ADVANCED 2

YOU CAN’T
JUDGE A
BOOK …

Get talking
Do you know how the
idiom in the title ends?
What do you think it
means? Do you agree?
What are the
disadvantages of making
snap judgements about
people or situations? Why
do you think people often
do this?

INSIDE PROJECT
Find out about Learn and practise Talk about Learn and use Contribute to a
unconscious bias and useful collocations for your own expressions for making campaign to raise
its impact on behaviour talking about bias and experiences and challenging awareness of
and decisions. other social attitudes. of bias. assumptions. unconscious bias.

OUR WORLD
If you are human,
you are biased
A We would all like to think that we’re open-minded and
don’t fall into the trap of making snap judgements
about others based on their age, gender, ethnicity,
sexuality or even their appearance or education.
However, research shows that almost all of us hold
‘implicit’ or ‘unconscious biases’ which can lead us to
unintentionally (or subconsciously) treat certain types
of people differently, even though this often conflicts
with our core values and beliefs.
B These unconscious biases are influenced by our
personal experiences and cultural environment as well
as social stereotypes, and they can affect the way we
behave in many different ways, such as how we react to
people, how attentively we listen, how much empathy
we have for people and how friendly or responsive we
are to others.
C There is evidence to suggest that even children as
young as six hold preconceived biases related to
gender. An experiment on gender biases carried out by
New York University demonstrated that six- and seven-
year-old girls were more likely to associate ‘brilliance’
with males than females. In the experiment, they were
told a story about someone who was ‘extremely smart’.
When asked to guess who the person was from four
unfamiliar photos (two women and two men), the
majority chose a male. The research also suggests that
these stereotypes have long-term effects, putting girls
off activities which require ‘brilliance’, and eventually
influencing their aspirations and future career choices.
D This gender bias can also be seen in schools. Traditionally
girls are considered to have better verbal skills, including
spelling and writing, while boys are often thought to be
better than girls at maths and sciences. This kind of
stereotyping may partly explain why girls tend to choose
subjects where ‘their strengths lie’, such as literature,
psychology and sociology, while boys outweigh girls in
subjects like chemistry, maths and physics.
E Geography and the demographics of local communities
can lead to other types of bias, such as social class bias.
2 © British Council | C1.2 10 | v1.2
Aims
Understand and summarise an article about
unconscious bias.
Learn and use collocations to talk about bias and
other social attitudes.
Share views on different types of bias present in
everyday life.
In schools with large differences in socioeconomic
status, working-class pupils are sometimes
unconsciously seen as ‘less able’. With this
unconscious bias comes the danger that teachers
may treat these pupils differently, which in turn may
lead students to perceive themselves as less able
and so not perform well academically. Thus, the bias
becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
F We usually think of unconscious bias as being related to
race, gender or age, but it covers a much broader
spectrum. Take a moment to think about this: fewer than
15 per cent of American men are more than six feet tall,
but 60 per cent of Fortune 500 chief executive officers
are taller than six foot. Clearly, companies are not
instructed to recruit tall men, and yet they show
unconscious bias towards them. Similar patterns can
be found for generals and admirals in the army, and
even for US presidents.
G Another example of unconscious bias can be found in
the way companies design products. For example, when
Google launched an app for uploading videos onto
YouTube, they found that five to ten per cent of videos
were uploaded upside down. Google engineers realised
that they had designed the app for right-handers, and
that left-handers usually rotate their phones 180
degrees when shooting videos, causing the videos to
appear the wrong way up.
H Companies like Google are starting to recognise the
problem and are working on diversity and inclusion
issues by giving employees unconscious bias training,
but as individuals we can also help. We can look at our
own behaviours and attitudes, challenging ourselves to
think and behave in ways which are more inclusive. A
starting point is to do an unconscious bias test, such as
the Implicit Association Test designed by Harvard
University, which aims to measure people’s unconscious
bias towards certain types of people. Once we start to
recognise areas in our life where bias exists, we can
start looking for opportunities to expose ourselves to
people and experiences beyond our normal circles.
 1. PREPARE TO READ
Study the words in the word cloud. Do you know their
meanings? What topic do you think they’re all related to?
unconscious bias
inclusion perceive
preconceived
gender influence
social class associate
open-minded
stereotype judgement
2. READ THE ARTICLE
Read the article and decide which definition (A, B or C)
best describes unconscious biases.
A. Unconscious biases are social stereotypes about certain
groups of people that we form unknowingly.
B. Unconscious biases are opinions we have about certain
types of people based on our beliefs and values.
C. Unconscious biases are irrational preferences we have
towards a certain group of people.
3. READ FOR MORE DETAIL
Read the article again and answer the questions.
1. According to the writer, how might girls’ career aspirations
be affected by gender bias?
2. Why does the writer include this information in the text:
‘Similar patterns can be found for generals and admirals in
the army, and even for US presidents’?
3. What does the writer mean when he says that bias against
working-class kids can become ‘a self-fulfilling prophecy’?
4. How does the writer suggest that we deal with our own
biases?
My Practice 1 & 2
Reflect
Think back to activity 4. How challenging was it to identify
the key ideas? What challenges, if any, did you encounter
© British Council | C1.2 10 | v1.2
in writing your summary? How might you use this skill in
your academic life?
4. DEVELOP WRITING SKILLS
Follow the steps to write a summary of the article.
STEP 1: Sentences 1–4 summarise the key ideas in
paragraphs A–D. Match each sentence with the
correct paragraph. Write A–D.
1. Gender biases start forming at a very early age.
2. Our biases have various roots and cause us to
treat others differently in a range of ways.
3. Boys are perceived as more scientific than girls,
which affects both genders’ academic and
career choices.
4. Everyone has unconscious biases which affect
how we interact with others.
STEP 2: Write single sentences summarising the key ideas in
paragraphs E–H.
STEP 3: Write a paragraph summarising the article.
STEP 4: Change summaries with a partner. Read each other’s
summaries and give suggestions for improvements.
STEP 5: Review your partner’s suggestions and write a final
version of your paragraph.
5. EXPLORE VOCABULARY
Choose an appropriate preposition to complete each
sentence. Find examples of the verb phrases in the
article to check your answers.
about by for to towards with
1. Why do you think that recruiters might be biased
tall candidates?
2. Why do you think good verbal skills are often associated
girls?
3. How do our hidden biases affect the way we react
people?
4. Do you think we have more empathy
people who are like or unlike us?
5. In what ways do you think unconscious biases can
conflict our core attitudes and beliefs?
6. What judgements do older people make
teenagers?
7. When you choose your friends, are you influenced
their religion or political views?
My Practice 3
6. GIVE YOUR VIEWS
Discuss the questions in activity 5. Give reasons for your
answers and examples to support your statements.
3

