Warm-up
Answer a few quick questions before today's lesson about arts.
Listening
Listen to the recording and answer the questions in each part. You can replay the audio as many times as you need — click anywhere on the progress bar to jump to a specific moment. Read the questions in each part first, then submit when you are ready; your answers will be marked together at the end of each part.
Listening — The Evolution of Street Art
This listening task is split into parts. The audio player stays at the top of the page so you can replay it freely — click anywhere on the progress bar to jump to a specific moment. For each part, read the questions first, then listen and answer. You can change your answers until you click Submit; feedback appears once you submit each part.
Reading
Read the passage on the left, then work through the questions on the right.
Reading — Street Artist Breaks Records with Global Exhibition Tour
Read the passage on the left, then answer the questions one by one.
Street Artist Breaks Records with Global Exhibition Tour
British street artist Maya Chen has achieved a milestone in contemporary art by launching the largest exhibition tour in her career. Over the past two years, Chen has exhibited her work in fifteen cities across four continents, attracting over 500,000 visitors. Her bold murals and mixed-media installations have evolved significantly since she began her artistic journey in London in 2015.
Chen's artistic style combines traditional painting techniques with digital projection, creating immersive experiences that challenge viewers to think about identity and belonging. Her recent works are more experimental than her earlier pieces, which focused primarily on environmental themes. "I have always believed that art should be a conversation," Chen explains. "My new installations invite people to participate and share their own stories."
The exhibition has proven more successful than similar contemporary art tours, drawing younger audiences who might not typically visit museums. Critics have praised her innovative approach, and collectors have become increasingly interested in acquiring her pieces. Chen plans to continue expanding her artistic practice, with upcoming projects in Asia and South America. She has already begun collaborating with local communities to create site-specific works that reflect their unique cultures and histories.
Vocabulary Practice
Practise the 12 key vocabulary items from this lesson through three exercises.
Vocabulary Practice — Express Yourself
Work through all three parts. Each part uses the same vocabulary in a different way.
Use of English
Transform the root word in brackets to fit the sentence.
How Artists Communicate Through Their Work
Throughout history, artists have used different mediums to express (1 EMOTION) and ideas. Painting, sculpture, and photography are (2 POWER) tools for (3 COMMUNICATE). Many artists find (4 INSPIRE) in nature, while others draw from personal (5 EXPERIENCE). The (6 DECIDE) to use colour, line, and texture is never (7 ACCIDENT)—each choice carries meaning. Contemporary art has become increasingly (8 ACCESSIBLE) to audiences worldwide, allowing more people to appreciate creative work and form their own opinions about artistic styles.
Use of English — Word formation
Choose or type the correct word for each gap in the passage above.
Writing Task
Your school magazine is running a feature called 'Young Voices on Art' and has invited students to share their personal experience with a particular art form or medium. The editor has asked: 'How has a specific type of art or artistic medium influenced you or changed the way you see creativity?' You decide to write about digital art and how it has affected your artistic journey.
You should address:
- Open with an engaging hook—a question, striking statement, or anecdote.
- Compare digital art to traditional methods using comparative structures.
- Use present perfect to describe your experiences and what you have discovered.
- Include at least one specific example or detail to support your point.
- End with a memorable closing line that invites reader reflection.
Speaking
Speaking task. Read the instructions, then complete the task.
Teacher Guide
Practise with
- architecturenoun
the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and structures
- displayverb
to show something to the public or to put something where people can see it
- flashbacknoun
a scene in a story that shows events that happened in the past
- folknoun
the traditional music, stories, and customs of ordinary people in a community
- gignoun
a single live performance by a musician or musical group
- linesnoun
the words that an actor says in a performance
- narratornoun
a person who tells a story in a book or film
- productionnoun
The process of making or growing something in large quantities.
- temponoun
the speed at which a piece of music is played
- tensionnoun
a feeling of nervousness or stress; the state of being stretched or tight