Life skills video script
and see if theyve got them in Aisha: Its not what I havent done, its
Unit 1pp1011
2 and 3 01
Hector: Good afternoon, Sir, how can I
help you?
Robert: Hello. Um, I came into the
store last week and I bought
these shoes, but as you can see
theyre slightly faulty there.
Hector: Oh, yeah, OK.
Robert: So I mean, I would just like an
exchange. You know same
colour, same size, but
Hector: OK thats fine
Robert: Im going to a wedding
tomorrow, so, you know, its
Hector: Oh, OK, lovely, well thats fine.
Um, do you have the receipt on
you, Sir?
Robert: No, I dont actually have the
receipt. But you served me,
right? So thats
Hector: Yeah, I did, but the policy is that
you need a receipt to refund or
exchange
Robert: I mean, I dont want a refund. I
just want an exchange.
Hector: Without the receipt, Sir, theres
not much I can do for you. Im
really sorry I cant exchange
these or refund them without
the receipt.
Robert: I mean, Ive spent a lot of
money on these shoes. As you
know, these arent cheap, these
shoes!
Hector: No, theyre not.
Robert: You know, Im going to a
wedding tomorrow. These are
the only shoes that I can wear
with my suit. Ive paid a lot of
money, and I just want you
to go and get me some new
shoes.
Hector: Sir, look, calm down. Ill see
what I can do for you. Ill see if
Ive got them in stock Weve
only got these in size eight, Sir,
theres not much else I can
Robert: Size eight?
Hector: Yeah.
Robert: Im not size eight, Im size ten.
Hector: I know, Sir, but theyre
theres we havent got these
exact shoes in stock here.
Robert: So, what do you want me to do?
Surely thats your responsibility.
Find me some shoes which I
can wear, which, after buying
them you selling them to me
faulty. There, its faulty!
Hector: Sir, Im very sorry for the
inconvenience but I On this
occasion, OK, on this occasion,
Ill see what I can do. Ill go and
call one of our other branches
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stock. Ill just need your name.
Robert: Er, Robert Osgood.
Hector: Robert Osgood, right, OK Ill
be back in a moment
OK, um, were very sorry
for the inconvenience here,
Sir, I really am. But there is
some good news. We have
these exact shoes in size ten,
same colour, but in the Covent
Garden branch.
Robert: Right.
Hector: OK, but thats as much as I can
do for you. Ive reserved them
for you, Sir, so if you just make
your way over there, then theyll
be ready for you.
Robert: OK, all right, thats fine. Thats
great.
Hector: OK, have a great day, Sir. Enjoy
the wedding.
Robert: Thank you very much.
Hector: OK.
weekend Ill finish off the project
Anna: OK, so I just wanted to, um, talk
about the project so far.
Aisha: Yeah, sure.
Anna: Because, um, you know weve
got the deadline in two weeks
so its coming up quite fast.
Aisha: Yeah.
Anna: Um, Ive typed out all the
sections that we talked about,
you see
Aisha: Oh yeah, you have.
Anna: and youve done the
Powerpoint, yeah?
Aisha: Um, well Ive not really had a
chance to do the Powerpoint
yet.
Anna: What What do you mean you
havent had a chance?
Aisha: Well, the thing is Ive just been
so busy. You know Ive been
telling you about volleyball, and
rehearsals, how important it is
to me, so Ive not really
Anna: Yeah, youve been telling
OK, but I did actually ask you to
do that last week. And you said
you would.
Aisha: Yeah I know, but But Ive
been, literally, Ive been so, so
busy, Ive not even had one
Anna: Yeah, Ive been busy as well,
but you said you were going to
do work on this project and it
wasnt going to be just me.
Aisha: No, I know its not going to be
just you.
Anna: No, but what have you done?
Aisha: Well, Ive not really had a
chance, and
Anna: But what have you done?
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just that I
Anna: What have you done, though?
Aisha: havent had a chance to do
it
Anna: OK, but I did ask you to do that.
Aisha: Yeah I know, but our deadlines
in two weeks
Anna: Yeah but I like to get things
done early, because we need to
present this to the class.
Aisha: But
Anna: And we need to practise.
Aisha: But Im trying to tell you, youre
not listening, Ive just been so
busy!
Anna: You keep saying that, but Ive
done all of this work and youve
done nothing.
Aisha: OK. Fine, OK, youre right. Youre
right, Im sorry, I shouldve done
it. I shouldnt have said I was
gonna do it and then I didnt do
it. How about How about this
and you can have a break?
Anna: And youll do the Powerpoint?
Aisha: Yeah. Ill finish off the
Powerpoint and you dont have
to do anything. And maybe
after the weekend we can meet
up and just finish off the last
few bits together. How does
that sound?
Anna: OK, well, that sounds fair, I
guess.
Aisha: OK.
Unit 2pp2223
2 and 3 05
Hi, Im Jess. This is me. Im leaving school
in June and next September Im going
to university to study architecture. Im
really excited about that. So, soon its the
summer holidays and the big question is,
What am I going to do? Hang out with
my friends all summer? Sure, its tempting,
and I think I deserve it with all the hard
work I put into studying for my exams.
However, there are two other options that I
feel I should consider.
