B1/B2

Is a degree worth it?

1. Look at the things and say how they might be connected to higher education. Mention only the first
thing that comes to mind.

status success financial stability

2. You are going to watch a news report about the job market. Choose the best words to complete the
sentence.
• Today, people can find a good job with/without a university degree because many employers focus
on skills/experience/qualifications.

3. Watch the first part of the video [https://youtu.be/YX9NWYz3Gzk] (to 00:43) and check your
answers in ex. 2.

4. Watch the second part of the video (from 00:44 to 01:27) and choose the best summary.
A. Allie Alcala has a successful career in banking. She was a student when the company hired her and
they paid for her education.
B. Allie Alcala has a successful career in banking. She doesn’t have a degree, but the company she
works for paid for a programme that helped her gain the skills for the job.
C. Allie Alcala has a successful career in banking. The company she works for hired her without a
degree because she had all the skills that were necessary for the job.
Ask students: Do you think people like Allie might be interested in getting a degree in future?
T
Why/Why not?

5. Watch the third part of the video (from 01:28 to 04:20) and decide if the statements are true or
false. Correct the false statements.
A. More than 50% of college graduates end up with student debt of up to $30,000. True [01:48]
B. Juan Medina worked part-time to afford to go to college. False. Juan Medina didn’t go to college
and worked several jobs instead. [02:03]
C. Some major tech companies don’t pay attention to college degrees. True [02:31]
D. Today, people with a college degree have a higher income than those who only graduated from high
school. True [02:43]
E. Allie Alcala might want to get a diploma to make her parents happy. False. Allie Alcala might want
to get a diploma to get it framed. [03:05]

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Is a degree worth it?

F. Only certain types of companies are ready to change their job requirements. False. All sorts of
companies are changing their job requirements and educational requirements. [03:41]

6. Discuss the questions.

• Is higher education expensive in your country?
• How common is it for people to get a college or university degree in
your country?
• Do you have a college or university degree? If yes, why did you decide
to do it? If not, what is the reason? Are you going to study for one in
the future?
• Do you think that university degrees were more valuable in the past?
Explain your answer.
• How might higher education change in the next few years/decades?

7. Choose the best phrase to complete each sentence.

A. Some of the most important professions require academic qualifications/require academic skills;
that’s why universities will always be major providers of education.
Today you are free to pursue the career/pursuit the career you want, which has nothing to do with
your degree. There are many famous entrepreneurs who dropped college/dropped out of college
and went on to start their own companies.
B. Higher education isn’t just about knowledge and skills, it’s about personal development, critical
thinking and problem-solving skills, which are valuable in various aspects of life.
Many people choose vocational studies/vocational training to get a steady job such as an
electrician or mechanic that will pay their bills. Why spend years learning things you won’t need
when so many companies today hire people without a degree/fire people without a degree?
C. There’s no point in getting a degree if you will only get into debt because of high tuition fees/tutor
fees and with no guarantee you’ll get a good job after graduation to pay it over/pay it off.
As a student, you get access to many great opportunities that can help you get a good job later.
Besides, you can also work your way through college/walk your way through college and have
little or no debt at all.
Ask students to use as many phrases from the exercise as possible and come up with short stories that
use these beginnings and/or endings:
T Beginnings:
She arrived in this country with ten bucks in her pocket…
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 B1/B2
Is a degree worth it?

He didn’t want to depend on his parents’ money…

She could be the first in her family to go to college…
Endings:
T
… and then she became a billionaire.
… but he could afford to live his life to the full.
… that’s why he encourages his children to always keep learning.

8. Look at the opinions in ex. 7 again, choose one in each pair that describes your experience the best
and explain why.

9. Work in pairs. Student A: In round 1, you will get a card with a statement and a list of arguments
for and against it. Read the statement and listen to Student B’s response. If they are for the idea,
read the first argument against it. If they are against the idea, read the first argument for it. Let
Student B respond. Continue with the second and the third arguments. In round 2, exchange
roles.
Instruct Student A that they should give Student B enough time to present their opinion. Once they
have made themselves clear, Student A offers one of the opposing arguments. Once it’s refuted or
supported, they read the next argument on the list.
Encourage them to use phrases like ‘I see what you mean but…’, ‘I see your point but…’, ‘You might be
right but…’
If the student who responds to the statement mentions an argument from the list, the other student
shouldn’t use it later.

T Example:
Student A: The more people who get higher education the better it is for society. What do you think?
Student B: I don’t think I quite agree with this. Universities are important but today we have many
other ways to gain knowledge and develop ourselves. (Student B is against the idea, so Student A
needs to use the first argument for the idea.)
Student A: I see what you mean, but don’t you think that more people with college degrees create more
potential for progress and development?
Student B: As I said,…

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Is a degree worth it?

ROUND 1
The more people who get higher education the better it is for society. What do you think?

