Reporting

Pre-intermediate

Lead-in

1. Work with a partner. Think of three good exercise habits and three good eating habits.

2. Check if another pair has the same or different ideas.

Reading

1. Look at the following two essay topic statements. Do you agree or disagree with the
statements?

a. ‘In keeping healthy, exercise is more important than a healthy diet.’

b. ‘Having a flexible body is the key to being healthy.’

2. Read extracts from two essays. Which statement are they are responding to?

Tony’s answer:
Another point is that diet alone does not really help people to improve their physical health
unless it is combined with exercise. Nutritional experts claim that chicken helps us build
muscle. However, this overlooks the fact that it is exercise, such as weight-lifting, which has
the biggest benefit in terms of increasing muscle. In a study carried out in 2015, Jenkins (p.34)
reports that people who did weight training alongside a high-protein diet had much better
results than those who had a high-protein diet only. This is evidence that the statement is true.
In addition, exercise, such as yoga, helps people to develop flexibility. This is something that
food cannot do as well. Yoga experts suggest that this type of exercise also reduces stress.
This again shows that exercise is more important than diet.

Holly’s answer:
It is important to remember that eating less is the most effective way of losing weight. Sports
and fitness experts often state that exercise is the key to ‘burning calories’ and evidence
shows that is partly true. However, Hedge (2007 p.3) argues that it is much better to not
eat too many calories in the first place, mainly because it takes so much exercise to burn a
significant number of calories. She gives the example of swimming, where breaststroke only
burns an average of 585 calories for every hour of exercise. Carrol (2011 p.124) also suggests
that children and adults should generally reduce the amount they eat in order to stay healthy
and that this is more important than increasing exercise. These views are supported in a
newer study by Ellroy (2016 p.33), who recommends that the government should promote
healthy eating in all groups alongside mild, but regular exercise such as walking. I therefore
disagree with the statement. Exercise is important but much less important to our health than
what we eat.

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Pre-intermediate

3. Read sentences 1-6 and decide if they are true (T) or false (F). Correct the false sentences.

1. Chicken is good food for people who want to gain

muscle, Reading strategies: reading for detail
according to nutritionists.

When reading for detail ...

2. Jenkins reports that a high protein diet is more
important than
• Underline the key words, names or
exercise.
information in the question.
• Scan the text and find the key words,
3. Tony agrees that exercise is more important than names or information.
diet. • Be ready to find words which have
a similar meaning but are not the
4. Tony claims that yoga brings no significant benefits. same.
• Carefully read the sentences in which
5. Holly states that exercise is key to burning calories. the important words appear before
deciding on an answer.
6. Carrol claims that swimming is not an efficient way
to exercise.

Language

1. Find phrases in the text and add them to the table.

Phrases for introducing Supporting an argument Countering an argument

an argument

2. Add any other phrases you know to the table.

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Pre-intermediate

Vocabulary

1. Look at the words in italics in sentences 1–6 and match them to

their meanings a–f. Pronunciation: strong
and weak forms

1. ‘Nutritional experts claim that chicken helps us build muscle.’

2. ‘Jenkins reports that people who did weight-training had much Verbs are normally
better results.’ stressed but ‘that’ has a
weak pronunciation.
3. ‘Fitness experts state that exercise is the key to ‘burning calories.’ Listen to your teacher
and mark the weak
4. ‘Hedge argues that it is better not to eat too many calories.’ forms or schwa (ǝ) in
the sentences from
Vocabulary 1. Practise
5. ‘Carrol also suggests that that children and adults should reduce
saying the sentences
the amount they eat.’
from Vocabulary 1.

6. ‘Ellroy recommends that the government should promote healthy

eating.’

a. when someone refers to data that they discovered

b. when someone expresses an idea

c. when someone says something is a good idea

d. when someone says something officially

e. when someone gives reasons

f. when someone says they believe something to be true

2. Work with a partner. Discuss the following questions.

• What types of food are healthy?

• What health advice have you heard from the government?
• Have you ever disagreed with any health advice?

3. Summarise your discussion by completing the following sentences.

1. My friend claims that

2. Some people state that

3. The government recommends that

4. Work with a new partner and discuss the sentences.

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 Reporting
Pre-intermediate

TASK

1. Look at the card your teacher gives you and complete the section of the table with notes.

Text 1 Text 2 Text 3

What is the food/

diet advice

What do the
experts say?

What is your own

opinion?

2. Discuss the ideas together and complete the table while listening to a partner.

3. Decide which piece of advice is the best.

Reflection

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