?, a career in engineering offers excellent job security, strong earning potential, and the chance to solve real-world problems.

Overall — This sentence gives a final summing-up judgement about the whole career.

Part B · Write your own Complete these sentences using your own ideas. Make sure each linking word is used correctly.

1A firefighter is someone who… person → who

Model. A firefighter is someone who rushes into dangerous situations to protect lives and property.

2Architecture is a profession that… thing → that

Model. Architecture is a profession that requires both artistic creativity and strong technical and mathematical knowledge.

3Working as a doctor can be exhausting. In addition,… add a detail

Model. In addition, it involves enormous emotional responsibility and constant decision-making.

4There are many rewarding careers in education, such as… no comma after

Model. There are many rewarding careers in education, such as teaching, lecturing, educational consulting, and school counselling.

5Although the job involves long hours,… contrast

Model. Although the job involves long hours, most nurses say that seeing a patient recover makes every difficult moment worthwhile.

6Overall,… your evaluation

Model. Overall, working in a helping profession is deeply fulfilling because it gives you a real sense of purpose every single day.

Analyse

Sample paragraph

This is an integrated writing task. First read the text and listen to the talk, and take notes. Then study the sample paragraph to see how the notes are used.

Read Underline the most important ideas.

ReadingWhat Does a Nurse Do?

Nursing is one of the most important and demanding professions in the world. Nurses work in hospitals, clinics, care homes, and community settings, where they look after sick, injured, and vulnerable people every day. Their daily duties involve monitoring patients’ health, administering medicines, assisting doctors with procedures, and keeping detailed medical records. Nurses also play a crucial emotional role — they listen to patients, answer their questions, and help them feel less frightened and more hopeful. To do this job well, nurses need to be caring, patient, observant, and capable of making quick decisions in high-pressure situations. They must also work effectively as part of a large, multidisciplinary team. Although nursing is an extremely demanding profession with long shifts and emotional challenges, it is also deeply rewarding. Many nurses say that seeing a patient recover and return home healthy makes every difficult moment worthwhile.

Listen Twice — take notes as you go.

ListeningA Day in the Life of a Nurse

Play it twice. Students do not have the transcript.

TranscriptA Day in the Life of a Nurse

Have you ever wondered what it is really like to work as a nurse? The shift usually starts early — sometimes at 7am — with a briefing from the previous team. Nurses check on every patient, review medical notes, and discuss each patient’s progress with the doctors on the ward. They spend much of their time on their feet, constantly moving between patients and performing a wide range of practical tasks. For example, in a single morning a nurse might take blood pressure readings, give injections, change bandages, comfort a worried patient, and help someone eat their lunch. By the end of the shift — that can last twelve hours — they must write detailed notes for the incoming team. The work is physically exhausting and emotionally draining. However, when a patient looks them in the eye and says ‘thank you’, most nurses agree that their job gives them a sense of purpose and fulfilment that few other careers can match.

Take notes One box for each source.

What does the job involve day-to-day?

Reading

Monitoring health, administering medicines, assisting doctors, keeping records, providing emotional support.

Listening

7am start; checking patients; taking BP readings; giving injections; changing bandages; writing 12-hour shift notes.

What skills and qualities are needed?

Reading

Caring, patient, observant, quick decision-making in high-pressure situations, teamwork.

Listening

Physical stamina, emotional resilience, ability to multitask under pressure.

What makes the job rewarding or difficult?

Reading

Demanding — long shifts, emotional challenges. Rewarding — seeing a patient recover and go home healthy.

Listening

Physically exhausting, emotionally draining. Rewarding — patient gratitude gives a profound sense of purpose.

Study the sample paragraph

Read the paragraph, then use the panel beside it to see how it is built. Click any row to light up that sentence.

An Interesting Job: The Nurse

One profession that I find enormously interesting and admirable is nursing — a career that is both one of the most important and one of the most demanding in the world. Nurses are healthcare professionals who work in hospitals, clinics, and care homes, where they look after sick and injured patients every single day. According to the reading, their daily work involves monitoring patients’ health, administering medicines, assisting doctors, and keeping careful records. In addition, they provide vital emotional support — listening to patients and helping them feel less frightened. As the listening transcript describes, a typical shift can last twelve hours or more, during which a nurse might take blood pressure readings, give injections, change bandages, comfort a worried patient, and help someone eat their lunch — all within the same morning. Although the work is physically exhausting and emotionally draining, it is also deeply rewarding. Most nurses say that seeing a patient recover and go home healthy makes every long shift worthwhile. Overall, nursing is a challenging but profoundly meaningful career, and I have enormous respect for everyone who chooses this profession.

