What 'the working world' covers: The working world is part of the theme Social organization. You need vocabulary for jobs, work placements, interviews, the conditions of a job and what makes work rewarding.
How to use this list
- Give your opinion about them.
- These are common English B words. Treat the list as a glossary.
- Learn each term with its meaning and a synonym.
- Reuse the terms in the reading and writing sections.
- work placement / internship
- a period of supervised work, often unpaid, to gain experience
- job interview
- a formal meeting where an employer decides whether to hire you
- salary / pay / wage
- the money you are paid for doing a job
- (working) hours / schedule
- the times you are expected to be at work
- boss / employer
- the person or company you work for
- colleague / co-worker
- a person you work with
- to earn a living / to make a living
- to get enough money from work to support yourself
- working conditions
- the pay, hours and environment of a job
- to gain experience
- to learn useful skills by actually doing the work
- CV / résumé
- a short document listing your education and work history
- entrepreneur
- a person who sets up and runs their own business
- remote / working from home
- doing your job away from a workplace, usually online
- rewarding
- giving you a satisfying sense that your effort was worth it
| Useful expression | What it means |
|---|---|
| I did a work placement over the summer. | I worked, mainly to learn, for a fixed period. |
| I had a job interview last week. | I met an employer who was deciding whether to hire me. |
| The pay was low but the experience was worth it. | I didn't earn much, but I learned a lot. |
| I want to gain experience before I apply. | I want practical skills before I go for the real job. |
| I'd love to work remotely one day. | I'd like to do my job from home or while travelling. |
Why this matters: This vocabulary turns up in every skill — a reading text about a job, a listening interview about a career, a Paper 1 blog, or your oral. Reusing precise topic words is how you score Criterion A (Language).
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Have something to say: Examiners reward developed ideas, not just vocabulary. Take a position and back it up.
Common debates on the working world
- Whether young people should work while studying
- The value of unpaid placements
- The rise of remote work and digital jobs
Opinion phrases (use these to introduce a view)
- In my opinion… / From my point of view… — to introduce what you think
- It seems to me that… / I believe that… — a slightly softer way to give a view
- The most important thing is… — to highlight your main point
- On the one hand… on the other hand… — to weigh up two sides
- I (completely) agree that… / I'm not convinced that… — to react to an idea
Drawbacks of working while you study
- You have less free time and can get tired or stressed.
- Some placements are unpaid or have poor conditions.
- A demanding job can affect your studies.
Benefits
- You gain real experience and skills for your CV.
- You earn your own money and feel independent.
- It helps you discover what career you actually want.
Getting a job
- A CV and an application letter
- Preparing for an interview
- Choosing between two job offers
Ways of working
- Working from home, cafés and co-working spaces
- Apprenticeships and work experience
- Starting your own business
Skills and rights
- Soft skills and hard skills: why both matter
- Dress codes and workplace rules
- Complaining about poor service
- a CV / résumé
- a short document listing your education, experience and skills
- an internship
- a period of work, often short, to gain experience in a job
- soft skills
- personal qualities such as teamwork, communication and reliability
- hard skills
- skills you can learn and measure, such as coding or a language
- hybrid working
- working partly from home and partly at the workplace
- an entrepreneur
- a person who starts their own business
Link your ideas: Connectors lift your answer from a list into an argument: moreover (to add), however (to contrast), therefore (to conclude), although (to concede). Use at least two or three in any written answer.
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Read like Paper 2: Here is a short personal account — the kind of text Paper 2 (Reading) gives you. Read it once just for the general idea; don't worry about every word. Then we'll work through one exam question together.
My first job (part 1): Last summer I did a work placement at a physiotherapy clinic. It was my first job and, at first, I was quite nervous.
My first job (part 2)
In the mornings I helped at the reception desk and in the afternoons I watched the physiotherapists with their patients. I learned a huge amount: to arrive on time, to work as a team and to talk to very different people.
My first job (part 3)
The hardest part was getting used to the early starts, because I had to be there at seven every morning. However, earning my own money and feeling useful was worth it. Now I am sure that I want to study physiotherapy, so this placement helped me decide my future.