LANGUAGE
IN ACTION
1. SHARE IDEAS
Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) has
been part of the national curriculum for schools in the
UK since the year 2000. Discuss these questions
about PSHE lessons:
1. What do you think is the purpose of these lessons?
2. What topics do you think students might learn about?
Write down five possible topics.
3. Do you have similar lessons at school in your country?
4. How important do you think it is to include lessons like
this in the school curriculum?
2. PREPARE TO LISTEN
You’re going to listen to a PSHE lesson in an English
secondary school. At the beginning of the lesson, the
teacher asks her students to share their first
impressions of the man in the photo. Before you
listen, look at the photo and discuss the questions.
1. What do you think the students will say about the man?
Why?
2. What might be the teacher’s reason for showing the
class this photo?
1 3. LISTEN TO THE LESSON (PART 1)
Listen to the first part of the lesson and check your
answers from activity 2.
4 © British Council | C1.2 10 | v1.2
Aims
Listen to and understand part of a PSHE lesson in
an English secondary school.
Identify and practise language for making and
challenging assumptions.
Share views about my own personal biases and
my experience of bias.
1 4. LISTEN FOR MORE DETAIL
Listen again and answer the questions.
1. Why does the teacher say that the photo task might be
a little unfair?
2. Give one example of where biases come from,
according to one of the students.
3. One of the students thinks we tend to respect men in
suits. What reasons does he give for this?
4. Towards the end of the audio, the teacher asks about
the risks of making assumptions about people. What
example of a risk does one student give?
5. What are the students going to talk about in the next
part of the lesson?
2 5. LISTEN TO THE LESSON (PART 2)
What real-life examples of bias do you think students
might mention in the next part of the lesson? Listen
and make notes. Were any of your predictions correct?
My Practice 4
 6. TALK ABOUT YOUR WORLD
Discuss the questions. Report your ideas to the class.
1. Do you have any experience of biased decisions being made against you or anyone you know?
2. Do you think you have any biases that affect decisions you make, e.g. when choosing sports to do, places to go out,
school subjects or friends?
3. One of the students suggested that bias can come from the media. Can you think of any other possible sources of
unconscious biases and stereotypes?

