Working from Home
Practise identifying advantages and challenges and expressing a balanced opinion.
1 · Read
Mina's company allows employees to work from home two days a week. Mina appreciates the quiet environment and the time she saves by not commuting. She often uses that extra time for exercise before work. However, remote work also requires discipline. At home, small jobs can become distractions, and quick questions sometimes take longer to solve online.
To stay productive, Mina begins at the same time each day, keeps her phone in another room and schedules short video calls with colleagues. She believes a mixture of office and home days gives her both flexibility and regular contact with her team.
travelling regularly between home and work
the ability to make yourself follow a plan
2 · Listen
Listen to Mina and a colleague discussing their preferences.
3 · Answer five questions
1. What does Mina save by not commuting?
2. What challenge of remote work does the reading mention?
3. How does Mina reduce distractions?
4. Which tasks does Mina prefer doing at home?
5. Why does she prefer a mixture of locations?
4 · Speak
Would you prefer to work or study mainly at home, mainly in a shared place, or in a mixture of both? Give two reasons and acknowledge one disadvantage.
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5 · Self-check
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Teacher answers · B1 Working from Home
- Time.
- Distractions at home.
- She keeps her phone in another room.
- Detailed tasks.
- It provides flexibility and regular contact with her team.
Listening transcript: Do you prefer working at home or in the office, Mina? I like both for different reasons. At home I can concentrate on detailed tasks, but the office is better when we need to solve a problem together. I agree. Video calls are useful, although they don't completely replace an informal conversation. Exactly. That's why two home days are enough for me.
Speaking: Answers will vary. Look for a clear preference, two developed reasons and a balanced concession.