The Reading / Listening - SDGs - Level 4

The UN has warned that the world is not on track to achieve the SDGs by 2030. The goals were created in 2015 to improve our lives. They include ending poverty, improving education, reducing gender inequality, and tackling climate change. Only a third of the goals are on track. Wars, climate change, slow economic growth, and other global shocks are making progress difficult. The UN asked countries to increase their efforts in the run-up to 2030.

The UN did report signs of progress. One billion more people have access to drinking water. Internet connectivity has also greatly increased. However, serious challenges remain. There is a lack of progress on gender equality. The UN said: "At the current rate of progress, gender equality would take 171 years to achieve." An official said countries needed to invest more in infrastructure. The UN said the goals could still be achieved.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    SDGs - Level 5 or  SDGs - Level 6

Sources
  • https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2026/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2026.pdf
  • https://www.npr.org/2026/09/18/g-s1-143738/united-nations-sustainable-development-goals-hunger-climate-gender
  • https://earth.org/none-of-17-un-sdgs-on-track-to-be-achieved-by-2030-report-finds-2/


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. created in 2015
  2. reducing gender
  3. Only a third of the goals
  4. slow economic
  5. global
  6. making progress
  7. The UN asked countries to
  8. in the run-
  1. inequality
  2. increase their efforts
  3. growth
  4. up to 2030
  5. difficult
  6. are on track
  7. to improve our lives
  8. shocks

Paragraph 2

  1. The UN did report signs
  2. One billion more people
  3. internet
  4. serious challenges
  5. There is a lack of
  6. At the current
  7. equality would take 171 years
  8. invest more
  1. remain
  2. connectivity
  3. in infrastructure
  4. rate of progress
  5. of progress
  6. progress
  7. have access
  8. to achieve

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The UN has warned that the world is not on track (1) ________________________________________________ SDGs by 2030. The goals were created in 2015 to (2) ________________________________________________. They include ending poverty, improving education, (3) ________________________________________________, and tackling climate change. Only (4) ________________________________________________ the goals are on track. Wars, climate change, slow economic growth, and other global shocks are (5) ________________________________________________. The UN asked countries to increase their efforts in the (6) ________________________________________________ 2030.

The UN did report (7) ________________________________________________. One billion more people have access to drinking water. Internet connectivity (8) ________________________________________________ increased. However, serious challenges remain. There is (9) ________________________________________________ progress on gender equality. The UN said: "At the (10) ________________________________________________ progress, gender equality would take 171 years to achieve." (11) ________________________________________________ countries needed to invest more in infrastructure. The UN said the goals could (12) ________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheUNhaswarnedthattheworldisnotontracktoachievetheSDGsby20
30.Thegoalswerecreatedin2015toimproveourlives.Theyincludeendi
ngpoverty,improvingeducation,reducinggenderinequality,andtackli
ngclimatechange.Onlyathirdofthegoalsareontrack.Wars,climatecha
nge,sloweconomicgrowth,andotherglobalshocksaremakingprogres
sdifficult.TheUNaskedcountriestoincreasetheireffortsintherun-upt
o2030.TheUNdidreportsignsofprogress.Onebillionmorepeoplehave
accesstodrinkingwater.Internetconnectivityhasalsogreatlyincrease
d.However,seriouschallengesremain.Thereisalackofprogressongen
derequality.TheUNsaid:"Atthecurrentrateofprogress,genderequalit
ywouldtake171yearstoachieve."Anofficialsaidcountriesneededtoinv
estmoreininfrastructure.TheUNsaidthegoalscouldstillbeachieved.

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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