
Paul Worsley, former judge, discusses the dilemma a parole board faces when it comes to deciding whether a person convicted of murder can be released into the community.
In this listening activity, you will listen to an interview from Talkradio Europe. Fill in the blanks with the word(s) you hear.
As the aim of the activity is to make it as similar as possible to “the real thing”, you’ll have a minute to read the questions, 14 minutes to hear the audio twice (put it back to zero position), and another minute to check your answers. Before you do the listening Working on the Parole Board, you may want to do the pre-listening quick quiz as a warm-up.
Speak for a minute
Do punishments act as an effective deterrent for crime?
Judge Worsley, mentions that deciding if a person brought to the parole board is eligible or not is like gazing into a crystal ball. In your own words, try to explain what he meant by this.
Judge Worsly, mentioned that “some criminals never change their spots”, how far do you agree with this statement. Reason your answer.
What’s your stance on the common belief that the longer an offender remains incarcerated, the better?
What crimes according to you, should be given a life sentence?
What crimes, according to you receive an unfair and harsh punishment.
[simplestopwatch]
Hi SB, thanks for your feedback. I initially set the time limit TO ONE MINUTE to help students practice working under time pressure, as this is common in official exams. However, I’ve now removed it so teachers can decide what works best for their students.
You were right about the typo in question #6—I’ve corrected it and replaced the question with a more challenging one to better suit the level.
By the way, if you and your students find these materials useful, feel free to subscribe or leave a like. It helps support the work that goes into creating these resources. 😊
Hello, 2 comments: 1, the time limit on the first multiple choice exercise is not long enough. My students don’t even have time to read the questions. It should be 3-4 minutes. And 2, in the fill in the blank section, the answer to #6 is “difficult call” not “difficult core”.