IELTS FOUNDATION 2

UNIT 3
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
A. VOCABULARY: JOBS, WORK, STUDY, COURSES, FEELINGS AND EXPERIENCES
Exercise 1: Match the people with the descriptions of the jobs.
a chef a doctor a lawyer a manager a programmer
a soldier a teacher a vet

This person …
1. looks after people who are ill or hurt: __a doctor____________
2. designs or builds machines, equipment or roads, etc.: ____a __________
3. cooks food in a restaurant: ____a chef__________
4. protects his or her country: ____a __________
5. keeps information about money that a company or person receives, pays or owes: _________
6. gives people and businesses advice about the law: ______________
7. works in a school or college: ______________
8. produces computer programs: ______________
9. looks after sick animals: ______________
10. is responsible for a team of people or a project: ______________
Exercise 2: Complete the sentences. Use the words in the box.
annoyed boring disappointed disgusting excited exhausted
interested surprised terrifying worrying

1. I never did anything interesting in my old job. It was really ______________ .

2. I was very _________________ to hear about Maria’s new job. It sounds fascinating.
3. My sister’s really _______________about her new project at work. She can’t wait to start!
4. It’s quite ____________ that so many young people are looking for jobs after they leave
university.
5. I was ____________when they didn't invite me for a job interview, but I'm sure I'll find a
new job soon.
6. James works as an engineer building very tall buildings. His work looks absolutely _______!
7. I was really ______________ when he cancelled the meeting and he didn’t even tell me.
8. They treat their workers really badly. I think it’s __________.
9. I was _________________ when they offered me the job. I didn't think that I'd done very
well in the interview.
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10. I had to work late today and now I’m absolutely ___________.
Exercise 3: Choose the correct prepositions to complete the text.

After I left school, I decided to go at/on/to university. I studied at/by/on university for three years. I
did a degree for/in/of marketing. It was very interesting. I learnt all about/on/over sales and
marketing. When I graduated for/from/on university, I needed to get a job. I wanted to work as/by/for
a large international company. I applied for/on/with lots of jobs, but it was difficult because I didn’t
have any experience. In the end, I got a job as/at/for a marketing assistant. It was a bit boring, but I
was very good at/from/to my job. After a few years, I was offered a job as a marketing manager and
was given an increase as/in/of salary.

Exercise 4: Match the explanations with the statements

I think it’s good – You’ve done a great job. I want to thank you for it.

I was worried, but now I’m not. I’m confident. I think it’ll be great.

I’m frightened of him/ her. It makes me unhappy.

I’m angry about them because they make my life difficult. I’m extremely angry with her.

I’m happy about them. I’m worried about it.

1. I’m grateful for your help. ___________________________________

2. I’m nervous about my exam. ___________________________________
3. I’m pleased with my results. ___________________________________
4. I’m furious (TUC GIAN) with my sister. ___________________________________
5. I’m relieved that everything’s OK. ___________________________________
6. I’m impressed by your work. ___________________________________
7. I’m annoyed about the changes. ___________________________________
8. I’m upset about what you said. ___________________________________
9. I’m positive about the future. ___________________________________
10. I’m scared of my boss. ___________________________________

Exercise 5: Complete the text. Use the words in the box.

college evening classes nursery school postgraduate course primary school

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private lessons secondary school training courses university work placement

In my country, many very young children go to (1) _________________ , but they don’t have to
go. The first school you must go to is (2)__________________ . This is for children aged five to
eleven years old. Older children go to (3)__________________ , where they have lots of homework
and exams. Here, they study subjects like Geography, History and IT. Some children have
(4)_________________ , for example they might have extra English classes, which their parents
pay for. Some people stop their education after secondary school, but many continue their education
by going to (5)__________________ . In my country, they usually study just a few subjects at
college.
You can study for a degree at (6)__________________ . You need to do this if you want to become
a teacher, a lawyer or an engineer, for example. Many university courses include a
(7)__________________ , where students spend a few months in a place of work and learn some
practical skills. After graduating from university, some students stay at a university to do a
(8)____________________ . Education doesn’t stop when you leave school or university. Many
people go to (9)_________________ which they attend after a full day at work. You can also learn a
lot at work by going on (10)_______________ . For example, you might learn how to use new
computer software or how to communicate with customers.

