Module 7 · Unit 7 — Cities, Housing & Urban Life
Modern Cities
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Lesson 1 of 5

Modern Cities

Core 60 min
Pathway

Lesson 7.1 opens Unit 7 with urbanisation vocabulary, the three conditionals and Speaking Part 1 on where you live.

What you'll be able to do
  • Use 10 collocations about cities and urbanisation
  • Form first, second and third conditionals accurately
  • Answer Speaking Part 1 questions about your hometown
Get Ready

Get Ready · Your city

  • What's the best thing about where you live?
  • What would you change if you could?
  • Has your city changed in the last 10 years?
Exam Vocabulary

Vocabulary · Cities & urbanisation

urban sprawl
noun
uncontrolled spread of a city
rush hour
noun
peak traffic period
high-rise
adj/noun
tall block of flats
public transport
noun
shared transport network
cost of living
noun
price of daily life
green space
noun
parks and gardens
commute
verb/noun
travel to and from work
overcrowded
adj
too many people for the space
regeneration
noun
improvement of a run-down area
settle down
phrasal verb
establish permanent residence
Exam Vocabulary

Pathway focus · Academic urbanisation vocab

rural-to-urban migration
noun
people moving from countryside to cities
infrastructure investment
noun
spending on roads, transport, utilities
population density
noun
people per square km

These appear in Academic Reading on cities and in Task 1 maps showing urban change.

Grammar Focus

Grammar · Conditionals

Which conditional?
1st
Real future
If the city builds more housing, prices will fall.
2nd
Unreal present / unlikely
If I lived nearer the office, I would cycle to work.
3rd
Past regret
If they had invested in transport earlier, the traffic wouldn't be this bad.
Example · Accuracy fix

✓ If I had more money, I would buy a flat in the centre. ✗ If I would have more money, I would buy a flat.

Speaking Task

Speaking · Part 1 — Where you live

  • Do you live in a house or a flat?
  • What do you like most about your area?
  • Would you like to move somewhere else?
Part 1 — Move somewhere else
Band 6 · Competent
  • 'Yes, maybe. My area is a bit noisy.'
Band 7 · Good
  • 'I'd genuinely consider moving if I could find somewhere quieter — my street backs onto a main road and it's pretty relentless during rush hour.'
Exam Strategy

Exam Strategy

  • Time Strategy

    Decide which conditional matches the time frame BEFORE you start the sentence.

Independent Practice

Independent Practice

Write 3 conditionals

1 real future, 1 unreal present, 1 past regret — all about your city.

Recording

Answer the 3 Part 1 questions, 30 seconds each.

Key Takeaways

Key Takeaways

Remember
  • Conditionals = high-leverage Band 7 grammar.
  • Pair every urban vocab item with a real example from your city.
When you're done, mark this lesson complete.
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