7. LOOK AT LANGUAGE
Look at some things the students said during the lesson. Choose an appropriate word to complete each sentence.
Look at the audio script and check your answers. In which sentences are the students making assumptions and in
which are they challenging assumptions?

can’t obvious be know can looks mean bet all

A. I he’s really successful. F. For we know, he might have bought

his suit from a second-hand shop.
B. He a bit smug to me.
G. You say he’s a hard worker either, just
C. You tell he’s really clever too.
because he’s in a suit.
D. Just because he looks smart doesn’t
H. It’s he’s a bit of a high flyer.
he’s clever.
I. You never , he might be the laziest
E. He’ll a hard worker, I bet.
person ever.

My Practice 5 & 6

8. DO A ROLE PLAY
Choose four photos of people you know. Show them to a
classmate. Take turns to give your impressions of the
people in the photos. Challenge your partner’s ‘biased’
views. Then reveal how accurate their first impressions
were. Use language from activity 7.

I bet he’s really bright.

How do you know? Just

because he wears glasses
doesn’t mean he’s clever.

© British Council | C1.2 10 | v1.2
Reflect
Look back at activity 7. How many of the expressions were
you already familiar with? Which if any of them were new to
you? How could you get further practice at using these
expressions? How might they be useful in your academic life? 5
 Aims

PROJECT
Understand a text and a role play about first
impressions.
Research a bias issue that interests me.
Create material for an anti-bias campaign.

3 1. LISTEN TO THE ROLE PLAY

Listen to a group of students role-playing a situation as part of the PSHE lesson. Answer the questions.
1. What’s the setting of the role play? What kind of people are they role-playing as?
2. What bias issue are they trying to demonstrate?
3. What snap judgements did they make about the new student?
4. Were their judgements correct? Why or why not?
5. Do you think these types of assumptions are widely held? Can you imagine a similar scenario or conversation
happening in your school?

2. READ THE LEAFLET

The students from the PSHE lesson were asked to contribute materials to a campaign to raise awareness of
unconscious biases. Read the leaflet they’ve made and answer the questions.
1. What information does the leaflet contain?
2. Who do you think the leaflet is aimed at? Would it be appealing to teenagers? Why or why not?
3. How effective do you think the leaflet is? How could it be improved?
4. Having read the leaflet, what advice would you give to the biased teachers in the role play?

You are what you A study was carried out So, try to overcome your biases

wear … or are you? involving over 300 people. about appearance:

‘HE DOESN’T LOOK LIKE MY TYPE.’
‘I CAN TELL SHE’S SENSIBLE.’
‘IT’S OBVIOUS HE’S A BIT OF A POSER.’
They were asked to look at
• Be open-minded when you
images of men in suits for
meet someone for the first time.
about three seconds. Some
of the men wore a made-to- • Recognise your unconscious
measure suit, while others biases.
wore a similar off-the-peg • Don’t make assumptions about
suit bought from a high- people until you’ve talked to
street shop. The suits were them and got to know them.
a similar colour and in a
similar fabric, and the faces • Make a conscious effort to be
were ‘blurred’ so as not to friendly to people who you
influence any judgements. might not instantly relate to.
After just three seconds, • Challenge your preconceptions
people judged the men in and give people a chance!
the expensive made-to-
measure suit more
favourably. They were
described as more
confident, successful,
flexible and high earners.
There was no basis for
these judgements, apart
from the clothing.

