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Lesson planB280 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
B2 First Unit 1: Free Time and Hobbies
Students build vocabulary for free time and hobbies, including key phrasal verbs, and practise it in B2 First Reading and Use of English Parts 1, 4 and 7 and an essay.
Free time · Hobbies · Phrasal verbs
B2 First preparationTopic unit
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Learn and use phrasal verbs and key words for free time (take up, get into, give up…)
- Learn and use 13 words and phrases in 2 sets: Phrasal verbs and phrases for hobbies, Interest, effort and progress
- Practise B2 First Reading and Use of English Parts 1, 4 and 7
- Writing task (Part 1): write an essay
Stages · 80 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about their hobbies: what have they taken up or given up, and why? Share a few ideas with the class.
- 15 minVocabulary: Ex. 1–2
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 5 minControlled practice: Ex. 3
- 5 minAccuracy practice: Ex. 4
- 10 minExam practice: Part 1: Ex. 5
- 5 minExam practice: Part 4: Ex. 6
- 15 minExam reading: Part 7: Ex. 7
- 15 minWriting: Ex. 8
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
Phrasal verbs for hobbies
- take up = start a new activity on purpose: I took up yoga last year.
- get into = gradually start to enjoy something: I got into jazz after a few concerts.
- give up and carry on are followed by -ing: She gave up running. Carry on practising.
- With a pronoun, take up goes around it: I took it up last year (not I took up it).
Useful patterns
- keen on / interested in + noun or -ing: She's keen on climbing.
- take part in (not on) a competition or event.
- achieve + a noun (achieve a goal); manage + to-infinitive (manage to finish).
Study tips
- Learn phrasal verbs in a full sentence, not on their own.
- In Part 1, the words around the gap often decide the answer: pay attention, take part in, as long as.
Glossary
- Phrasal verbs and phrases for hobbies6 items
- Interest, effort and progress7 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Words for free time
Match each word or phrase with its meaning. There is one extra meaning.
Tap an item…
…then its match
2
Choose the right word
Choose the word that best completes each sentence.
- a
I never thought bird-watching would be so ___, but now I spend every Sunday morning by the lake.
- b
The first month of guitar lessons was so frustrating that I nearly ___.
- c
Don't wait for me. ___ playing, and I'll join you when I've finished this phone call.
- d
She's very ___ to her running club and hasn't missed a session all year.
- e
Swimming is a cheap and healthy ___ for people of all ages.
- f
After years of training, she finally ___ her goal of running a marathon in under four hours.
3
Phrasal verbs for hobbies
Complete each sentence with a phrasal verb from the box. There is one extra phrasal verb.
Word box
Tap a gap, then a word, or type the answer.
- a
I decided to a team sport to meet new people, so I joined a hockey club.
- b
I wasn't interested in jazz at all, but after a few concerts I really it.
- c
He the piano when he was twelve because he hated practising scales.
- d
If you practising every day, you'll notice a difference within a month.
- e
I a few words of Italian while I was cooking with friends from Rome.
- f
Between work and the children, I can't a run until late in the evening.
4
Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correction.
- a
I gave up to smoke last year.
- b
I am interested on history.
- c
Carry on to work while I'm out.
- d
She's very keen in photography.
- e
I took part on the competition.
- f
He achieved to run a marathon last spring.
5
Never too late
Read the text. For each gap, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) that best fits. If more than one answer seems possible, choose the most natural one for the context.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 1
Tip: Read the whole text first. Then check the words just before and after each gap: many answers depend on a fixed phrase, like pay attention or take part in.
When Maria retired from teaching, she was determined not to spend her days in front of the television. Instead, she decided to 1 up the violin, an instrument she had always wanted to learn. Progress was slow at first, 2 she practised for an hour every day.
Her teacher gave her some useful 3 : never compare yourself with other people. Instead, she should 4 attention to how much she had improved since the week before. Eighteen months later, she was 5 to join a local amateur orchestra.
Maria now 6 part in two concerts a year, and she says that music has 7 her life in ways she never expected. 'It's never too late to learn something new,' she says, 'as 8 as you enjoy it.'
- 1
Gap 1
- 2
Gap 2
- 3
Gap 3
- 4
Gap 4
- 5
Gap 5
- 6
Gap 6
- 7
Gap 7
- 8
Gap 8
6
Key word transformations
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. Use between two and five words, including the word given.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 4
Tip: Each answer usually tests two things, often a phrasal verb or fixed phrase plus a change of grammar. Check that your sentence means exactly the same as the first one.