B. GRAMMAR:
Exercise 1: Match the present results (present simple) with the past events (present perfect)
1. I’ve finished ● ● I have a degree.
university.
2. Andy’s found a new ● ● He now works for a bank.
job.
3. I’ve lost my school ● ● Do you think I should accept it?
bag.
4. They’ve offered me a ● ● I can relax tonight.
better job.
5. I’ve done all my ● ● Now she needs to find a job.
homework.
6. My grandparents have ● ● I can’t find it everywhere.
retired.
7. Daniel’s broken his ● ● He can’t go to school this week.
arm.
8. Helena’s left school. ● ● They don’t go to work any more.

Exercise 2: Complete the sentences. Use the past participle of the irregular verbs in brackets.

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1. He wasn’t very good when he started, but he’s _____________ (become) a very good
teacher in the last few years.
2. Have you _______________ (chose) a career yet? Do you know what you want to do when
you leave school?
3. I studied History for five years at school, but now I’ve ________________ (forget) almost
everything.
4. It’s been a very useful course and you’re a great teacher – you’ve __________________
(teach) me a lot.
5. I’ve __________________ (send) emails to lots of companies asking for a job, but nobody’s
offered me one yet.
6. Have you ________________ (be) on any training courses this year?
7. I need to write a 10,000-word essay by the end of my course, but I’ve only
_________________ (write) 2,500 words so far.
8. I studied Business at university, but I’ve _______________ (learn) more in my first month at
work than in three years at university.
9. Sorry I haven’t finished the presentation yet. I haven’t ________________ (have) time.
10. OK, so now that I’ve _______________ (show) you what to do, it’s your turn.

Exercise 3: Read the information. Then choose the correct answers to complete the
conversation.
The words already, yet and just have slightly different meanings.
 already = before now, or before a particular time in the past
Example:
I’ve already done it.
= I did it in the past so I don’t need/plan to do it again.

 yet = before now or before that time

Example:
I haven’t done it yet.
= I didn’t do it in the past so I still need/plan to do it in the future.

 just = a very short time ago

Example:
I’ve just done it.
= I did it very recently (e.g. in the last few minutes).

A: Hey, I’ve already/just/yet remembered. We need to hand in our essays tomorrow. Have you
started writing yours just/yet ?
B: Actually, I’ve just/yet started. I started planning it half an hour ago. But I haven’t written
anything already/just/yet . I’m still thinking about what to write. What about you?

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A: I started working on it at the weekend. I’ve already/just/yet written about half of it, but there’s
still a lot of work to do.
B: Oh, that’s not so bad. And have you planned everything just/yet ?
A: No, I haven’t planned the end already/just/yet . I mean, the first half’s good, but I don’t know
what to write for the ending. What about you?
B: I’ve just/yet told you! I started half an hour ago!
A: Oh, yes, sorry. And what about David? Has he started just/yet ?
B: Started? He’s already/just/yet finished! He wrote the whole essay last weekend!
Exercise 4: Complete the sentences. Use the words in brackets with the present perfect. Use
contractions where possible (e.g. haven’t). The first one has been done for you.

1. My sister’s just started university – it’s her first week this week. (my sister / just / start)
2. I’m really pleased. _____________________ all my exams. (I / pass)
3. We finished our project over a month ago, but our teacher _____________________ . (not /
check / it / yet)
4. _________________________ to go to evening classes to learn how to write
computer programs. (I / already / decide)
5. Don’t worry. __________________________ anybody your exam results. (I / not / tell)
6. I think the job interview went well, but ____________________________ , so I don’t know if
I’ve got the job or not. (they / not / contact / me / yet)
7. Why are we doing this training course again? ___________________________________ it
three times! (we / already / do)
8. I’m really worried. I think _____________________________________my end-of-course test.
(I / fail)
Exercise 5: Correct the questions. Use the present prefect. Use contractions where possible (e.g.
hasn’t).
1. You take all your exams yet? I’ve already finished mine.
2. Where Lisa go? She was here a second ago.
3. Anybody see my bag? I can’t find it.
4. Why you not finish your report? I asked you to hand it in today.
5. You hear the news? They’ve offered me a promotion!
6. What you do to your hair? It looks terrible!
C. LISTENING

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Exercise 1: The exam task in this unit is about money. This is a common topic in IELTS, so it is
a good idea to think about some vocabulary you might hear.
Match the words in the box with the definitions.

