Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – Practical Life Skills 19

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

You are going to read an article about four teenagers describing the struggle to balance highly competitive elite sports training with strict academic requirements.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people/sections (A-D). The people/sections may be chosen more than once.

Which person/section

1   admits to feeling envious of peers who have a normal social life?

2   occasionally finds it difficult to maintain concentration during lessons?

3   had an unexpected physical setback that shifted their perspective on education?

4   expresses disappointment at the lack of flexibility shown by their teachers?

5   made the difficult decision to reduce their academic workload?

6   takes advantage of time spent in transit to complete their assignments?

7   accepts that a career in their chosen field is likely to be short-lived?

8   feels caught between the conflicting expectations of different adults?

9   points out that maintaining good grades is a strict condition for continuing their sport?

10   was granted a deadline extension for a piece of coursework?

Chasing Gold and Good Grades: The Double Life of Student Athletes

A Liam

My alarm goes off at 4:30 a.m. every single day. Before most of my classmates have even opened their eyes, I’ve already completed a gruelling two-hour swimming session in the pool. Naturally, trying to balance this level of intense training with my A-levels has been a massive learning curve. I frequently find my eyelids drooping during double maths; fighting off sleep in the classroom is a daily battle. Initially, I tried to juggle four core subjects, but the sheer volume of homework was suffocating. Eventually, after a frank discussion with my school tutor, I bit the bullet and dropped geography. It was a tough call to make, but scaling back my studies slightly was the only way I could keep my head above water, both literally and figuratively. If I hadn’t reduced my timetable, I would have definitely burned out. I just had to accept that I can’t give one hundred percent to absolutely everything simultaneously.

B Maya

Competitive gymnastics demands absolute perfection, and my schedule is ruthlessly structured to achieve it. Between training six days a week and keeping up with my coursework, my free time is practically non-existent. Whenever I see my friends posting photos from weekend parties or cinema trips, a sudden pang of jealousy definitely hits me. I often wonder what a ‘normal’ teenage existence feels like. Furthermore, the pressure can be overwhelming, especially when I feel constantly torn between my parents and my coach. My coach insists I need to spend more hours in the gym, whereas my parents are adamant that my education must come first. In fact, they’ve made it crystal clear that if my academic performance slips, my training hours will be severely cut. It’s incredibly stressful trying to satisfy everyone. Nevertheless, I’ve learned to manage my time meticulously, ensuring my essays are flawless so I can continue competing at an elite level.

C Noah

Competing in national tennis tournaments means I spend a ridiculous amount of time on the road. Consequently, the back seat of my dad’s car has essentially become my mobile office. I’ve mastered the art of typing up history essays on my laptop while hurtling down the motorway, making the most of every spare minute. You’d think the school would be highly supportive of my sporting achievements, but surprisingly, several teachers are quite rigid in their approach. They argue that my frequent absences shouldn’t excuse me from standard submission dates. It can be incredibly frustrating when they flatly refuse to bend the rules to accommodate me. However, there was one occasion last month when the head of department intervened and allowed me to hand in my biology project three days late because I was competing abroad. That minor concession was an absolute lifesaver during a highly stressful tournament week.

D Chloe

For a long time, my entire identity was wrapped up in sprinting. I simply took it for granted that I’d eventually turn professional, so I tended to severely neglect my academic responsibilities. My textbooks were just gathering dust on my desk while I focused purely on lowering my lap times. That all changed last year when I tore a ligament in my knee. Being confined to the sidelines for six months was a devastating blow, but it served as a crucial wake-up call. I suddenly realised that a professional athlete’s career has a very strict expiration date, and one severe injury can bring it all crashing down instantly. If I hadn’t been forced to stop running, I probably wouldn’t have grasped the critical importance of having a solid educational fallback. I immediately started putting as much effort into my physics modules as I did into my track sessions to ensure my future is secure.