My cousins have invited me to stay at their
beach house. Or, a friend of my dads has
a job for for two months at his architecture
studio. This is a really tricky decision as both
options are really cool. I dont know what
to do.
If I spend the summer at the beach, Ill
have fun and relax. I can take up some new
water sports. I can spend time with my
cousins, and my youngest cousin is only
two and he is so cute. And I can read some
novels for pleasure I just havent had time
recently to do this.
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 Life skills video script
On the other hand, if I go away Ill miss my
friends. Ill miss going to all the summer
parties, and to the beach at the weekends,
with them. And Ill miss out on all the
juicy gossip. Another con is that it will be
expensive, and I wont be earning any
money. Also, my aunt will probably ask me
and my older cousins to babysit for the
younger ones, and that can be really tiring.
Now lets look at the other option. If I
take up the job offer, thatll be tiring too,
working nine to five each day. Ill have to
get up really early in the morning. Ill be
stuck in an office all day long, and I wont
be free to do what I want, when I want.
On the other hand, I will be earning some
much-needed cash and I might be able to
afford a new laptop by the end of summer
break. And its a great opportunity to learn
some useful things about architecture,
to gain work experience for my CV, and
make contacts in the profession. Lets face
it: its a competitive world out there and
I might be mad to turn this chance down.
And finally, its an opportunity to show my
parents that Im old enough to take control
of my life and to take responsibility.
So, what do you think I should do? Job or
beach?
Unit 3pp3637
2 and 3 09
We asked seven university students to
carry out the same memory test as the one
in your Students Book. Lets see how well
they did!
Key
There was a razor
Remote control.
Um, ring. Er, fork
Flowers
Phone.
Alarm clock.
Hand mirror
Tap.
A comb
Bulb
Mirror
Iron
Hair comb? I think Ive already said that
one.
I think Ill stop there.
Thats all I can remember.
And thats all I can remember.
Thats all I got.
And thats it, I think.
How did you do in the memory test?
Emily: I think I did OK on the memory
test. Um, it was definitely a bit
difficult, from the point of view
of the time limit, to remember
everything. But I remembered
about 70 per cent of the
objects on the paper, so I think
it went OK.
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Bea: In the memory test I thought
I would remember lots more
than I did. I sort of When
youre looking at them you feel
like theyre definitely there,
and youre taking them in,
but definitely not when youre
tested on the them later.
Chloe: I dont think I did so well in the
memory test. Um, because the
pictures werent in any particular
order and when theres no
order I think I struggle more
memorising. Cos I didnt know
how to learn them as a list.
Do you generally have a good memory?
Nancy: Id like to say yes I do generally
have a good memory, in most
things.
Bea: Yeah, I would say that I have an
OK memory. I sort of have to
repeat something out loud, like
a chant, and then I remember
it. Or I remember the way that a
page looks.
Yuvraj: I think in general I have a good
memory, but its definitely
something that I could improve
a little bit further.
What sort of things do you find easy, or
hard, to remember?
Sam: I generally tend to be better
at remembering more creative
things. So, passages of words.
Im quite good at remembering
quotes from poetry, and stuff
like that. But thats what I have
to do for my course, so its
probably practice.
Chloe: I find lyrics from songs very
easy to remember. So mostly
words, not pictures.
Nancy: I generally find numbers and
numerical sequences easiest to
remember. And then images
are also quite easy. But when
its just words, or a string of
words, I find that quite hard to
remember.
When you are studying for a test, what
techniques do you use to help remember
information?
Emily: I do a lot of summing up the
information. And then, Im quite
visual so I use a lot of mind
maps in order to, in a way, map
out how my brain thinks about
the subject.
Ousama: When I revise and memorise
things, Im a more visual
person, depending if Im
listening to an audiobook or
whatever, so I can visualise it.
Bea: When I have a test I like to
colour-code my notes, I find that
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really good. And I also have a
tendency to group my notes
together in terms of what kind
of theme certain points cover.
Chloe: So, to memorise something I
need to know vaguely well, Ill
repeat it three times to myself.
And something I need to know
by heart Ill repeat it ten times
to myself, out loud. And Ill do it
while walking around my room.
And I often associate different
gestures with different quotes
I need to know by heart. So I
often pretend to draw on my
wall while I am learning quotes
so I must look a little bit
weird, but thats my technique
and its worked for me.
How effective do you find other memory
techniques that youve tried?
Sam: Er, in a similar way to mind
maps, I like putting things that
I need to remember on sticky
notes around rooms, which
is the same sort of spatial
organisation thing. Thats a
good tool.
Ousama: If you take a phrase from a
book or something like that
and write it in your own words,
it makes it easier for you to
understand and think about it
and remember it.
Nancy: Sometimes to help me revise
things Ill use chunking
methods. And Ill do things
thematically sometimes to help
me remember things in groups.
Then Ill revise that one group
at one time, and go over that,
and make sure Ive got it, then
move on to the next one.
Chloe: I usually try and keep my notes
very colourful to remind me
what specific quotes would be
associated with which point,
for example. But I think it
doesnt help me as much as the
speaking out loud.
Unit 4pp4849
2 and 3 12
Introduce yourself.