- work placement
- a period of supervised work to gain experience
- reception desk
- the front area where visitors are greeted
- to get used to
- to become familiar and comfortable with something new
- to be worth it
- to be valuable enough to justify the effort or cost
- to feel useful
- to feel that what you do matters and helps others
IB-style task — one Paper 2 question
One question, step by step
- The question — "According to the text, what was the hardest part of the placement for the writer?"
- Find it in the text. Look for the words "the hardest part": "The hardest part was getting used to the early starts, because I had to be there at seven every morning."
- The answer — Getting used to the early starts / having to be there at seven every morning. The words are right there in the text, so no outside knowledge is needed.
Reading technique: For an "according to the text" question, find the exact line that proves your answer — don't rely on memory or general knowledge.
The task: Your school is running a careers week, and a local café is offering summer jobs. Write a formal email to apply: describe your work experience and explain why you would be a good choice.
Write 250–400 words.
Formal email structure — 6 steps
1
Subject line
Give the email a short, clear subject. "Subject: Application for the summer waiter position"
2
Formal greeting
Open with Dear + title + surname. "Dear Ms Evans,"
3
Body: who you are and why you write
Introduce yourself and give your purpose in the first lines. "I am writing to apply for… Last July I worked…"
4
Your request
Say clearly what you want the reader to do. "I would be happy to attend an interview."
5
Polite close
Thank the reader and mention a reply. "Thank you for your time."
6
Sign-off and name
End with Yours sincerely and your full name. "Yours sincerely, Leo Martin"
Subject → Greeting → Body → Request → Polite close → Signature
Model: the 6 steps in ~100 words
The formal email, step by step
- Subject: Application for the summer waiter position
- Dear Ms Evans,
- I am writing to apply for the summer waiter position advertised on your website. Last July I worked in a busy café in the town centre. At first I found the schedule tough, but I learned to stay calm under pressure, to work as part of a team and, above all, to be punctual, because managers notice it.
- I am available from 1 July and would be happy to attend an interview at any time.
- Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.
- Yours sincerely, Leo Martin
Why it works: A strong formal email does this for each of the three Paper 1 criteria:
A — Language /12
- Range of tenses: past "I worked", "I learned", conditional "would be happy"
- Connectors: "at first", "but", "above all", "because"
- Topic vocabulary: position, under pressure, punctual
B — Message /12
- Task fully done: describes his experience AND why he is a good choice
- Skills backed by a real job
C — Conceptual /6
- Email conventions: subject line naming the job, "Dear Ms Evans", "Yours sincerely"
- Formal register, purpose in the first sentence
- Availability and a request for an interview
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How listening is tested: Paper 2 also tests listening: you hear short clips, each played twice, and you never see the words.
How to answer — 3 steps
1
Read the questions first
Do this before the clip plays.
2
Listen for the key idea
Focus on the part each question points to.
3
Then answer
Use what the speaker actually says.
Questions → Key idea → Answer
Practise on the page: Here we'll use a transcript so you can practise the technique on the page. Read the questions, then find the answer in the speaker's words.
Transcript — Jade, an apprentice electrician (part 1): Hi, I'm Jade, and I'm an apprentice electrician. After school I chose a two-year apprenticeship instead of university, so now I spend four days a week on building sites with an experienced electrician and one day at college. I start at seven, and the work can be physical and dirty.
Transcript — Jade, an apprentice electrician (part 2)
What I like most is solving problems with my hands and earning money while I learn. But the job needs a lot of concentration, because one small mistake with electricity can be dangerous.
IB-style task — two listening questions
Two questions, step by step
- Q1 — How is Jade's week organised? Listen just after "so now I spend": "four days a week on building sites with an experienced electrician and one day at college." That is your answer.
- Q2 — What does the job need, according to Jade? She says it at the end: "the job needs a lot of concentration, because one small mistake with electricity can be dangerous." Answer: a lot of concentration.
Listening technique: Read the questions before the clip plays. Each question usually points to one short part of the recording — listen for the words around it, not the whole thing.