The Reading / Listening - Bricklayers - Level 4

A housing crisis in the UK is because of a lack of bricklayers. Britain needs more homes so young people can get on the housing ladder. Rising rent and unaffordable housing have increased rough sleeping. Many governments have failed to meet housebuilding targets. The latest government said it needs more bricklayers and skilled tradespeople. The UK needs an extra 25,000 bricklayers to fulfil its promise to build 1.5 million new homes.

The UK blamed the lack of workers on "years of underinvestment in skills". It said it was doing its best to build 300,000 new homes. It added: "We will pull every lever to deliver on our commitment." However, a housebuilding consultant called the government's homebuilding pledge "unrealistic". He said training enough workers could take "a generation". He called the current target of 5,000 new apprenticeships each year a "drop in the ocean".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Bricklayers - Level 5 or  Bricklayers - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/key-homelessness-policy-areas/housing/housing-supply/
  • https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1917971/bricklayer-shortage-threatens-general-election-housing-pledges
  • https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/labour-s-1-5m-new-homes-pledge-at-risk-as-uk-short-of-25-000-bricklayers/ar-AA1zCrDh


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A housing
  2. a lack
  3. young people can get on
  4. rising
  5. increased rough
  6. failed to meet housebuilding
  7. bricklayers and skilled
  8. fulfil its
  1. tradespeople
  2. the housing ladder
  3. sleeping
  4. targets
  5. crisis in the UK
  6. promise
  7. of bricklayers
  8. rent

Paragraph 2

  1. The UK blamed the
  2. years of underinvestment
  3. It said it was doing
  4. pull every lever
  5. a housebuilding
  6. take a
  7. the current target of 5,000
  8. a drop
  1. consultant
  2. its best
  3. new apprenticeships
  4. in skills
  5. to deliver
  6. in the ocean
  7. generation
  8. lack of workers

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

(1) ________________________________________________ in the UK is because of a lack of bricklayers. Britain (2) ________________________________________________ so young people can get on (3) ________________________________________________. Rising rent and unaffordable housing have (4) ________________________________________________. Many governments have failed to meet housebuilding targets. The latest government said it needs more bricklayers (5) ________________________________________________. The UK needs an extra 25,000 bricklayers to (6) ________________________________________________ to build 1.5 million new homes.

The UK blamed the (7) ________________________________________________ on "years of underinvestment in skills". It said it was doing its (8) ________________________________________________ 300,000 new homes. It added: "We will pull every (9) ________________________________________________ on our commitment." However, a housebuilding consultant called the government's homebuilding pledge "unrealistic". He said (10) ________________________________________________ could take "a generation". He called (11) ________________________________________________ of 5,000 new apprenticeships each year a "drop (12) ________________________________________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AhousingcrisisintheUKisbecauseofalackofbricklayers.Britainneeds
morehomessoyoungpeoplecangetonthehousingladder.Risingrenta
ndunaffordablehousinghaveincreasedroughsleeping.Manygovernm
entshavefailedtomeethousebuildingtargets.Thelatestgovernments
aiditneedsmorebricklayersandskilledtradespeople.TheUKneedsane
xtra25,000bricklayerstofulfilitspromisetobuild1.5millionnewhomes
.TheUKblamedthelackofworkerson"yearsofunderinvestmentinskills
".Itsaiditwasdoingitsbesttobuild300,000newhomes.Itadded:"Wewi
llpulleverylevertodeliveronourcommitment."However,ahousebuildi
ngconsultant,calledthegovernment'shomebuildingpledge"unrealisti
c".Hesaidtrainingenoughworkerscouldtake"ageneration".Hecalledt
hecurrenttargetof5,000newapprenticeshipseachyeara"dropintheoc
ean".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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