Im Kerry Smith, Im a journalist for a
science magazine and I work in the
multimedia team so I make podcasts and
videos, and I also write occasionally, bits
of bobs of news. Um, and I have a science
background I did a neuroscience masters
but then I found science to be requiring
a little bit too much patience, so Ive
switched to journalism, which is a bit more
fast-paced.
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 Life skills video script
What do you think of science reporting in
newspapers?
Science reporting in newspapers really
varies depending on the newspaper
or the outlet, because it could be a TV
broadcast that were talking about. A lot
of journalists are really short on time, and
that makes it quite hard for them to do the
reporting they might want to do: speak to
the right people; go to the source of the
story; ask people who were at an event
what they thought of what happened,
what actually happened; or in the case
of a scientific paper, ask the scientist
phone them up, that sort of thing. Um, not
everyone has time to do that and so they
end up, perhaps, parroting the information
that is in a press release, for example.
What makes good or bad reporting?
I think good reporting is when a reporter
has time to go to the source, ask them the
questions that they really need to answer
in order to get all of their facts straight,
and then hopefully put all those facts in a
sensible order in the article theyre writing.
Um, so that involves taking the time to
talk to the scientist, perhaps, talk to other
scientists who havent been involved in the
work and ask they what they think of the
research, ask them about the implications
of it, try and think of, you know, other
questions that you might not necessarily
first come across, try and get a different
perspective. When a piece of content is
released say its a press release from a
university about a new piece of science
one newspaper might write about it and
then several other channels, Internet sites,
Youtube, all of these kinds of content
channels and other media might take
that content and repurpose it for their
own ends. So, say there was a video of a
worm doing a crazy thing associated with
this scientific paper on worm behaviour.
Well, that might get taken, that video,
and embedded on Youtube uploaded
to Youtube without any context. So
then people dont know where it came
from, what the point of the research
originally was, um, they dont have enough
information to understand that research
properly. All they see is a worm.
Do you agree with the conclusions in the
article?
The article about chocolate and intelligence
I would really love to believe that there
is a relationship between the amount of
chocolate one eats and how clever one is,
but I dont agree with the conclusion that
the article drew, or that the original
research might have drawn, because this is
a correlation between chocolate-eating in
a particular country and the amount of
Nobel prize-winners that country has. Its
not necessarily even a correlation between
chocolate and intelligence, because Nobel
prize-winners are only one measure,
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perhaps, of how clever your country is. You
might just have five clever people, whove
all won Nobel prizes, and no other clever
people for the sake of argument. And as
we probably already know, correlation is
not cause. So we cant really attribute a
cause of chocolate-eating to being
cleverer. For example, what if there was
another factor that influenced both of
those things? Say, how rich a nation is
means that people have more disposable
income, they buy more luxury items like
chocolate, they eat more chocolate. And
also that nation, because its richer, invests
more money in education and ends up
with more Nobel prize-winners. So those
are some of the reasons why I didnt think
the conclusion was necessarily valid.
What aspects of the article suggest it is
reliable?
Although the conclusion is based on a
correlation and not a causal mechanism
there are some things that suggest the
article is reliable. The research was done
by a scientist at a good university I
actually looked him up on the Internet, he
exists and he did do this research. And
the article was originally published the
research was originally published in a
respected scientific journal called The New
England Journal of Medicine.
What would you recommend when
reading a science article critically?
When students are reading a science
article critically they should look for many
of the same things that a reporter might
look for in thinking about the same article.
For example, who has been quoted in this
story? Is it the scientist themselves? Is it
possible to research that scientist a little
bit, perhaps using the Internet? Find their
web page. Do they often do research like
this? And are they well-known for it? Is it
published in reputable journals? If this is
an article about a scientific paper, perhaps
theres a link to research in the article
itself, and you can go and have a look for
yourself at the research article and see if
the conclusions match up.
Unit 5pp6263
2 and 3 15
Have you ever had an experience of bad
netiquette?
Yuvraj: I have had a few experiences of
bad netiquette. One that comes
to mind is when someones
shortened something in an email
such as the phrase all the best
into ATB and it just makes it
difficult to understand what they
mean, especially if I have to go
away and Google search what
the phrase means. It kind of
wastes my time.
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Nancy: With netiquette, and your
etiquette when youre on the
web, its Um, sometimes
you can get emails that are
addressed very informally and
its not what you were expecting.
Or you can get things that it
gives you a bad impression of
someone with the words they
use, or if its too conversational,
sometimes.
Yuvraj: One of my particular pet hates of
bad netiquette is when people
abbreviate words, such as you
to just the letter u, in an email.
My mum does that sometimes
and it drives me nuts.
Which rules of netiquette do you follow?
Which behaviour could you improve?
Yuvraj: Um, the rules of netiquette that I
follow are quite basic. So, when
Im sending an email I always
make sure that I address the
person in the correct manner.
If its someone that I perhaps
dont know, or is quite senior
to me, I might use dear. But in
most circumstances, if I know the
person, Ill address them with a
hi or with a hey. And always
sign off the email correctly, so
with a regards or kind regards.
