Reading: Social Media Pros and Cons
Social media pros and cons is the foundational B1 reading text in the technology-and-society genre. The text covers social media’s benefits (connection, community, learning, business opportunity) and costs (mental-health effects, misinformation, privacy erosion, attention economy). Learners read for balanced argument, evidence weighing, and value judgment — the analytical skills B1+ exams test directly.
This worksheet builds B1 reading comprehension through a balanced-argument text on social media.
Worksheet preview
What’s inside:
- A B1 reading text (~450 words) on social media’s positive and negative effects
- Pre-reading vocabulary box with social-media and impact terms
- Comprehension items: benefit-cost identification, evidence-finding, balanced-judgment recognition
- Vocabulary-in-context: technology-impact collocations
- Writing follow-up: describe your own social-media use and its effects on you
- Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes
Common challenges: Balanced-argument structure is the central B1 reading skill — the text presents both sides before reaching conclusion. Hedged claims: can lead to, is associated with, may contribute to — qualified rather than absolute. Social-media vocabulary: engagement, addiction, echo chamber, filter bubble, fake news, online harassment, connection, networking.
For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1, in intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) and B2 First (FCE) Reading. Part of the Technology & Society Readings collection — the natural next step is Cyberbullying: A Modern Problem, which extends social-media reading into the harm-and-protection dimension.