For the idea:

• More people with college degrees create more potential for progress and development.
• University helps people develop critical thinking and understand the bigger picture.
• Higher education leads to new technologies and discoveries, making life better.

Against the idea:

• We should value practical skills, not just degrees.
• Too many graduates can make it hard to find a good job.
• Some graduates lack the practical skills needed for jobs.

ROUND 2
With so many new ways to gain knowledge and skills, universities are no longer needed. What do
you think?

For the idea:

• Online education is less expensive, so you don’t get into debt.
• Universities teach mostly theory and don’t focus on practical skills.
• Universities can’t keep up with the changes in many spheres.

Against the idea:

• Universities provide unique networking opportunities and a sense of community.
• Universities are centres of research and innovation.
• Degrees from some universities have a very good reputation in the job market.

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Is a degree worth it?

This worksheet includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. It’s only
T available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. The task with the answer key is below, while the
students’ version is on the last page. Print it, cut it up and hand it out to your students.

Use one of the phrases in brackets to ask a question to the person described in each statement.
EXAMPLE: Someone wants to go to college but they don’t want to get into debt. (require
academic qualifications, tuition fees)
How are you going to pay your tuition fees?
You can check the questions students come up with in pairs and then ask them to answer each other’s
questions using the other phrase in brackets.
Someone wants to go to college but they don’t want to get into debt. (require academic qualifications,
tuition fees)
Student A: How are you going to pay your tuition fees?
Student B: I’m going to earn money doing a job that doesn’t require academic qualifications.
Possible responses to the questions suggested as possible answers:

T A. I’d love to become a doctor, but college is so expensive I’ll have to work my way through it.
B. I’d love to go to college first. I know tuition fees are quite high but the experience is worth it.
C. It might be a good option for me if I drop out of college.
D. This is very important to me. Besides, I can work my way through college and have very little debt.
E. I’ve always wanted a different career, which requires academic qualifications, so I can finally
afford it and get an even better job as a result.
F. Even if I face some challenges at first, this degree will allow me to pursue a career that will benefit
my community.
Possible answers:
A. A high school graduate is considering different options regarding his future career. (pursue a
career, work one’s way through college )
What sort of career would you like to pursue?
B. An ambitious young person is trying to build a career after moving to a big city. (hire people
without a degree, tuition fees)
Are you going to get a job at one of those companies that hire people without a degree?
C. A young person only goes to college because their parents made them. (drop out of college,
vocational training)
What alternatives do you have in mind? Have you considered vocational training perhaps?
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 B1/B2

Is a degree worth it?

D. A school-leaver is determined to get a college degree and be the first person from their family to
achieve this. (pay off the debt, work one’s way through college)
Why do you want this degree so much if you might spend years paying off the debt?
E. An experienced professional wants to go to college to learn a new profession and get a better-paid
job. (require academic qualifications, tuition fees)
Why are you so determined to do it and pay high tuition fees if you have a good job already?
F. Someone is only motivated to get a diploma because it’s considered prestigious in their
community. (pursue a career, drop out of college)
Don’t you think you might want to drop out of college once you realise this isn’t your kind of thing?

Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.

Is a degree worth it?

Use one of the phrases in brackets to ask a question to a person described in each statement.
EXAMPLE: Someone wants to go to college but they don’t want to get into debt. (require
academic qualifications, tuition fees)
How are you going to pay your tuition fees?
A. A high school graduate is considering different options regarding his future career. (pursue a
career, work one’s way through college )
B. An ambitious young person is trying to build a career after moving to a big city. (hire people
without a degree, tuition fees)
C. A young person only goes to college because their parents made them. (drop out of college,
vocational training)
D. A school-leaver is determined to get a college degree and be the first person from their family to
achieve this. (pay off the debt, work one’s way through college)
E. An experienced professional wants to go to college to learn a new profession and get a better-paid
job. (require academic qualifications, tuition fees)
F. Someone is only motivated to get a diploma because it’s considered prestigious in their
community. (pursue a career, drop out of college)

Use one of the phrases in brackets to ask a question to a person described in each statement.
EXAMPLE: Someone wants to go to college but they don’t want to get into debt. (require
academic qualifications, tuition fees)
How are you going to pay your tuition fees?
A. A high school graduate is considering different options regarding his future career. (pursue a
career, work one’s way through college )
B. An ambitious young person is trying to build a career after moving to a big city. (hire people
without a degree, tuition fees)
C. A young person only goes to college because their parents made them. (drop out of college,
vocational training)
D. A school-leaver is determined to get a college degree and be the first person from their family to
achieve this. (pay off the debt, work one’s way through college)
E. An experienced professional wants to go to college to learn a new profession and get a better-paid
job. (require academic qualifications, tuition fees)
F. Someone is only motivated to get a diploma because it’s considered prestigious in their
community. (pursue a career, drop out of college)
Copyrights by ESL Brains. For use only with license.