Places of work

C2 Proficiency · Speaking Collaborative · Cambridge Ready original exercise

Work with your partner. First talk about two of the pictures for about a minute, then use all five pictures to discuss a situation and reach a decision together in about three minutes.

Now you'll be working together. Here are some pictures of people working in very different settings.

Places of work

Colleagues working at desks in a large open-plan office.

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/6c54dc0b57436d160c3125f25bde49261ee8191d26d4d8216adff8e7ab2615bd.avif

candid documentary photograph, colleagues of different ages and ethnicities working at desks in a large open-plan office, one small group talking around a screen, busy but focused mood, natural light, shot on 35mm film, no text, no watermark

A man working on a laptop at his kitchen table at home.

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/d93a6acaba4946a15dfb0b28cce3fcf5b62047891faf5a5305be6e5a8cd29832.avif

candid documentary photograph, a middle-aged South Asian man working on a laptop at his kitchen table at home, a mug of coffee and a notebook beside him, quiet morning light, natural light, shot on 35mm film, no text, no watermark

A young woman with headphones working on a laptop in a crowded café.

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/32b7531cd5712d1598afe10f89fc2e7f0719b41c173d87713ee6dd2facc7d538.avif

candid documentary photograph, a young woman wearing headphones working on a laptop in a crowded café, people chatting at the tables around her, lively background, natural light, shot on 35mm film, no text, no watermark

Freelancers sharing long tables in a converted warehouse workspace.

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/ec5c9622ff00030d09687dc933a4e0a1056204bc62ccace7c24be90ff3dc2a0b.avif

candid documentary photograph, freelancers of mixed ages sharing long wooden tables in a converted warehouse co-working space, plants and exposed brick, two people chatting by a coffee machine, natural light, shot on 35mm film, no text, no watermark

Two engineers in hard hats looking at drawings on a building site.

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/ef134256f7e26dbf4526a9d3923b2b34f926df38a1a4a1bc3a52b86c851a8058.avif

candid documentary photograph, two engineers in hard hats, a man and a woman, discussing paper drawings on an open building site, cranes in the background, windy day, natural light, shot on 35mm film, no text, no watermark

Start by looking at pictures {a} and {b}. Talk together about how working in places like these might affect people's concentration and their sense of belonging. You have about a minute for this.

Now look at all five pictures. Imagine a company is writing a guide for new employees about the advantages and drawbacks of different working environments. Discuss what each setting might offer people and what it might cost them, both personally and professionally. Then decide which environment would be hardest to work in well over a long period. You have about three minutes for this.

Answer this Speaking task out loud and an AI examiner marks it on the official Cambridge Speaking criteria, with what you did well and what to fix next.

Practise this Speaking task free online: solo with exam timers and a self-recorder, as a live mock Speaking test with a partner over a video call, or as a full three-person mock exam — a real examiner reads the official examiner script to Candidates A and B. Rooms are invite-by-link; partners can join without an account.

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