Chloe: Well I always try and remain
polite in my answers, and if I
were ever to contribute to a blog I
would be very careful about my
language and how I convey my
tone, because obviously
everything on the Internet is
permanent. I think everyone can
always work better on their tone,
and I have had experiences in
emails to professors, for example,
where they have thought that I
was implying something that I
wasnt, necessarily. And so I think
everyone can always improve on
that on how their messages
come across to people.
Sam: Just, the golden rule is to
remember that youre talking to a
person, and that if you wouldnt
say it to their face, then dont do
it online.
Emily: The things that I do wrong
with netiquette, Id say, are
just perhaps add too many
exclamation marks. I always
sound a bit too excited. And I
should stop using capitals in a
way that, kind of, could come off
as aggressive.
Are there any other rules of netiquette you
would like people to use?
Yuvraj: A rule of netiquette that Id like
to see people use a bit more
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often is using capital letters
where appropriate in emails. I
think emails are essentially just
another form of a letter, and
theres no excuse not to use
proper spelling, grammar and
punctuation.
Chloe: I appreciate when I see
someone has taken the time to
answer my email. When I ask
several questions in an email, or
I make several points, I like all
of them to be responded not
just the last one, or just the one
that they have an answer to right
then. I like people to at least
acknowledge what Im saying in
an email because its different
to a conversation. Because you
think about what youre going
to write down, then you want an
answer to everything you have
written down.
Ousama: I think with netiquette, you
definitely need to type how
you talk and just dont say
things that you wouldnt say
to someones face. Just be
responsible with your words.
Cos online its always gonna
be online, theres always gonna
be a record of your chat. And
thats something you should
take into consideration when
youre talking to people.
Bea: I think rules that should be
used more are capitalising
peoples names. I think that
people deserve to have a
capital for their name.
What do you think are the three most
important rules?
Yuvraj: I think the three most important
rules of netiquette, for me, are
making sure that you know your
audience and you address them
correctly; making sure that you
dont use emoticons incorrectly
um, its not the right place
to express emotion; and also
making sure you dont shorten
words or phrases unnecessarily,
like taking down you to the
letter u when its not really
appropriate.
Nancy: I think that the three most
important are, youve got to
remember who youre writing
to and what kind of audience
thats going to be; and youve
also got to make sure that its
something youd be happy to
say face-to-face to them; and
also just make sure that youre
polite and courteous, and you
dont say anything that could be
interpreted harmfully.
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Chloe: I would say Always answer
someones questions if theyre
asking a question directly to you;
be very careful of tone when
talking to people, so that you
dont imply something that you
didnt intend to; and the most
important one, to me, would
be dont make criticism lightly.
When someone shares their
work on the Internet, its very
sad to see someone receive lots
of negative criticism because
its not constructive and its very
easy to make negative criticism
when its anonymous.
Unit 6pp7475
2 and 3 17
Please introduce yourself.
Mark: OK, Im Mark and Im the father of
the house.
Clare: My names Clare and Im the
mother of two teenagers in the
house.
Asha: Im Asha and Im the youngest in
the family.
Ethan: Im Ethan and Im the older
brother in the family.
What causes conflict?
Mark: Oh, we have conflict over the
guinea pig because its not my
guinea pig, its the kids. And its
usually when Im reminding them
to feed it or to clean it out, and
they Asha will say, Its Ethans
turn, and Ethan will say, No, its
Ashas turn. And then I end up
getting involved in this argument
with them when Im not really
interested in the guinea pig, but
So, yeah, it does lead to a bit
of conflict and me nagging them.
Clare: Er, well, lots of things! But one
of the things that drives me a
bit mad is when Im constantly
tidying up. That causes quite a lot
of conflict.
Asha: What usually causes conflict in the
family is how much time we spend
on screens and sharing it out
between us. Its usually with my
brother, Ethan, who wants to be
playing on his games console and
I want to be watching TV.
Ethan: I get in trouble for leaving lights
on a lot, especially my dad. I
leave them on, he loses it and just
shouts at me.
How do you usually resolve the conflict?
Does it work?
Mark: Often the main thing that tends
to happen is that Ill suddenly say,
Right, if one of you sorts it out I
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will give it away. I will put a sign
out the front of the house saying,
Guinea pig, come and collect
it, its free. And that usually
makes them jump around and do
something about it.
Clare: The way that I try to resolve the
conflict that arises around the
mess that the children constantly
make is, really Just to tell them
over and over and over again until
they do it. And eventually they
do seem to do it theyre getting
better. So although theyre still
hopeless at keeping their rooms
tidy on a daily basis, they do now
clear the table away after dinner
and, yeah, put their shoes away.
So they are getting better. Its just
slow progress.
Asha: Usually we resolve it by a lot of
shouting and arguing, but in the
end whoever was there first gets
priority.
Ethan: Well I usually, to resolve it After
getting shouted at by my dad
I have to run around the house
turning all the lights off that Id
forgotten to turn off before.
How could you resolve or avoid conflicts in
the future?
Mark: Yeah, I think really that what we
should do is agree a rota. And
then write down exactly what
the rules are when, who, whos
responsible for cleaning out the
guinea pig on what day, on what
week, and whos responsible for
feeding it on what day. And they
maybe they could tick it off when
theyve done it, and they could
always just refer to that. Rather
than to say whos turn it is, we
could just say, Well, look at the
rota.