6 © British Council | C1.2 10 | v1.2

 3. SHARE IDEAS
Discuss these biased opinions. Are they common in
your society? To what extent are they true? Think of
people you know who disprove these opinions. What
other biased opinions or stereotypes are common in
your society?
Old people are Little girls like
Under-18s are
technically dolls and little
irresponsible.
challenged. boys like cars.
4. RESEARCH
Choose one of the unconscious bias issues you’ve
learned about or discussed in this module to research
in more detail. Try to find:
• more information about this kind of bias, including news
stories about it or examples of bias in action
• information about or examples of how the bias impacts
the subject of the bias
• evidence or examples to disprove the bias or stereotype.
‘Under-18s are irresponsible.’
Examples: Not allowed to vote until 18, groups
of teenagers not allowed in local shops, media
shows teenagers as lazy/bad
Impact: Teenagers feel excluded, self-fulfilling
prophecy
Example to disprove bias: successful teenage
entrepreneurs, e.g. Guillaume Roland who
invented the sensory alarm clock
Reflect
How easy or difficult did you find this project? What was the
most challenging aspect? What was the most enjoyable?
How much new language from this module were you able to
incorporate into the campaign material you produced?
© British Council | C1.2 10 | v1.2
5. THINK ABOUT SOLUTIONS
Look at the list of suggestions on how to reduce bias.
How effective do you think they might be? Which of
them might be relevant to the issue you have chosen?
Brainstorm other solutions.
1. Be aware of your own biases. Make a conscious
effort to notice your responses to different people
and situations.
2. Counter stereotypes with positive images; imagine
the opposite of the stereotype that you have.
3. Put yourself in other people’s shoes. Try to imagine
things from their perspective.
4. Focus on facts about that person rather than gut
feelings.
5. Avoid making generalisations.
6. Try to increase opportunities for contact with a
diverse range of people.
7. Avoid media sources which use prejudiced or
discriminatory language.
My Practice 7
6. CREATE MATERIAL FOR
AN ANTI-BIAS CAMPAIGN
You’ve been asked to contribute to an anti-bias
campaign. You can produce a role play, a leaflet, a
meme or social media post, or a website. Your
contribution should:
• demonstrate that the bias exists and show how it
impacts on people’s decisions and behaviour
• show how the bias can have negative effects
• suggest solutions to the problem.
My Practice 8
7. SHARE AND DISCUSS
Present your contribution to the anti-bias campaign to
the class. Listen to other groups’ presentations.
Discuss the ideas you liked or didn’t like and how
effective you think they might be.
7
 MY CHOICE
CHOOSE YOUR NEXT STEPS
BEING SOMEONE ELSE REPRESENTATION COGNITIVE BIASES

Have you ever read or watched
something and wished you were
more like a character in the story
or had their abilities?
Well, the Implicit Association Test
has been used to demonstrate that
the things we read, watch or
experience can change the way we
act. So, your dreams of being Harry
Potter might actually come true ...
at least to a certain extent.
Watch a video to find out how we
can be influenced by the things
we read and watch.
Think about popular TV series, soap
operas or sitcoms in your country.
How diverse is the cast? What about
the people behind the scenes like
the writers, producers and directors?
Think about the following:
race size
gender nationality
sexual orientation
age disability
social class
Why do you think it’s important to
consider diversity and
representation in films, TV shows and
books?
Watch a vlogger talking about
representation in Black Panther
and investigate films, TV shows or
books from your country to see
how representative they are.
In this module, you’ve learned
about how unconscious bias about
gender, race and other social
groups can affect people’s
judgements. However, the human
brain is subject to many other
cognitive biases. Here are just a
few:
• confirmation bias
• ingroup bias
• gambler’s fallacy
•
•
probability neglect
observational selection bias
• negativity bias
• bandwagon effect
• current moment bias
• anchoring effect
What do you think these different
types of biases could refer to?
How do you think you can
challenge some of these cognitive
biases?
Find out about different
cognitive biases and come up
with strategies for how to
challenge them.

