Remote Work & the Gig Economy
Lesson 5.2 develops Reading sentence completion on remote work and the gig economy.
- Complete sentences with grammatical accuracy
- Recognise paraphrase patterns
- Use Band-7 collocations
Vocabulary · Band-7 collocations
Pathway focus · Academic paraphrase
- 'mediated by digital platforms' ≈ 'organised through digital platforms'
- 'most workers in the sector still lack' ≈ 'are unavailable to most workers'
Reading · The gig economy
The so-called gig economy — short-term work mediated by digital platforms — has grown rapidly over the past decade. Supporters point to flexibility and the ability to earn additional income without leaving full-time employment. Critics, however, highlight the absence of basic protections such as paid sick leave and pension contributions, both of which most workers in the sector still lack.
1. The gig economy is organised through (1) ______. 2. Supporters argue it offers flexibility and extra (2) ______. 3. Critics point to a lack of paid sick leave and (3) ______ contributions.
Listening Skills — Seminar on the Gig Economy
You will hear a seminar discussion between a tutor and two students about remote work and the gig economy. Read the multiple-choice options before listening and underline key words.
- There are three speakers: the tutor, Sarah, and Tom — note who says what.
- Some options in the list of speakers will not be used.
- Listen for who introduces a topic versus who reports research findings.
- Match each statement to the correct speaker, A–F.
Listen first — the transcript stays hidden so this works like the real exam.
Listening audio
Tap play to generate and listen.
Match each statement, 1–6, with the correct speaker, A–F. Write the correct letter for each answer.
- Opens the discussion by asking about reasons for choosing gig work.
- Explains that flexibility was the main reason people chose gig work.
- Reports that unpredictable income was gig workers' top concern in a survey.
- Points out that lack of career progression matters more than lack of benefits.
- Summarises the debate over reclassifying gig workers as employees.
- Reports that lack of benefits ranked third among workers' concerns.
- A) The tutor
- B) Sarah
- C) Tom
- D) A guest lecturer
- E) The seminar coordinator
- F) None of the speakers
Answer key
Strategy · Sentence completion
- Read each incomplete sentence — predict the missing word's form.
- Find the relevant area of the passage.
- Choose words EXACTLY as they appear in the text.
- Check the completed sentence makes grammatical sense.
Exam Strategy
- Accuracy Tip
Always check the completed sentence reads naturally.
Independent Practice
Cover the answers; redo in under 6 minutes.
Key Takeaways
- Sentence completion = paraphrase + grammar fit.
- Band 7 collocationsFix the wrong word — the collocation errors that cap Lexical Resource at 6.
- Matching headings sprintMatch six headings to six paragraph summaries — fast.
- Band 7 upgrades — Task 1 languageOverview quality, comparison language and precise data description.
Optional — this doesn't affect your lesson or course progress.