Clare: Um, I think probably the best way
for me to resolve the conflict is
for me to be a bit more patient,
but to be consistent and just
keep asking them, you know, the
same thing so that they do tidy
up. Um, and for them to actually
take some notice of what is being
asked of them. And they are
doing, cos theyre starting to tidy
up after weve had a meal, clear
their plates away, put their shoes
away, and the next thing they
need to do is to work on keeping
their bedrooms a bit tidier.
Asha: In the future to resolve it we
could have more of an organised
schedule. Like, some days he
takes priority of the screens, and
other days I get it.
Ethan: I guess the way I could resolve it
in the future would be Just to
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 Life skills video script
remember it, really, so my dad
didnt have to shout at me. Maybe
put some stickers next to the
lights, or something like that. Just
to remind myself.
What are your strengths in dealing with
conflict?
Mark: Yeah, so my strengths with
dealing with conflict are that Im
quite calm, Im quite patient. Im
not particularly passionate so I
dont dont lose my temper
very easily. So I think that helps.
Clare: Er, I think the way I am that does
work well in conflict is that Im
generally quite consistent. So its
the same things that I, you know,
go on about all the time. And I
am willing to compromise, if just
the children will come up with a
decent argument as to why they
shouldnt do something, and I do
listen. But I suppose I do need to
be a bit more patient.
Asha: In conflicts, the strength that I
bring Im usually quite fair. I let
the other person take priority. But
then, sometimes I think its fair
that I get priority.
Ethan: Well, Id say my strengths are
that Im quite easy-going. I dont
really mind that much. I I tend
to compromise, depends what its
about You know, if I really want
to do something then Ill make
sure I do it But other than that
Im up for whatever anyone else
wants to do, as well.
Would you like to live with you?
Mark: I think Im Yeah, I think I would
like to live with me. Im quite
easy-going, and reasonably
considerate. And happy to do my
bit: you know, a bit of cooking,
a bit of tidying up So yeah, I
would like to live with me.
Clare: I dont suppose that I would
actually be a great person to live
with, cos I am quite impatient
and I do quite like things my own
way. But I am reasonably good at
tidying up and keeping things
straight, so maybe that would
make up for it.
Asha: Even though Im quite fair I would
not like to live with myself. This
is because Im not that helpful
round the house and Im quite
messy.
Ethan: Yeah, I think I would I wouldnt
mind living with myself. I wouldnt
be that bad, I dont think. I might
take a bit too long in the shower,
but other than that I think Id be
all right.
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Unit 7pp8889
2 and 3 21
Please introduce yourself.
Jana: Hi, my name is Jana and I I live in
London and I work in London. I
work for a publishing house as a
finance and business analyst.
Andy: My name is Andy Dawkins. My job
title is IT support and
development officer.
Jana: I work with many colleagues from
Cey: My names Cey Sesiguzel and Im a
CEO and a producer-director.
What are your responsibilities?
Cey: So the company produces videos
for corporates and companies that
are looking to grow through
marketing and sales.
Andy: Basically I work in an internal IT
team and I support people with
their IT needs.
Jana: My main responsibilities are to
basically analyse data, but its
kind of like interesting data about
products and our markets, and
present it in a format so that its
a lot more easy to understand to
senior management so in the
forms of report
Andy: And I also build websites and
design software
Jana: Its a really good role in a way, that
I get to see how the companys
performing and which products
are doing well, and which
countries they are doing well, as
well.
Cey: So my role is to manage the
direction of the company and
make sure the companys growing
and achieving the targets that we
set year-in-year-out.
How is your job affected by the global
economy? you want to physically show them
Jana: Because I do analyse trends and
how well the company is
performing, and which products
sell better, usually as soon as the
country is not doing so well like,
were not selling as much product
I get to see straight away. And I
actually report this information to
more senior management, who
then would adjust the strategy
based on that, kind of, outcome.
Andy: Er, I think the main way that my job
is affected by the global economy
is when purchasing hardware. For
example, a few months ago we
were contacted by our suppliers
saying that because the exchange
rate between the dollar and the
British pound had changed, the
cost of PCs and laptops was going
to increase.
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Cey: So, our job is affected by the global
economy because we have to make
sure that the crew were working
with across the world whether its
freelance editors, animators,
cameramen get paid what their
rates deserve, and what the
current inflation says it should be.
Andy: I work with, um, a couple of people
from Tanzania and also Kenya, and
Ive just started working with some
colleagues from the USA as well.
all over the world. Specifically, today,
only, I was dealing with someone
from Spain and Russia directly.
This is something I really enjoy.
Cey: We work with numerous
colleagues around the world
from freelance cameramen, to
animators, to editors and they
help us when logistically we cant
get to a country.
How do you communicate?
Andy: In terms of whats best with
communicating with people
outside of the UK, I think its
On a day-to-day basis email is
the best thing. It depends on the
situation I think, um, so for day-to-
day email is the best.