Topic sentenceBody sentencesConcluding sentence

Discussion Talk to your partner.

What details did the writer get from the reading? What came from the listening?
Find two relative clauses in the sample paragraph. What do they add to the description?
What job would you like to describe? What two key details would you include?

Which source. From the reading: workplaces, monitoring health, medicines, assisting doctors, records, emotional support. From the listening: the twelve-hour shift and the sequence of practical tasks in a single morning. The writer signposts both openly with According to the reading and As the listening transcript describes.
Relative clauses. One profession that I find enormously interesting…, a career that is both one of the most important…, healthcare professionals who work in hospitals…, and everyone who chooses this profession. They let the writer pack description into one sentence instead of writing several short ones — which is exactly the marking criterion for Part E.
Your own job. Answers vary. Steer students towards a job covered in the course materials, since they will need concrete detail; a job they only half know produces vague sentences.

Practise

Controlled exercises

Exercise 1 Complete each sentence with who, which, or that.

1A teacher is someone helps students develop new knowledge and important skills.

who — A teacher is a person, so only one of the three words works.

2Engineering is a career requires strong analytical and mathematical abilities.

that — A career is a thing, so who is out. Either of the other two is fine.

3She works in a clinic specialises in treating children with serious illnesses.

that — A clinic is a place, not a person. Either of the two remaining words works.

4A journalist is a professional investigates and reports on important news events.

who — A professional here means a person.

5He has found a job involves frequent international travel and language skills.

that — A job is a thing. Either of the two remaining words works.

Exercise 2 Match each job (1–4) to the correct description (A–D).

Word	Answer	Definition
1. Doctor		A. a person who designs buildings and plans public spaces for communities
2. Architect		B. a person who investigates serious crimes and helps bring criminals to justice
3. Journalist		C. a person who examines patients, diagnoses illnesses, and prescribes treatment
4. Detective		D. a person who researches current events and writes or reports on them for the public

1→C · 2→A · 3→D · 4→B

Write

Your own paragraph

This is an integrated writing task. Read, listen and take notes first — then plan and write.

Read Take notes as you read.

ReadingWhat Does a Software Developer Do?

Software developers design and build the programs and applications that we use every day, from banking apps and online shops to video games. Most of them work for technology companies, banks or universities, although a growing number work from home as freelancers for clients in other countries. The job is far more varied than people imagine. A developer does not simply sit down and write code; they first have to understand exactly what a client needs, plan how the program will work, and then test it again and again in order to find and repair mistakes. This last stage, which is known as debugging, often takes longer than writing the program in the first place. Good developers need patience, strong logical thinking and excellent problem-solving skills. Communication matters just as much, because most software is built by teams in which designers, testers and project managers all have to understand one another. The work can be demanding: deadlines are tight, technology changes quickly, and developers have to keep learning new tools throughout their careers. In return, the profession offers good salaries, flexible working hours and the satisfaction of creating something that thousands of people will actually use.

Listen Twice — take notes as you go.

ListeningA Day in the Life of a Software Developer

Play it twice. Students do not have the transcript.

TranscriptA Day in the Life of a Software Developer

People often imagine that a software developer spends the whole day alone, staring at a screen in a dark room. The reality is rather different. My day usually starts at about nine o’clock with a short team meeting. We each explain what we finished yesterday, what we plan to do today, and whether anything is blocking our progress. These meetings rarely last more than fifteen minutes, but they keep the whole team moving in the same direction. After that, I try to protect two or three quiet hours for writing code, because this kind of work needs real concentration. In the afternoon there are usually more meetings — with designers about how a screen should look, or with testers who have found a problem I need to fix. Some days almost nothing works, and I spend six hours hunting for a single mistake in thousands of lines of code. It is frustrating, and I am not going to pretend otherwise. But when I finally solve the problem, or when an app I helped to build appears on people’s phones, the feeling is wonderful. That is why I would not change my job for anything.

Take notes One box for each source.

Where do they work?

Reading

Technology companies, banks and universities; a growing number work from home as freelancers for clients in other countries.

Listening

Alongside a team of designers, testers and other developers — not alone in a dark room, as people often imagine.

What are the main duties and daily tasks?

Reading

Understand what the client needs; plan the program; write the code; test it repeatedly and repair mistakes (debugging).

Listening

Day starts at about nine with a fifteen-minute team meeting; two or three quiet hours of coding; afternoon meetings with designers and testers; fixing problems that testers report.

