Science and Society
Lesson 9.1 opens Unit 9 with science and society vocabulary, a workout on future forms, and Speaking Part 1 on science and technology.
- Use 10 phrases about science and society
- Choose between will, going to, future continuous and future perfect
- Answer Part 1 science questions naturally
Get Ready · Science around you
- Which piece of technology has changed your life most in the last five years?
- Do you follow any science news? Where from?
- What's one problem you hope science will solve in your lifetime?
Vocabulary · Science & society
Grammar · Future forms
✗ Until 2050, we will invent a cure. ✓ By 2050, we will have invented a cure.
Listening Skills — Science and Society Seminar
You will hear a university seminar discussion about how science communication affects public trust. Read the questions before listening and predict the type of information needed (a name, a number, a reason).
- Look at the gaps and decide whether the missing word is a noun, verb or number.
- Notice signal words like 'however', 'in addition' and 'the main reason' — they often introduce answers.
- Watch for the speaker correcting themselves — the corrected version is usually the answer.
- Underline key vocabulary in the questions before the recording starts.
Listen first — the transcript stays hidden so this works like the real exam.
Listening audio
Tap play to generate and listen.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- In 20___, only 42% of adults trusted scientific reporting.
- The main reason for low trust was inconsistent ____ during health crises.
- The case study project was called ____.
- The research centre was based in ____.
- The framework had ____ steps.
- After 18 months, trust scores rose to ____%.
- The lead researcher was Dr ____.
- The key takeaway is that ____ builds trust, not just accuracy.
Answer key
Speaking · Part 1 — Science & tech
- Do you enjoy science lessons at school?
- Do you think technology makes life easier or more stressful?
- Is there a new technology you'd like to try?
- 'Yes, technology makes life easier because we can do many things faster.'
- 'On balance, yes — I'd say technology has genuinely streamlined the boring parts of daily life, like banking and paperwork. That said, it has also made it much harder to switch off from work, so it's a mixed picture.'
Pathway focus · Academic register on science
Academic essays love: 'empirical evidence', 'the underlying mechanism', 'a growing body of research suggests …'.
Exam Strategy
- Exam Tip
Mix two future forms in a single answer to show range — e.g. going to + future perfect.
Independent Practice
Write 5 predictions about your country in 2040, using a different future form in each sentence.
Cover the 10 items and recall them in 60 seconds.
Key Takeaways
- Future forms carry meaning — pick the one that matches your idea, not the shortest one.
- Concrete tech examples make science answers land.
- Band 7 upgrades — vocabularyTurn safe Band 6 wording into precise Band 7 wording.
- True / False / Not Given decisionsTen statements — the question type students lose most marks on.
- Trend language workoutDescribe movement precisely — verbs, adverbs and noun phrases.
Optional — this doesn't affect your lesson or course progress.