A story the first day at work is a B1 listening text in the narrative-monologue genre. The audio covers someone telling the story of their first day in a new job — anticipation, arrival, introductions, the unexpected complications, the resolution. Learners practise sustained narrative listening, tracking characters and locations, and identifying the speaker’s emotional progression.
This worksheet builds B1 listening comprehension through a narrative-monologue audio.
Worksheet preview
What’s inside:
- A narrative-monologue audio (~5 minutes) with annotated transcript
- Pre-listening vocabulary box with workplace and emotional terms
- Plot-tracking task: order the events as they happen
- Multiple-choice on character relationships and outcomes
- Production task: tell or write a story about your own first day somewhere
- Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes
Common challenges: Sustained narrative listening at B1 requires tracking sequence over 5 minutes. Past-tense narrative anchors: I remember when, that was the day I, looking back now. Workplace vocabulary in narrative context: colleague, line manager, induction, paperwork, schedule.
For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1, in intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) Listening Part 3. Part of the Travel, Work & Stories Listening collection — the natural next step is A Job Interview Comprehension, which extends narrative listening into interview format.
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