- a
I started playing tennis three years ago.
TOOK
I three years ago.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- b
She stopped going to the gym because it was too expensive.
GAVE
She to the gym because it was too expensive.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- c
I'm not very interested in team sports.
KEEN
I'm team sports.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- d
It's ages since I last went climbing.
FOR
I ages.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- e
Learning the guitar takes a lot of time and effort.
COMMITMENT
Learning the guitar is .
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- f
Please continue painting while I make some tea.
CARRY
Please while I make some tea.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
7
Four people and their hobbies
Read what four people say about their hobbies. For questions 1–8, choose from the people (A–D). You can choose each person more than once.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 7
Tip: Read the questions first and underline the key idea in each. The texts will use different words, so look for the same meaning, not the same words.
A Asha I took up urban sketching two years ago, after I saw a group of people drawing outside a café near my office. I'd always thought you needed real talent to draw, but the group welcomed complete beginners. Now I carry a small sketchbook everywhere, and I draw buses, markets and people waiting for trains. It has made me notice details in my own city that I'd walked past for years without seeing. My only regret is that I didn't start sooner. B Ben Every Saturday morning I join a five-kilometre run in the park near my flat. I got into it by accident: my neighbour was nervous about turning up alone, so I went along to keep him company. I was the slowest runner by far that first week, but nobody seemed to care. I keep going because of the people. We chat over coffee afterwards, and I've made more friends there than at work. I've also knocked six minutes off my time, which I never expected. C Chloe My partner and I run a board games evening at our local library once a month. It started when we realised that we hardly saw our friends any more because everyone was too busy. Organising it is quite a commitment: I spend hours choosing games and working out how to explain the rules. But it's worth it. People of all ages come, from teenagers to grandparents, and I've had to learn to stay calm with players who hate losing! D Dev My grandmother had an enormous garden, and when I stayed with her as a boy, she taught me everything she knew about growing vegetables. Years later, when I moved into a flat with no garden, I rented a small piece of land near the river. I'm still learning: last summer, slugs ate nearly all my lettuces. But there's nothing like cooking a meal with food you've grown yourself, and it's the one place where I leave my phone in my bag and forget about it.
Tap an item…
…then its match
8
Write an essay
Write your essay in 140–190 words.
Exam task: Writing, Part 1
Tip: Write about both notes and add a clear idea of your own. Plan four paragraphs: introduction, two or three main points, and a conclusion with your opinion.
In your English class you have been talking about free time. Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay. Some people say that a hobby should be relaxing, not hard work. Do you agree? Notes Write about: 1. stress at work or school 2. learning new skills 3. ........ (your own idea) Word box: take up · get into · give up · carry on · keen on · pastime · commitment · achieve
Suggested minimum: 140 words
Before you hand it in
- My introduction answers the question in my own words.
- I write about both notes and add an idea of my own.
- Each paragraph has one main point.
- I use linking words such as however, on the other hand and as a result.
- My conclusion gives a clear opinion.
0 words · aim for at least 140
Show a model answer
Many people take up a hobby to escape from the pressures of everyday life. But does a hobby always have to be relaxing, or can hard work be part of the fun? On the one hand, most of us have stressful lives. After a long day at work or school, a gentle pastime such as reading or gardening helps us to switch off. If a hobby feels like another job, we may soon give up. On the other hand, learning a new skill is rarely easy. Anyone who has got into playing an instrument knows that it takes real commitment. However, all that effort makes it even more satisfying when we finally achieve something. Another point is that challenging hobbies often bring people together. Training with a team or rehearsing with a choir means meeting people who share our interests. In conclusion, I believe a good hobby should be enjoyable rather than always relaxing. A little hard work makes us proud of what we do and keeps us keen to carry on.
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Fix ItFind the mistake in each sentence, then correct it.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 13 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 2 sets.
Phrasal verbs and phrases for hobbies
- take up
- to start doing a new activity regularly
- get into
- to start to enjoy something and become interested in it
- give up
- to stop doing something you have done regularly
- carry on
- to continue doing something
- take part in
- to join in an activity or event with other people
- keep going
- to continue doing something, even when it is difficult
Interest, effort and progress
- be interested in
- to want to know or learn more about something
- keen on
- very interested in something and liking it a lot
- pastime
- something you do regularly for enjoyment in your free time
- commitment
- the time and effort that an activity needs from you
- achieve
- to succeed in doing something after working hard
- pay attention to
- to watch, listen to or think about something carefully
- it's never too late
- you can still start something, whatever your age
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