Last update: June 10, 2025

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this updated first Business English lesson are:

• for students to practise talking about themselves and their work;
• for students to watch a video about work-life balance;
• to test students’ knowledge of some grammar structures and prepositions.

Students choose correct grammar structures and prepositions, create questions, talk about themselves and their work and do a listening comprehension activity. The lesson has been updated to give students more opportunities to speak and to make listening comprehension more accessible. Now, the lesson also helps the teacher evaluate students’ grammar abilities.

WARM-UP AND PREPOSITIONS

This first Business English lesson starts with a warm-up activity in which students complete some sentences about their experience with English. Then, students look at a list of topics covering areas like free time, work, family and friends and weekend plans. A student chooses a topic and talks about it for 30 seconds. The other student listens and asks follow-up questions. They take turns until they have discussed six topics altogether. After that, students read seven sentences about work and education. They complete them with prepositions (e.g. apply for, deal with, in charge of). Next, they write four questions for a partner using the phrases with prepositions. They also ask each other’s questions. 

VIDEO AND GRAMMAR

In the next part of this first Business English lesson, students look at the beginnings of six tips on how to improve work-life balance. They brainstorm what the tips might be. Then, they watch the video with the six tips and compare their answers. After that, they briefly discuss the tips in the video and add more tips to the list. Next, they read eight sentences and choose the correct verb form in each. The verb forms include tenses like Future Simple and Present Perfect Continuous, as well as grammar structures like comparatives, passive voice and the Second Conditional. In the final step of this first Business English lesson, students decide which of the statements are true for them and provide some details.

Other ESL Brains first lesson worksheets:

• Nice to meet you! – first lesson with A2 students

• Stay interested, stay motivated – first lesson with new students (B2/C1)