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C1 Advanced English Unit: Rural Life & Village Decline

Valley Survey Board

⏱️ Duration: 20 Minutes 👥 Group Size: Teams of 3–4

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Rules of the Game

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Teacher Setup & Management

1 Set Up: Divide the class into teams of 3 or 4 students and give each team one set of 6 survey cards.
2 Instructions: Explain that each team must write exactly ONE careful claim per survey card that summarizes the finding.
3 Grammar Focus: Remind students they must embed the designated qualifying phrase on each card without exaggerating the statistics.
4 Run Steps: Guide teams through the 20-minute timed plan, allowing about 1–2 minutes per card.
5 Score & Key: Have teams swap claim sheets to peer-check answers using the Teacher Key section at the bottom of the page.

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Student Goal & Round Mechanics

1 Goal: Write 6 accurate survey summaries that state nothing more and nothing less than what the card's numbers prove.
2 Round Mechanics: Read the card together, discuss the exact data, and choose the best way to integrate the required qualifying phrase.
3 Write: Appoint one recorder in your group to write the final claim on your team's Claim Sheet.
4 Win Points: Earn 1 point for accurate numbers, 1 point for correct phrase grammar, and 1 bonus point per Unit word used!
5 Peer Review: Swap sheets with a neighboring team at the end of the round to mark their claims and calculate final totals.

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Timed Plan (20 Minutes Total)

2 min

Step 1

Hand out the cards and explain rules.

3 min

Step 2

Model the target phrase with a spare example, not one of the six cards.

5 min

Step 3

Teams write claims for Cards 1 to 3.

4 min

Step 4

Teams write claims for Cards 4 to 6.

3 min

Step 5

Swap claim sheets and peer-grade.

3 min

Step 6

Check teacher key and declare winner.

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6 Survey Cards

📌 Card 1: Marsh Valley

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9 of the 10 villages in the Marsh Valley have lost their bank.

Phrase: by and large

9/10 Villages Lost Bank

Marsh Valley Financial Services Survey

📌 Card 2: Transport

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5 of 10 villagers say the new bus is useful; the other 5 hardly ever use it.

Phrase: up to a point

50% Find Bus Route Useful

Rural Bus Transit Feedback Survey

📌 Card 3: Tarn Hollow

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8 of the 10 houses in Tarn Hollow belong to people over 60; 2 belong to young families.

Phrase: in the main

8/10 Houses Belong to Over-60s

Tarn Hollow Housing Register

📌 Card 4: North Region

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12 of the 15 villages in the north have lost their school; 3 still have one.

Phrase: with some exceptions

12/15 Northern Villages Lost School

North District Education Audit

📌 Card 5: Housing Inquiry

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The mayor says high prices explain empty houses; survey finds prices explain 7 of every 10 empty houses.

Phrase: to a large extent

Prices Cause 70% Vacant Homes

Mayor's Claim vs Housing Survey

📌 Card 6: Village Stores

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The 4 village shops are different sizes, but all 4 sell bread, milk and stamps.

Phrase: broadly speaking

All 4 Shops Stock Essentials

Valley Commerce & Retail Audit

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Student Claim Sheet

Write ONE careful claim for each survey result. Integrate the required phrase on the card and aim to use target Unit words!

1 Card 1: Marsh Valley Bank Survey Target Phrase: by and large

____ (Write team claim for Card 1 here...)

2 Card 2: Valley Bus Route Feedback Target Phrase: up to a point

____ (Write team claim for Card 2 here...)

3 Card 3: Tarn Hollow Demographics Target Phrase: in the main

____ (Write team claim for Card 3 here...)

4 Card 4: North Region School Closures Target Phrase: with some exceptions

____ (Write team claim for Card 4 here...)

5 Card 5: Housing Vacancy Inquiry Target Phrase: to a large extent

____ (Write team claim for Card 5 here...)

6 Card 6: Village Stores Inventory Target Phrase: broadly speaking

____ (Write team claim for Card 6 here...)

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Scoring System

1pt

Factual Accuracy

Awarded if the sentence is 100% true to the numbers on the card without stretching or misrepresenting facts.

1pt

Grammar & Target Phrase

Awarded if the assigned qualifying phrase is used grammatically and naturally (ticked by peer checkers).

