The Reading / Listening - Being Sick - Level 4

Britain is cracking down on the nation's "sick note culture". The UK's leader Rishi Sunak believes too many people are claiming welfare benefits because of mental health issues. The leader said this was a drain on the economy and was creating labour shortages. The most common reason for doctors to issue sick notes is mental health. Mr Sunak said: "We need to change the sick note culture, so the default becomes what work you can do, not what you can't."

Sunak wants people off benefits and back to work. He said: "We must be more honest about…over-medicalising the everyday…worries of life." He said half of people who became inactive recently cited depression and anxiety. Many people blame Sunak for this crisis. A charity said: "Services are at breaking point following years of underinvestment." Opposition politicians called Sunak's plans "another front for their culture wars".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Being Sick - Level 5 or  Being Sick - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.ft.com/content/c2ce5fc7-81d7-4f07-b339-c868bcd6df26
  • https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/19/sunak-accused-of-making-mental-illness-another-front-in-the-culture-wars
  • https://time.com/6969002/rishi-sunak-welfare-reform-sick-note-culture-uk/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Sunak believes too many people
  2. welfare
  3. this was a drain
  4. labour
  5. The most
  6. issue
  7. We need to change the
  8. the default becomes
  1. shortages
  2. sick note culture
  3. are claiming
  4. what work you can do
  5. benefits
  6. common reason
  7. on the economy
  8. sick notes

Paragraph 2

  1. We must be
  2. medicalising the everyday
  3. depression
  4. people blame Sunak
  5. Services are at breaking
  6. following years
  7. Opposition
  8. another front for their culture
  1. point
  2. politicians
  3. worries of life
  4. wars
  5. and anxiety
  6. for this crisis
  7. more honest
  8. of underinvestment

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Britain is cracking down (1) ___________________ "sick note culture". The UK's leader Rishi Sunak believes too many people are                           (2) ___________________ because of mental health issues. The leader said this was (3) ___________________ the economy and was creating labour shortages. The (4) ___________________ for doctors to issue sick notes (5) ___________________. Mr Sunak said: "We need to change the sick note culture, so the (6) ___________________ work you can do, not what you can't."

Sunak wants (7) ___________________ and back to work. He said: "We must be (8) ___________________…over-medicalising the everyday… (9) ___________________." He said half of people who became inactive recently cited (10) ___________________. Many people blame Sunak for this crisis. A charity said: "Services are (11) ___________________ following years of underinvestment." Opposition politicians called Sunak's plans "another front for (12) ___________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Britainiscrackingdownonthenation's"sicknoteculture".TheUK'sleade
rRishiSunakbelievestoomanypeopleareclaimingwelfarebenefitsbec
auseofmentalhealthissues.Theleadersaidthiswasadrainontheecono
myandwascreatinglabourshortages.Themostcommonreasonfordoc
torstoissuesicknotesismentalhealth.MrSunaksaid:"Weneedtochang
ethesicknoteculture,sothedefaultbecomeswhatworkyoucando,notw
hatyoucan't."Sunakwantspeopleoffbenefitsandbacktowork.Hesaid:
"Wemustbemorehonestabout…over-medicalisingtheeveryday…wo
rriesoflife."Hesaidhalfofpeoplewhobecameinactiverecentlyciteddep
ressionandanxiety.ManypeopleblameSunakforthiscrisis.Acharitysai
d:"Servicesareatbreakingpointfollowingyearsofunderinvestment."
OppositionpoliticianscalledSunak'splans"anotherfrontfortheircultur
ewars".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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