Listening: A Debate Should School Be Compulsory
A debate should school be compulsory is a B2 listening text in the structured-debate genre. The audio covers two speakers presenting opposing positions on whether compulsory schooling should be reformed or abolished, each with an opening statement, supporting argument, response to the other side, and closing. Learners practise tracking argumentative structure, identifying claims and counterclaims, and recognising the speakers’ rhetorical strategies.
This worksheet builds B2 listening comprehension through a structured-debate audio.
Worksheet preview
What’s inside:
- A debate audio (~7 minutes) with annotated transcript identifying both speakers
- Pre-listening vocabulary box with debate and education terms
- Argument-mapping task: chart each speaker’s claims, evidence, and counterarguments
- Multiple-choice on rhetorical strategies and key points
- Production task: write your own position on the same topic
- Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes
Common challenges: Argument-tracking at B2 requires holding multi-step reasoning in working memory. Debate vocabulary: I would argue, on the contrary, my opponent claims, the evidence suggests, this overlooks. Identifying rhetorical strategies: appeal to authority, appeal to consequence, anecdotal evidence.
For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B2, in upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Listening Part 3 and C1 Advanced (CAE) Listening. Part of the Travel, Work & Stories Listening collection — the natural next step is An Announcement: Airport and Train Station, which returns to a more accessible listening entry.
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