REVIEW YOUR LEARNING

How well did I do?

I understood
discussed the
and
teenage
summarised
brain and
an article
learning
on I learned
practised
and
using
usedphrases
expressions
to givefor
advice
making
strategies. bias.
unconscious politely.
and challenging assumptions.

I learned
learned and
andpractised
used someuseful
useful
collocations
phrasal verbs.
for I created
made andmaterial
presented
for an
a poster
anti-bias
about
campaign.
a useful
talking about bias and other social attitudes. learning strategy for teenagers.

= II did
= did this
this well.
well. = II did
= did this
this quite
quite well.
well. = II can’t
= can’t do
do this
this yet.
yet.

What
What do
do II need
need to
to do
do next?
next?

8 © British Council | C1.2 10 | v1.2


YOU CAN’T
JUDGE A BOOK
STUDY SKILLS
1. SHARE IDEAS
Discuss the questions with a
partner.
1. Why is it important to use credible,
unbiased sources when conducting
research?
2. How do internet research sources
differ from printed articles and
books?
READING
2. PREPARE TO READ
When you read a non-fiction text or
webpage while researching a topic,
it is important to look for and
identify bias. This helps you to
critically and independently review
sources to ensure that the
information presented is factual.
Bias means that the writer is
presenting their opinion as factual,
and their purpose may be to
persuade or mislead the reader. The
text may seem to be factual, but it
actually expresses the writer’s ideas
or prejudices or takes only one side
of a debate or argument.
Scientific journals, reports and
academic articles are more reliable
sources than magazine articles and
news stories. Blogs and online
collaborative information sources
are not always reliable. When
checking online sources for
reliability, it is essential to check the
writer and the publisher or
organisation that produces the
website.
Discuss with a partner: Have you read any examples of bias recently?
There are several types of bias and
What sources of material for research are usually unbiased and reliable?
several ways we can identify bias.
© British Council | C1.2 SS 10 | v1.0
Aims
Identify bias when conducting research.
Learn to cite sources when writing and to
include them in a bibliography.
The most common ones include:
Writer’s opinion Emotive language, positive/negative adjectives and
For or against adverbs, exaggeration and hyperbole:
Zoos clearly function as disgusting, cruel prisons.
This product is the most effective ever sold.
Stereotypes Attributing characteristics to whole groups:
Teenagers are lazy./All businesspeople are greedy.
Prejudice The use of gender-specific words instead of non
gender-specific:
He/She instead of They: Every doctor should carry his phone
at all times.
Policeman instead of police officer
Girls instead of women/females
Statements such as ‘Men are better drivers.’
Description of race or colour when unnecessary.
Use of unacceptable words to describe minorities or ethnic
groups.
Racial/national stereotypes: Americans are all dumb./Asians
are all excellent at maths.
Grouping older people together and in a negative light:
Over-60s should not be allowed to drive.
Grey army of grannies all set to invade our libraries.
Misleading use Data not attributed to any source.
of data/facts Numbers/data used out of context:
A vast majority of plants are edible. (Actual figure:
22 per cent)
Seventy-five per cent of dentists use Shino toothpaste.
Unfair use of When reporting an event or a debate, only one side is given.
quotations/ Using only quotations that support the writer’s opinion.
points of view
Political bias Attributing negative characteristics to political groups or
movements:
STUDY SKILLS
Left-wing fanatics want to get rid of freedom to smoke
outside.
Focusing on personality and behaviour, not politics:
Conservative MP’s huge dining bill on taxpayers’ money.
9
 READING continued
B
3. READ TWO NEWSPAPER ARTICLES Glanbury locals
Read two newspaper articles about a music festival and answer tormented by nightmare
the questions. Then discuss your answers in pairs. festival yet again
heaved a sigh
1. What are the two articles about? 3. What is the writer’s purpose in Angry residents of Glanbury
f on Sun day nigh t as tho usands of
each article? of relie
2. Which one is biased? lly clea red out of the
drunk, stoned kids fina
fest ival and the nor mal ly quiet
Sunny Days