Cey: We communicate with our
colleagues across the world
through a couple of different
platforms, but the one that I tend
to use the most is Skype. I like to
have a conversation with someone,
sometimes even a video call so I
can see them, understand their
body language, see how theyre
reacting to what I say.
Andy: If theres a bigger project going
on and youve got a lot of different
aspects that you want to talk
about, perhaps youve got things
and you cant do that via email, we
use things like video conferencing,
and video messaging, and things
like that.
Jana: Email is my first way of
communicating. However, I also
speak to someone quite often
on the phone. Or, I much prefer
meeting people personally.
Cey: After that communication I like to
back up that communication by
putting what we discussed in an
email.
What skills should you develop to succeed
in the global workplace?
Jana: So, to succeed in the global
workplace the skills that would
be really useful are definitely
Language skills, of course English
gets you to meet the people and
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 Life skills video script
to speak to them, cos you need
that to communicate.
Andy: I think the best skills to develop if
you want to succeed in a global
workplace would be communication
the most important of all both
written and verbal, because its
very important to be able to get
your point across, but also listen to
other points of view.
Cey: I think if youre looking to succeed
in a global workplace, communication
skills are vital. Um, but I also think
doing your research is very
important. Different cultures and
countries have different ways of
communicating, um, and I think its
important to know how to
communicate effectively with
people that youre trying to
influence or get a point across to.
Andy: Um, I suppose the second thing
would be just a wider knowledge of
different cultures: understanding
how different cultures work, er,
different customers, things like that.
And I guess the third thing and
its not something that I have
myself would be to learn another
language. It will always be a helpful
thing and probably will get more
important as time goes on, I think.
What advice would you give to young
people to equip themselves for the global
workplace?
Jana: Well, in a global workplace its
really important to be open-
minded, because theres so
many different cultures and
its important to be able to
understand those cultures and
not be judgemental about
anyone elses opinions because
everyone has different opinions,
and comes from backgrounds.
Cey: The advice I would give young
people to equip themselves in the
global workplace would be to do
their research on what country, or
what people, theyre looking to work
with. If they do their research then
they can understand the cultural
ways of working in that country,
and they can make sure that they
communicate with them in the most
effective way, that suits them.
In a recent survey of executives and
directors, 79% said that knowledge
and awareness of the world were more
important than academic qualifications.
How far do you agree with them?
Jana: Academic qualifications are really
important because they provide a
platform for you to get that job.
Cey: As an executive, Id also agree
that knowledge and awareness of
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the world is more important than
your academic qualifications. I
think academic qualifications are
obviously highly, highly important.
But sometimes your academic
qualifications might not translate
to the necessary country that
youre trying to work in.
Andy: Er, I think academic achievements
are very important because they
do actually give you a lot of that
knowledge and a lot of that wider
awareness. However theyre not
the most important thing.
Cey: So, I would say people skills, doing
your research on the place youre
working, is highly, highly important
and probably more important than
academic qualifications.
Unit 8pp100101
2 and 3 24
Do you enjoy reading literature? Why?
Yuvraj: Personally, I do enjoy reading
literature. I think it gives you a
really great opportunity just to
escape from everyday live, and
just sort of go into your own little
fantasy world.
Chloe: I definitely enjoy reading
literature, and its something
Ive chosen to study. And I
think I do it because I love
reading literature in context and
understanding how a specific
piece of literature has influenced
a community, or a society, or
even the world at a given time,
and the reasons for that and the
consequences.
Sam: I do enjoy reading literature a
lot, er, so much so that I do it
for my degree. Um, but as far
as leisure reading goes, Im
largely into fantasy fiction and
science fiction, that kind of stuff,
because I feel like the capacity
for creativity in those fields is the
broadest of all the genres.
How often and when do you read?
Emily: I do read a lot for school and
stuff like that. But I also try and
fit in a lot of reading for pleasure,
as well. I definitely try and fit in
at least one reading session for
myself a week, so Id say I read a
lot.
Nancy: Um, if I could Id probably
read most of the time. But,
um, especially when you go on
holiday its always nice to take a
pile of good books with you. And
just at the weekend, to set aside
some time for yourself, its always
good to do some reading.
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Bea: I read every day, I love reading,
probably, sort of, three to four
hours a day. Um, yeah, lots.
Ousama: I like to read in my evenings, cos
after a busy day its kind of nice
to just disappear into a fictional
world, or just read up on things.
Its time to just enjoy yourself,
basically, before you go to sleep
ready for the next day.
Whats the best book youve read?
Yuvraj: One of the best books Ive
read was a book by Malorie
Blackman; in fact its made into
a series: Noughts and Crosses.
I particularly enjoyed it because
its set in a sort of fictional world
that you cant really relate to,
but has so many aspects to do
with race which are applicable
to the world in which we live
in. And I think it challenged my
perceptions of how we relate to
each other in society, how we see
race, and how its affected the
way that we grow up in a way
thats still accessible because it is
fictional.
Chloe: One of the best books Ive ever
read is actually a book I read
when I was quite young, and its
The Giver by Lois Lowry. And
although its quite a simple book,
superficially, its one that really
makes someone reassess their
perspective of the world. And
its one of the books that really
made me want to read more
similar books, and I think that is
the mark of great literature.
Nancy: I have a lot of favourite books.