Reading 2

You are going to read an article about four students talking about the value of learning from detailed, constructive teacher feedback rather than just looking at the final grade.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people/sections (A-D). The people/sections may be chosen more than once.

Which person/section

1   admits they previously disposed of marked assignments without reading the annotations?

2   initially viewed the educator’s corrections as a direct attack on their personality?

3   realised that instructional advice is crucial even for those who already excel?

4   was primarily driven by the desire to secure a place in higher education?

5   views the teacher’s suggestions as a structural blueprint for future coursework?

6   had to suppress their initial defensiveness in order to truly learn from the critique?

7   was informed that they were relying too heavily on a comfortable, risk-free writing style?

8   discovered that analysing the feedback fostered a much more profound understanding of the module?

9   mentions a private conversation with a tutor that completely shifted their mindset?

10   states that a surprisingly low score was the wake-up call they needed to alter their approach?

Beyond the Grade: The True Value of Feedback

A Liam

Throughout my first year of college, I had a terrible habit. Whenever a marked essay was handed back, I would glance at the letter grade, feel either relieved or disappointed, and promptly toss the paper straight into the recycling bin. I took it for granted that the grade itself was the only thing that mattered. However, my attitude shifted abruptly when I received a shocking ‘D’ on a crucial history assignment. It was a massive wake-up call. Devastated, I finally forced myself to read the extensive notes my tutor had written in the margins. To my surprise, the annotations weren’t just a list of my failures; they were a detailed breakdown of how to construct a more persuasive argument. The feedback highlighted exactly where my logic had fallen apart. Since that disaster, I’ve stopped treating those comments as mere corrections. Instead, I use them as a comprehensive blueprint for my upcoming tasks, ensuring I don’t repeat the same structural errors.

B Maya

Because I consistently achieved top marks in English literature, I used to skim over my teacher’s feedback, arrogant enough to believe I didn’t really need it. I assumed that an ‘A’ meant my work was completely flawless. That illusion was shattered when my teacher asked me to stay behind after class for a private chat. She praised my grades but pointed out that I was playing it far too safe. I had been relying heavily on the same vocabulary and conventional essay structures just to secure high scores, deliberately avoiding complex or controversial ideas. She explained that if I wanted to progress from merely ‘good’ to genuinely ‘excellent’, I needed to take her written advice on board and experiment with my writing. That intervention completely changed my perspective. I finally understood that constructive criticism is absolutely vital, even for high-achieving students, because it encourages you to step out of your comfort zone and push your boundaries.

C Ethan

I’ve always poured my heart and soul into my creative writing projects, so having my stories critiqued used to be an agonizing experience. Whenever I got an assignment back covered in red ink, my immediate reaction was intense frustration. I was incredibly sensitive and interpreted every suggestion for improvement as a personal insult, convincing myself that the teacher simply disliked my creative vision. I would get so defensive that I’d shove the essay in a drawer and refuse to look at it again. Eventually, I realised this emotional response was holding me back. I had to train myself to detach my ego from the words on the page and view the corrections objectively. Once I managed to suppress that initial wave of indignation, I saw that the feedback was purely focused on pacing and character development, not my worth as an individual. Learning to accept criticism gracefully has been the hardest, yet most rewarding, part of my education.

D Chloe

During my final year, my sole obsession was achieving the grades required for university admission. I viewed every geography test and coursework assignment merely as a stepping stone to higher education, completely missing the bigger picture. When I got a paper back, I only cared whether the final percentage was enough to keep my university offers safe. I completely ignored the detailed feedback at the end of the pages. However, when a massive piece of coursework required a mandatory resubmission, I had no choice but to study my teacher’s extensive evaluations. As I meticulously applied her suggestions regarding data analysis and environmental impact, something clicked. I wasn’t just fixing minor mistakes to get a better mark; I was actually developing a much more profound understanding of the global climate systems we were studying. It dawned on me that genuine learning isn’t about collecting certificates; it’s about deeply engaging with the subject matter.

Exercises:   123456