cash trade coin financial valuable exchange payment worth

1. to give something to someone and receive something else from that person: __________
2. a small, round piece of metal that is used as money: _________
3. relating to money or how money is managed: ___________
4. having a particular value, especially in money: __________
5. an amount of money you give to someone, often for a product or service: __________
6. the activity of buying and selling products or services between people or countries:
____________
7. to be worth a lot of money: _____________
8. money in the form of notes and coins, rather than a credit card: _____________
Exercise 2: Complete the sentences. Use the words in the box.
cash coin exchange financial payments trade valuable worth

1. Historians believe that the first ___________ was invented over 2,800 years ago and was
made of bronze.
2. The Mona Lisa painting is believed to be _______________ over $780 million.
3. Fewer people carry ________________ nowadays as more payments are being made
electronically.
4. Before money, many people used to ________________ food, like fruits and vegetables, for
tools.
5. A lot of antiques, like paintings and furniture, are extremely ________________ nowadays.
6. Many students receive ______________ support from their families while studying at
university.
7. The number of people making ________________ online is increasing every year.
8. In the past, as groups of people began to explore new areas, ________________ between
different cultures became more common.
Exercise 3: In this example of an IELTS Listening sentence completion task, you will listen to
two students talking about the topic of finance in preparation for a lecture.
Write ONE WORD to complete each sentence. (Track 3.1)

1. Greg and Penny agree to do some background reading on the history of ___________ .
2. Greg says that before money, _____________ was very common.
3. Greg says that in the past, bronze was probably used to make ____________ .
4. The book Greg and Penny should read is called ‘The ____________ World’.
Exercise 4: Match the words and phrases in the box with the correct synonyms.
began to use circle were made for mostly
had the idea produce very small images

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introduced ___________
mainly ___________
make ___________
pictures ___________
round ___________
thought ___________
tiny ___________
were designed for ___________
Exercise 5: Read the sentences. Choose the correct synonym for the words and phrases in bold.
1. The UK introduced the two-pound coin in 1998.
o began to use
o created
o made
2. Before money, it was common for people to use food, such as rice, in exchange for tools.
o Easy
o Difficult
o normal
3. The line graph shows the number of people who worked in finance in the years between 1990
and 2015.
o Displays
o Explains
o includes
4. According to recent figures, the company was valued at £25 million in 2015.
o sold for
o offered
o worth
5. Many countries in Europe started to produce paper money in the 17th century.
o began to make
o changed to
o decided to use
6. The five-yen coin, used in Japan, is round with a very small hole in the middle.
o square
o tiny
o very big
Exercise 6: Read the information. Then read the extracts from a lecture on the history of
money and choose the five phrases that signal the introduction of a new topic.

Cues help you find the part of the recording you need to answer the questions and complete

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sentences, but you also need to follow the ideas the speakers talk about.

You can do this by listening for signaling phrases. These are phrases that a speaker can use
to:

 introduce a new point or topic (e.g. We’ll start by …, But that wasn’t the only…)
 make a point about the current topic (e.g. It should be noted that …)
 give a definition or an explanation (e.g. In other words, …).

 Well, we’ll start by thinking about the situation in prehistoric times.

 It was in western Turkey, however, that the system of producing coins became more
organized.
 The only problem with these little tools is that they looked just like the real ones.
 Now, about 3,000 years ago, there was an interesting development, and this happened in
China.
 This is a metal which is quite easy to use and to make large tools from.
 It’s something that’s so easy to buy in the supermarket nowadays.
 But that wasn’t the only big development in China.
 What else was used instead of money in the distant past?
Exercise 7: Listen to a lecture on the history of money. Complete the sentences. Write ONE
WORD ONLY in each gap. (Track 3.2)
1. People often exchanged vegetables for ______________ in prehistoric times
2. In Ancient European cultures, tools that were used for ______________ were most
important.
3. Around 3,000 years ago, the Chinese began to make tiny _______________ of tools from
bronze.
4. China introduced coins that were round with a _______________ hole in the middle 2,800
years ago.
5. Coins were made mostly from ______________ in western Turkey.
6. King Alyattes had the idea of putting pictures of birds and _______________ on coins.
Exercise 8: EXAM PRACTICE.
Listen and complete Questions 1-6. Write ONE WORD for each answer. (Track 3.3)
1. Joe’s low_______________ doesn’t allow him to buy many electronic goods.
2. He’s often influenced by his____________________ when he buys electronic items.
3. Advertisements featuring somebody_______________ sometimes help him decide which
product to buy.
4. Joe prefers to get new products from _____________________.
5. He doesn’t like waiting for a long time after _________________ something.

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6. He finds it hard to resist buying electronic products if they are new and _________________.

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