A book that I really like is The
Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar
Wilde, and I love to re-read it. I
think its my favourite because
its just such an interesting story
and it really draws you in. And
it shows the different levels of
humanity and the different ways
you can be a person with the
three main characters and their
different storylines. And its just
a very exciting, interesting read
with a lot of plot twists.
What book has influenced or inspired you
the most?
Emily: Well, I definitely couldnt talk
about one book. Im a bit too
picky for that. But Id have
to say a series of books that
really inspired me is A Series of
Unfortunate Events by Lemony
Snicket. Theyve just influenced
me a lot from the point of view of
my tastes, and from what I like in
literature and in film.
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 Life skills video script
Yuvraj: One of the books thats
influenced me the most in my life
is perhaps one of the first books
that I ever read or had read
to me, in fact Aesops Fables.
I just thought that was such an
interesting way of learning about
morality and doing the right and
wrong thing in life. And thats
something thats really stuck with
me, you know, throughout my
whole life.
Bea: Er, whats inspired me the most
is probably Jean-Paul Sartres
Roads to Freedom. I read it when
I was 14 and it really changed my
perspective I think, probably
from a more childish one to a
more adult one, I think.
What fictional character do you most
identify with and why?
Chloe: I identify with Roald Dahls
character the BFG because as
a child I always appreciated the
way that he creates dreams for
the children. And when I grew up
As I was growing up, I wanted
to be a writer and I always
imagined that I would create
fiction in the same way that he
creates his dreams, with different
ingredients, and thats always the
way I envisioned artistic creation.
Sam: I think certainly as a teen I
identified most with Prince
Caspian, from The Chronicles of
Narnia, because of his role as a,
sort of, outcast teen. And hes
just a very empathetically-written
character.
Nancy: I think the character Ive always
identified with, personally, is
Maggie Tulliver from George
Eliots The Mill on the Floss. Its a
story about her growing up, and
I read it when I was quite young,
and I always identified with how
she was a bit of a dreamer and
she loved to read books, like I
did. And its a story of her, her
family and her sibling, and it just
It really reminded me of my
own life, and Ive always loved
that book because of that.
Unit 9pp114115
2 and 3 27
Interviewer: Well, Hector, thank you very
much for coming in today.
Just to tell you a little bit
about the role: its a summer
job in our company. Were a
long-established music
recording company and were
just trying to interview people
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to find out who would be the
best candidate. So, can you
tell me a little bit about
yourself?
Hector: Um, Im very into music Im
very passionate about it.
Ive only just come out of
secondary school, but Id
like to go to university to
study music technology and
music business and finance
as a joint honour. So I know,
obviously, know what Im
signing if I was ever to be
signed to a label, Id know
what Im giving someone
Or, so I know more about
the business itself.
Interviewer: OK, and what would you
describe as being your
strengths: the things that
youre particularly good at?
Hector: I Id like to say that Im
quite strong in most things
to do with music cos Im so
passionate about it. Im very
involved in the music scene
at my school and in my local
community. Like, Ive
performed a few times at
youth culture programmes
thatve been around in
London or in my area. So I
think I know quite a bit about
the industry. Although Im
young, its quite good to
know that sort of stuff so its
a strength that Im quite
knowledgeable. And I, like, I
know a lot about instruments,
I know lots of techniques
and recording techniques
which I think would be very
handy in this role.
Interviewer: Brilliant. And why do you
want this particular job?
Hector: Um, Id like to have this job
because its something that
Ive always wanted to do,
since I was very young. And
I just, I just like the lifestyle, I
like the studios I just, I just
love everything about it and
I think Id really enjoy it.
Interviewer: So, can you describe a
situation when you had to
organise something? It could
be something, maybe, to do
with music, or the choir?
Hector: Well, as Ive only just come
out of school and Im still
not very experienced in
the workplace, I wouldnt
know much on that basis.
But I have been a prefect
at my school for music
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and drama. So Ive had to
take lead when it comes to
planning revision sessions
or coursework-aiding. And,
yeah, thats the most Ive
done so far but it has given
me skills that Id be able
to bring to the table in the
work environment.
Interviewer: OK, and whats your usual
role in a team? Do you have
to do teamwork in the role of
being a prefect?
Hector: Um, yeah, cos obviously
theres a student council at
my school and Ive had to go
to meetings, and Ive had to
represent my form group in
meetings. So my role would
be as, sort of, as an informer
Id give information that
people have given to me
in meetings, so I bring up
issues that people feel need
addressing. So thats as
much as Ive done so far.
Interviewer: What would you say
has been your greatest
achievement, something that
youre really proud of?
Hector: Im very proud to say that
Ive performed for a young
peoples music charity. And
I did that in the Indigo, at
the O2. And a group of
people from certain schools
in the area of Bromley
were selected to have a
few students represent
them at this event. And I
performed in front of a few
famous people, and we all
did it to raise money, which
is quite good. And I think
its enriching to see young
people performing.
Interviewer: That is very good. And this
role, its obviously just for
summer. But where do you
expect to be in about five
years?