Sunny Days festival attracts record

A ind the ma
and orderly area, leaving beh
slee ples s nigh ts for
trail of rubbish and
Many
number of music fans and is a success all round poor locals to recover from.
police and
commented on the screaming
ns that had bee n heard day
ambulance sire
The annual Sunny Days music festival, musicians were represented in larger
nigh t, alon g with the into lerably loud
and
held in Glanbury, Somerset, ended on numbers than ever before. This year’s hours. Retired
Sunday night, having beaten several of its theme of Environmental Action was also music playing until the small
es said : ‘The y wer e playing
personal bests. The attendance figures this a  success: the organisers reported that the local Sam Jon
the re were
year, announced by the festival organisers amount of litter left behind was less than that awful black music and
abo ut wom en’s rights
and confirmed by Somerset Police, reached half that of last year and that hungry some bands raving
h rub bish . I wou ld lock the lot of
75,000 – the highest in the festival’s festivalgoers had responded positively to and suc
drugged-up
decade-long history. Another record for the ban on single-use plastic in all catering them up: they are a bunch of
cre ate not hing but mess and
the festival was the low number of medical outlets. The local council praised the layabouts that
s, the
incidents: only 350 cases of drug or event’s organisers and the attendees and chaos.’ Despite locals’ protest
Cou ncil is all in favour
alcohol-related visits to the hospital tent, said that it was good for visitors and loony-left Glanbury
the eve nt bigg er eve ry year. The
compared to last year’s total of over 700. residents alike, as the festival brought in a of making
ts the town
Other incidents needing emergency revenue of £100,000 to the town in only clean-up operation alone cos
ey whi ch cou ld be much
responses were also in decline: the Fire three days. The organisers £5,000 a year, mon
s, like
bet ter spent on local ser vice
Services were called out only twice to put acknowledged that there had been
men. The
increasing the number of fire
out campfires and the police made a mere several complaints from local
50 arrests for trafficking of illegal residents about the noise, ival stri kes fear in locals’
name of the fest
substances. The range of acts on offer was and committed to
rts eve ry yea r: suc h was the hot
hea
ed bodies
weather this year that half-nak
the most diverse ever as well: there were tackling that
performances by bands from 30 countries, problem in time for
n all ove r tow n, in the parks and
could be see
including eight from Africa, and female next year’s event. of Glan bury.
streets, much to the disgust

4. READ AGAIN Tips

When referring to online sources in
Read the first article again and tick the statements that are correct.
your academic research or studies, it is
1. The writer includes both positive and negative views of the festival. especially important to check them for
reliability. Check these aspects of each
2. The writer attributes figures to an authoritative source.
source carefully:
3. The writer avoids racism when mentioning nationality.
Authorship: If there is no author
4. The writer states their personal opinion of the festival. mentioned, that is a worrying sign. You
5. The writer uses figures and data in context. should be able to find the author’s
name, credentials, expertise and
6. The writer uses inclusive and acceptable terms rather than sexist ones. biographical information.
7. The writer encourages people to buy a ticket to the festival next year. Publisher: Is the publisher established, a
8. The writer avoids emotive, opinionated, exaggerated language. government agency or not-for-profit
organisation, or does the publisher have
a commercial purpose?
Accuracy and objectivity: Can the facts
5. READ FOR MORE DETAIL presented on the website be verified in
1. Read the second article again and underline an example of each other sources? Always check multiple
kind of bias in the text. sources to determine credibility and
lack of bias.
STUDY SKILLS

1. misleading use of data 5. sexism

Timeliness: Is the website up to date
2. racism 6. stereotypes
and does it contain the latest statistics?
3. political bias 7. unfair use of quotations
Footnotes and bibliographies: Look for
4. writer’s opinion
references to other sources used by
2. Discuss with a partner: Which of the two articles do you consider the website and check their reliability.
to be a reliable source of information? Why?

