ESL Work Writing

By doing ESL work writing exercises you will be able to get better at using vocabulary related to employment and occupations. This will be good as it will mean you will be able to use the vocabulary when you need to in a real life situation.

Everyone, or almost everyone, needs to work to earn money. The writing tasks on this page will help you get better at using the vocabulary you might need when trying to find or do a job. If you need any help choosing the best works to use for the tasks on this page you can look at the ESL work vocabulary page. 

There are the following 4 exercises on this page for you to do:

• Writing task with several writing topics.
• Summary writing topic.
• Writing a description of a picture.
• Writing role-plays.

ESL Work Writing Exercises

Exercise 1 – Writing Topics

This ESL work writing exercise has 3 writing topics for you to use. You should pick one of the topics and then write as much as you can about it. Use full sentences and good grammar. The more that you write the better you will get at using the vocabulary. Once you have done the first topic you can do the other two if you want to get really good at using the work vocabulary items.

• Describe what your idea job would be.
• What are the best and worse jobs to do?
• What sort of jobs do your friends have?

Exercise 2 – Write a Summary

For the next ESL work writing activity you need to write a summary of the following passage. You should first read and understand the passage, and then try to rewrite it so that the same information is included but different words have been used. The summary should also be shorter than the original.

Fruit Picking Job

In the harvest season, farmers need help with fruit picking. Fruit pickers, often called harvesters, play an important role in the agriculture industry because gentle and careful treatment is needed to keep the quality. Picking fruit with machines has been avoided as it can damage fruit and render it rotten.

Fruit picking involves harvesting, sorting and gathering fruit manually with hands. Sometimes, small knives or tools are used to cut fruit from branches and vines. Fruit pickers are not required to have a formal degree in agriculture or other field. Usually, new fruit pickers receive on-the-job training in which farmers show workers what to do with the fruit and it normally takes about a week to learn the ropes.

Picking fruit is not always easy. Workers must be able to endure severe weather conditions, such as high wind or heavy rain. They should also be able to recognize signs of disease and detect insect attack. For low-lying plants, workers must have the endurance and strength to bend over for hours, everyday during the harvest period.

Fruit picking is a fantastic job for students who are on holiday during the summer months. There is a wide range of positions available for young, old, skilled and unskilled people. They can work part-time or full-time on fruit farms. They are paid for every basket of fruit they pick or per hour. In England, fruit pickers can earn up to £9.00 per hour. At some California farms, pickers are paid $16 per bin or basket regardless the amount of time needed to fill the basket.

Nowadays, it is often difficult for farmers to retain fruit pickers because the wages are low. The demand for fruit pickers is also uncertain because of drought and other adverse weather conditions. If you like working outdoors, try fruit picking. It is a skill that is learnt easily and can help you learn about your favorite fruit.

Exercise 3 – Describing a Picture

For this ESL work writing task you need to describe the following picture. Explain what the picture shows and describe what you think is happening. You can also imagine what might have just happened before the situation shown or what will happen next. Try to write as much as you can about the image.

Exercise 4 – Writing Role-plays

In this last ESL work writing exercise you need to write a role-play. There are 2 role-plays below for you to choose from. In each you are given the location where it happens, the situation that is happening and the people involved. Once you have finished you should find some friends and act out the role-plays.

Role-play 1

• Location: In a café.
• Situation: Friends talking about what job they want after graduating from university.
• Participants: 3 or more friends.

Role-play 2

• Location: In an office.
• Situation: 2 new interns starting work on their first day.
• Participants: 2 interns and their boss.