Hector: Id like to see myself as
an accomplished artist in
the music industry, and
producer. But hopefully in
the future Id like to open
my own label to bring young
artists into the industry, like
me, and take them under
my wing, and teach them
everything I know. And
hopefully learn things from
them as well.
Interviewer: Well, thank you very much
for coming in today and I just
want to ask you: do you have
any questions?
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 Life skills video script
Hector: Yeah, I was wondering what
the typical day at work for
me would be, if I was to take
up this role in the summer?
Interviewer: OK, good question. A
typical day would involve
sitting in recordings. And if
there are any talent in, your
role will just involve seeing if
theyre happy.
Hector: OK, great.
Interviewer: Well, thank you very much.
Hector: Thank you very much.
Unit 10pp126127
2 and 4 2a 30
All right, good morning. Um, today were
going to talk about semiotics, and my
intention today is to give you just a couple
of ideas about what semiotics is and to
look through its various definitions. So,
todays lecture is going to be divided into
four parts. The first part, of course, is
going to be defining what semiotics is, and
because semiotics involves signs and the
interpretation of signs, then were going to
look at, what is a sign? Now, there are two
major schools of understanding what a
sign is. One is led it was led by
Ferdinand de Saussure, and he introduced
the idea of semiology. And the second
school was led, or was, its now recognised,
the school of Charles Sanders Pierce, and
its a broader understanding of a sign,
which is now what we call semiotics.
Now, first of all, lets understand what
semiotics is. Ive provided two very, very
different definitions of semiotics also
because the term in itself is very difficult.
Now, the Oxford English Dictionary
tells us that semiotics is, the science
of communication studied through the
interpretation of signs and symbols as they
operate in the various fields, especially
language. Now, we are going to be
interested more in language today than
other aspects, because semiotics has
many different branches. Now, the second
definition of semiotics is by a leading
semiotician today, Winifred Nth, who
refers to semiotics as, the science of
meaning. So: meaning, communication,
language. This is what we are interested in.
We have three main branches. The
first one is semantics, syntactics what the bottle is, its definition. But the
and pragmatics. What are they? Well
semantics is what we are interested in,
and this is what Saussure started. And it
looks at the relationship between a sign
and a sign can be anything: can be a word,
a concept, an object, a thought and what
it stands for. If you think about it, any word
stands for something else. And the reason
why today were going to be looking only
at semantics is because were interested
in language, specifically. Semiotics really
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embraces and whole number of signs and using that. The ergonomics (so the way it is
sign-systems which are not necessarily just shaped), its very easy because I can hold
linguistic systems. We are interested in it, but I associate lots of different things
how language works as a system of signs. with this bottle mostly, really, sort of,
And obviously the next question is Well, young, active people using it.
weve been talking about signs so much,
Now, if we take this bottle and we look at
and a sign can be anything it can be a
it. Compared to what we said earlier, of
thought, it can be an object, it can be a
course, this bottle will give us a completely
word but really, if we have to understand,
different set of associations. Now, because
the next one: what is a sign?
its glass it will tell us that possibly
Well, as I said to you before, we have two the person who is going to buy this is
different ways of looking at that. And were someone who is more interested or
going to concentrate first and foremost on has a higher profile, maybe, if we can say
Ferdinand de Saussure, who in his famous that Its someone who likes a particular
book defined a sign as the relationship type of lifestyle This is certainly not
(bear in mind) between a sound image, good for sport. Yes, as you can see, its
which he called a signifier, and the concept definitely not working for that purposes.
that that image or sound is related to, that But certainly, we would associate that with
he called a signified. Well lets see this possibly people who are older, so theyre
example: I have the word open. Now open not very much into dancing, or doing other
is a signified in this case its something activities. Um, what is important for us to
tangible, its a sign I can see. But what it remember is that each of these signs will
signifies what does it mean? Well it give us a very different set of associations,
means, so is to signify, that I can go in and its very dependent on the culture as
because it is open. Now as we said before well. So each culture will have a different
it is this relation between the sound, the set of associations for a particular object.
object, the sign, and what it produces (the
association that I have with that word) that
it will produce the sign in itself and how I
understand it. This is what we would call,
the first level of meaning. What it means is
that when I am associating meaning to
words, then there is another step that I
have to make and this is the next one:
denotation and connotation.
Now, in my second level of meaning, if
we will call it this way, denotation only
defines literally what a word means.
For instance, Im constantly giving you
examples of words because its easier to
understand. But lets say denotation is
what you will find in dictionaries, so, what
a word means. But as you know, each word
may have more than one meaning, and this
is where the connotation comes in. The
connotation will tell us what we associate
with that, and of course we can associate
very different things. Lets think of an
example, but this time not with words
but with objects. As I said to you before,
an object is also a sign. Now, if I take
this bottle, for example. Now, signifier/
signified because the sound is bottle and
the image that it produces, of course, is a
bottle. Second level of meaning we have
a denotation, so the dictionary will tell me
connotation, well, this is where we start to
play with meaning and language. Now, this
bottle will give me a very different type of
association depending on my knowledge,
depending on where I use the bottle, who
produced it, who do I see using it most
importantly. In advertising, this bottle will
tell me that, you know, people that are
healthy, that are sporty, that are possibly
they think about their health and not
wanting to drink impure water, would be
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