My Practice 1

10 © British Council | C1.2 SS 10 | v1.0

 WRITING

6. PREPARE TO WRITE 8. SHARE YOUR IDEAS

With a partner, discuss the following
When you write about a topic you have researched, include citations from
topics. Note down your ideas about
your sources. Make sure they are relevant to your topic and useful to support
whether you agree or disagree with
or provide evidence for your claims. Irrelevant or unnecessary citations will
the statements. Choose one to write
lower the quality of your writing. When you use a source in your writing, you
about.
must cite the source in the text. If you do not, you will be committing
plagiarism, which is a serious act of dishonesty in the academic world. ● Women’s salaries in management
The citation within the text can be: roles are lower than men’s.

● direct, using the writer’s own words:

● Female students are better at
According to Williams: ‘Second language learners show improved ability in languages than male students.
verbal reasoning in their first language’ (Williams, 2015, p.23). ● Teenagers should be able to start
● indirect, but accurately paraphrased: school later in the day.
Williams (2015) claims that second language learners have improved ● Exams are the best way to test
ability in verbal reasoning in their own language. students.
You must also include your sources in an alphabetically-organised
bibliography or a reference list at the end of your writing.
● The format for printed sources is this: 9. PLAN YOUR
Author’s surname, initial(s). (Year of publication). Title of book or article. WRITING
Location (city) of publisher. Publisher.
On your own, look for three reliable
For example:
sources on your chosen topic. Make
Williams, J. (2015). The Second Language Learner. London. CUP.
notes and choose some useful
● The format for online sources is this: citations.
Author’s surname, initial(s). (Year, month, date), Title of article. Title of
website (if applicable) Publisher. URL
For example:
Cain, B. (2014, June 28). The Negative Effects of Social Media on 10. WRITE AN ESSAY
Communication. Social Media Now RSS. Cohen Review. http://
Write an essay of 250-300 words on
socialmedianow.com
the title you chose in activity 8.
Research and cite the three reliable
Discuss with a partner: What are the differences between printed and sources from your notes in activity
online sources? How do you decide if they are reliable or not? 9, and create a bibliography.

7. PRACTISE 11. PEER REVIEW

1. Identify whether these are citations or entries in a bibliography.
Exchange your essay with another
Write C or B.
student. As you read, take notes
1. H. Smith (2017) states that children who watch more than five hours using the checklist below. Then give
of TV a day are more likely to be obese. each other feedback.
2. Smith, H. TV and Children’s Health. (2017). Boston. Harvard Press. ● Does the essay discuss the topic?
3. According to Davis, a vegan diet leads to lower cholesterol ● Does the essay contain useful
and blood sugar levels. (2016, Davis, p.76). citations?
4. Davis, B. (2016, January 9). Vegan Diet and Health. ● Are the citations accurate and
http://vegan.com/the-benefits/health/ relevant to the topic?
5. Harris believes that: Most teenagers should be allowed to sleep ● Is there an accurate bibliography?
until 10 a.m. every day as their biorhythms dictate. (Harris, 2018, p.13).
2. Find one mistake in each of the citations in the first part of this activity My Practice 3
and correct them.
STUDY SKILLS

Tips
There are several citation styles, including APA (as in the Information Box),
MLA, Harvard, IEEE. Ask your teacher or lecturer which one you should use.
Then look for a guide online. Once you choose a guide, be sure to keep to
Reflect
the same style for all references in your list. Do you think you can recognise
bias more easily than before?
What have you learned about
My Practice 2
plagiarism and citations?

© British Council | C1.2 SS 10 | v1.0 11

 MY NOTES
Write your notes here to review what you have learned.

REVIEW YOUR LEARNING

How well did I do?

I identified bias in order to choose I learned to cite sources when writing and to
objective sources when conducting include them in a bibliography.
research.

= I did this well. = I did this quite well. = I can’t do this yet.

What do I need to do next?

STUDY SKILLS

12 © British Council | C1.2 SS 10 | v1.0