+1pt

Unit Vocabulary Bonus

Earn 1 bonus point for EVERY target Unit word used correctly in your team's written claims!

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Sentence Starters & Target Vocabulary

🏷️ Target Unit Vocabulary Words (1 Bonus Point Each):

rural hamlet farmland countryside depopulation vacant closure abandon scarce retain

1. By and large, rural hamlets in the Marsh Valley have experienced the closure of their bank...

2. Up to a point, the new bus service is useful to some villagers in the countryside, but...

3. In the main, most houses in Tarn Hollow belong to people over 60 rather than to...

4. With some exceptions, northern villages have had to abandon their school...

5. To a large extent, high prices explain why many houses remain vacant, although...

6. Broadly speaking, the four village shops are different sizes, but...

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Teacher Key & Common Pitfalls

1 Card 1 (Marsh Valley Banks):

✅ Model Claim: "By and large, the villages of the Marsh Valley have lost their bank."

⚠️ Mistake to look for: Preposition insertion error — "by and large of the villages".

2 Card 2 (Bus Route):

✅ Model Claim: "Up to a point, the new bus service is useful to local residents."

⚠️ Mistake to look for: Misusing phrase as a conjunction — "up to a point that people like it".

3 Card 3 (Tarn Hollow):

✅ Model Claim: "In the main, houses in Tarn Hollow belong to people over 60."

⚠️ Mistake to look for: Inserting unnecessary prepositions — "in the main of houses".

4 Card 4 (Northern Schools):

✅ Model Claim: "With some exceptions, northern villages have lost their school."

⚠️ Mistake to look for: Adding extra words — "with some exceptions of the villages".

5 Card 5 (Mayor & Vacant Houses):

✅ Model Claim: "To a large extent, high prices explain why houses remain vacant."

⚠️ Mistake to look for: Word order mix-ups or over-claiming — claiming the mayor was 100% right.

6 Card 6 (Village Stores):

✅ Model Claim: "Broadly speaking, all four village shops stock the same essentials, such as bread, milk and stamps."

⚠️ Mistake to look for: Adding preposition — "broadly speaking about the shops".

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Activity Variations

Level 1 (Easy)

Sentence Templates

Provide fill-in sentence stems for each card so weaker students focus only on selecting the phrase and vocabulary word.

Level 2 (Standard)

Standard Card Play

Teams construct whole sentences from scratch, using exactly 1 phrase per card as described in the default game rules.

Level 3 (Hard)

Combined Survey Claims

Students combine results from two related cards into a single complex sentence with contrast connectors (e.g., Cards 1 & 4).

Fast Groups

Council Executive Summary

Fast finishers draft a 3-sentence summary memo to the local council incorporating at least 4 Unit words and 2 qualifying phrases.

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Closing Questions for Discussion

Which survey finding poses the greatest long-term risk to rural community life?

Consider whether losing educational institutions, local banking, or essential shopping amenities impacts village survival most severely.

Why is qualifying a claim (e.g., using "to a large extent") crucial in official reports?

Discuss how un-qualified generalizations can mislead voters or result in poorly planned local council decisions.

If you were the valley's mayor, which single initiative would you fund first?

Use target qualifying phrases and Unit vocabulary (e.g., depopulation, scarce, retain) to justify your council budget allocation.

Class activity: Valley Survey Board

Valley Survey Board

Rules of the Game

Teacher Setup & Management

Student Goal & Round Mechanics

Timed Plan (20 Minutes Total)

6 Survey Cards

9/10 Villages Lost Bank

50% Find Bus Route Useful

8/10 Houses Belong to Over-60s

12/15 Northern Villages Lost School

Prices Cause 70% Vacant Homes

All 4 Shops Stock Essentials

Student Claim Sheet

Scoring System

Factual Accuracy

Grammar & Target Phrase

Unit Vocabulary Bonus

Sentence Starters & Target Vocabulary

🏷️ Target Unit Vocabulary Words (1 Bonus Point Each):

Teacher Key & Common Pitfalls

Activity Variations

Sentence Templates

Standard Card Play

Combined Survey Claims

Council Executive Summary

Closing Questions for Discussion

Which survey finding poses the greatest long-term risk to rural community life?

Why is qualifying a claim (e.g., using "to a large extent") crucial in official reports?

If you were the valley's mayor, which single initiative would you fund first?

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