What skills and qualities are needed?

Reading

Patience, logical thinking, problem-solving, communication and teamwork; willingness to keep learning new tools.

Listening

Real concentration; persistence — sometimes six hours to find one mistake in thousands of lines of code.

What are the difficulties and rewards?

Reading

Tight deadlines and fast-changing technology; good salaries, flexible hours and the satisfaction of building something thousands of people use.

Listening

Frustrating days when nothing works; a wonderful feeling when the problem is solved or the app appears on people’s phones.

Plan and write

Describe a job you find interesting. Use your notes from the reading and the listening to write a paragraph of at least 130 words.

One paragraph · three parts · minimum 130 words.

My plan Notes first — then write.

Topic sentence idea (name the job + who/which/that)Supporting sentence 1 (from the reading)Supporting sentence 2 (from the listening)Concluding sentence

Self-check Tick each box when you are sure.

Topic sentence. I introduced my main idea in my own words — I did not copy the question.
Linking words. I used at least three different linking words to connect my sentences.
Example. I included at least one example using For example, / For instance, / such as.
Concluding sentence. I ended with a sentence that summarises my main idea. I used In conclusion, / To sum up, / Overall,
Proofreading. I read my paragraph again and checked my spelling and punctuation.

0 of 5 checked.

My paragraph

0 / 130 words

Nothing is saved automatically. Copy or save your paragraph before you close this tab — only your own writing is saved, not the exercises.

Sample answer For modelling and for calibrating your marking.

Task. Describe a job you find interesting. Use your notes from the reading and the listening to write a paragraph of at least 130 words.
185 words · band: strong pass

One profession that I find genuinely fascinating is software development — a career which combines creative problem-solving with the chance to build something that thousands of people will actually use. Topic sentence with relative clause Software developers are the people who design and build the applications we rely on every day, from banking apps to online shops. As the reading explains, their work is far more varied than most people imagine: they first have to understand exactly what a client wants, then plan and write the program, and finally test it repeatedly in order to find and repair mistakes. Details from the reading, in own words According to the listening transcript, a typical day begins with a short team meeting, continues with two or three quiet hours of concentrated coding, and ends with discussions with designers and testers. Although the job can be extremely frustrating — one developer described spending six hours searching for a single error — most developers say that solving a difficult problem, or seeing their app appear on people’s phones, makes every long day worthwhile. Listening + Although Overall, software development is a demanding but deeply rewarding profession, and it is certainly one that I would consider for myself. Personal evaluation

Marking focusRelative clause in the topic sentenceIdeas from BOTH sources, in own wordsAlthough used for the difficult-but-rewarding contrastConclusion evaluates the job personally

Optional activity

Imaginary job interview

20–25 minutes · Speaking → Writing

Students choose any job from the course materials (nurse, architect, journalist, teacher, engineer, doctor). In pairs, one is the interviewer and one the professional. The interviewer asks four questions drawn from the note-taking table: What do you do day-to-day? What skills do you need? What is the hardest part? What is the most rewarding part?
Switch roles, with a different job.
Individually, students write their Part E paragraph about one of the jobs they discussed, using relative clauses to describe it.

Extension. Students research one additional fact about their chosen job online and add it to their paragraph as a detail from an “external source” — practising integration further.

✓

Answer key at a glance

Prints with the page

B · Part A
1 a surgeon is a specialist …	who
2 medicine is a career …	that
3 stressful … sense of purpose	However (corrected — see teacher’s note)
4 many careers in the public sector, …	such as (no comma after)
5 … the salary is not always high	Although
6 … a career in engineering offers…	Overall
B · Part B (models — answers will vary)
A firefighter is someone who…	rushes into dangerous situations to protect lives and property.
Architecture is a profession that…	requires both artistic creativity and strong technical and mathematical knowledge.
Working as a doctor… In addition,	it involves enormous emotional responsibility and constant decision-making.
… careers in education, such as	teaching, lecturing, educational consulting, and school counselling.
Although the job involves long hours,	most nurses say that seeing a patient recover makes every difficult moment worthwhile.
Overall,	working in a helping profession is deeply fulfilling because it gives you a real sense of purpose every single day.
D · Exercise 1 — who / which / that
1 A teacher is someone…	who
2 Engineering is a career…	that / which
3 She works in a clinic…	that / which
4 A journalist is a professional…	who
5 He has found a job…	that / which
D · Exercise 2 — jobs and descriptions
1 Doctor	C
2 Architect	A
3 Journalist	D
4 Detective	B