Cambridge English Empower B2
n it 9
UA hit pop song
1 SPEAKING
a Begin by telling the class about a pop song you like.
In pairs, students discuss the questions. Monitor and help
with language if necessary. Take feedback as a class and
ask for two or three example answers to the questions.
2 VOCABULARY:  Music words
a Individually, students match the words to the definitions
then check their answers in pairs. Check answers as a class.
Answers
1 c
2 a
3 d
4 b
b In small groups, students discuss the questions. Take
feedback as a class, and get one or two example answers
to each question. Check if anyone in the class is very good
at humming and if so, perhaps ask for a demonstration.
3 READING 1
CULTURAL NOTES
Students may be interested in more information on the
musicians mentioned in Ella’s article.
Oasis
They were a British rock band who were very popular in
the 1990s. The two key personalities in the band were the
brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, who often fought. Oasis
split up in 2009.
ABBA
They were a hugely successful Swedish pop group who had a
large number of hits between 1974 and 1982. The band was
made up of two married couples: Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha
Fältskog, and Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
ABBA is one of the most successful pop bands of all time.
Nile Rodgers
He is an American songwriter and producer who has worked
with a wide range of groups and singers, such as Pharrell
Williams, Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera.
Don Black
He is a British lyricist who has written the words to songs in
Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals Aspects of Love and Sunset
Boulevard. He has also written lyrics for three James Bond
theme songs.
Cambridge English Empower B2 © Cambridge University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE
READING PLUS
Before the reading, you may wish to pre-teach the word in
the box below.
VOCABULARY SUPPORT
inspiration (n) – when someone or something gives you
an idea for doing something. (Example: ‘When she heard
about the woman’s strange childhood, she suddenly had
inspiration for a short story.’)
a Divide the class into two equal-sized groups. Student As
read Ella’s text, and Student Bs read Josh’s text. First,
students read only the headlines in their text and discuss
in pairs what they think the writer will say. Set a time
limit for both the reading and discussion. Next, students
read quickly to check their predictions. Set a time limit
of one minute for reading, and then students talk in
pairs about how accurate their predictions were. Finally,
students read their text again more slowly and make
notes. Remind students they will tell a student from the
other group about the ideas of their songwriter. Also,
remind them that they have to use their notes when they
speak to the other student, and they won’t be able to refer
to the text. Give students five to seven minutes to do this
(depending on how strong your students are). During all
stages, monitor and help students. Note, because students
are reading different texts, it’s not possible to take
feedback or check answers as a class. You should do this
when monitoring.
4 SPEAKING
a Students read questions 1 and 2 and then turn over
their worksheet. In A and B pairs, they tell each other
about their songwriter’s ideas. They should refer only to
the notes they have made. Remind students to think about
questions 1 and 2 as they speak and listen.
b When both students have finished talking about their
songwriter, they can turn their worksheets over and read
the questions in exercise 4a again and discuss the answers
with another pair. Check answers as a class.
Answers
1 Both songwriters suggest that it’s a good idea to use your own
ideas and experiences when writing songs.
2 Ella focuses more on what to write (the product) while Josh
focuses more on how to write (the process).
1
 Unit 9

5 READING 2 OPTIONAL LANGUAGE FOCUS:

a Students now read the other article (i.e. Student As read SCANNING FOR GET PHRASES
Josh, and Student Bs read Ella) and answer the question. Please note: There are no instructions on the worksheet for
In pairs, students compare their answers. Take feedback as this activity.
a class, and get three or four different example answers. Tell students there are four examples of phrases with get in
Josh’s text. Ask them to find these expressions and decide
BETTER READING: IDENTIFYING STYLE AND TONE what the meaning is.
1 Tell students in order to completely understand a text,
Answers
they should be able to identify the tone and style, i.e. is it
get that idea down = make a note of the idea by writing it down or
formal, neutral or informal, or is it serious, funny, doubtful
recording it
or perhaps angry? Students read the two examples and get a good idea = have a good idea
discuss the answer to the question. Check the answer get it out = take it (the phone) out of your pocket or bag
as a class. get lucky = become lucky

Answer
c 6 SPEAKING
2 Individually, students find more examples of informal
a Give students between one and two minutes to read
and amusing language (emphasise that both texts are the questions and make notes. Monitor and help with
amusing rather than funny). In pairs, students compare language.
their answers. Take feedback as a class, and be flexible
about what students find amusing. b In pairs, students tell each other about the concert
they would like to go to and decide if there are any
In pairs, students discuss the questions. Check answers
similarities in their choices. Monitor and help with
as a class.
language if necessary. Take feedback as a class, and find
Answers some pairs who made similar choices as well as pairs who
a Readers in general. Both writers probably don’t imagine chose different kinds of concerts to go to. Give feedback
everyone who will read their article will be people who want to on language you heard when monitoring – both good
be songwriters. They’re more likely to be general readers who examples and errors.
have an interest in pop music and what goes into making a
successful pop song.
b The use of ‘you’ makes the writing more personal. It is a way of
engaging the reader directly and pulling them into the article. It
also perhaps gives a general reader a sense of listening to expert
advice they might not otherwise hear.

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