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Reading Worksheet

Destination Ireland

B1 Present Continuous for Future: Confirmed Itinerary Language Learning and Travel 25 minutes
Before You Read

Discuss these questions with a partner before you read.

  • Have you ever been on a school trip abroad, or would you like to? Where would you go?
  • What do you know about Ireland? What would you like to see or do there?
  • What are the benefits of a language exchange programme — for the students and for the school?
  • Look at the title 'Destination Ireland'. What do you think the article is going to be about?
Key Vocabulary
Word Definition Example
exchange (n.) a programme where students from two schools or countries swap visits to learn about each other This is a two-week language exchange programme.
itinerary (n.) a detailed plan of a journey or programme, including times and places The itinerary is confirmed and all arrangements are made.
host family (n.) a family that welcomes a visiting student into their home during a trip abroad The students are staying with Irish host families.
farewell (adj./n.) relating to a final occasion before leaving or saying goodbye They are having a farewell dinner on Friday evening.
guided tour (n.) a visit to a place led by a professional guide who provides information They are taking a guided tour of the coastline on Wednesday morning.
joint (adj.) involving two groups or people doing something together The Irish students are joining them for a joint cultural event.
Reading Text
Magazine Article ~285 words

Destination Ireland

Next month, twenty students from Ridgeway Secondary School in Birmingham are heading to Cork, Ireland, for a two-week language exchange programme. The itinerary is fully confirmed, and everyone is excited.

The trip begins early. On Monday 3rd June, the students are meeting at school at 5am. They are flying from Birmingham Airport at 7:30am and landing in Cork at 8:45am Irish time. From the airport, the group is travelling by coach to their host families.

During week one, the students are staying with Irish host families across Cork city. Every morning from 9am to 12pm, they are studying English at Mountwood Language School. In the afternoons, they are exploring Cork city with local students as their guides — visiting the English Market, the old city walls, and the waterfront.

Week two has a full programme of trips and activities. On Monday, the whole group is visiting Blarney Castle, one of Ireland's most famous landmarks. On Wednesday morning, they are taking a guided tour of the Atlantic coastline south of Cork. On Thursday afternoon, the arrangement turns the other way: the Irish partner students are travelling to the Ridgeway group's language school for a joint cultural event, with music, food, and activities from both countries.

The trip ends on Friday evening with a farewell dinner at a restaurant in Cork city centre. On Saturday 15th June, the students are flying home from Cork Airport at 11am.

Ridgeway's headteacher, Ms Sandra Powell, is enthusiastic about the programme. "The students are working incredibly hard in their English classes," she says, "and they are making new friends every day. It is going to be an experience they never forget."

Notice the Grammar

Look at the article. Find three sentences that use the present continuous to describe future events (e.g. 'They are flying from Birmingham Airport at 7:30am'). Why is this form used — not 'will fly' or 'going to fly'? What do all these sentences have in common?

1 Reading for Gist

Answer these questions in a few words.

  1. Where are the Ridgeway students going, and for how long?
  2. What is the main purpose of the trip?
  3. How does the headteacher feel about the programme?
2 Reading for Detail

Write short answers based on the article.

  1. What time are the students meeting at school on Monday 3rd June?
  2. What are the students doing every morning in week one?
  3. What happens on Thursday afternoon in week two?
  4. What is happening at Blarney Castle on Monday of week two?  a) The students are meeting their host families. b) The whole group is visiting Blarney Castle. c) They are taking a guided tour of the coastline. 
  5. What are the students doing on Friday evening before they fly home?
3 True, False, or Not Given

Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given) for each statement.

  1. The students are flying from Birmingham Airport at 7:30am.
  2. The students are staying in a hotel in Cork city centre.
  3. This is the first time Ridgeway School has participated in a language exchange with Cork.
  4. The Irish students are visiting the Ridgeway group for a joint event on Thursday afternoon.
  5. The students are flying home on Sunday 16th June.
4 Vocabulary in Context

Answer these questions about the words in the article.

  1. The article says the itinerary is 'fully confirmed'. What does this tell us about the plans?  a) The plans are still being decided and may change. b) All arrangements are definite and fixed — nothing will change. c) The plans are confirmed for some days but not others. 
  2. What is a 'host family'? Use the context of the article to explain.
  3. Find a word in paragraph 5 that means 'a final event before people leave or say goodbye'. 
  4. The article says the joint event includes 'music, food, and activities from both countries'. What does 'joint' mean here? Give your own definition.
5 Grammar in Context

Complete these activities about the present continuous for future.

  1. Find five present continuous sentences from the itinerary in the article. Write them.
    a)  b)  c)  d)  e) 
  2. All the events in this article are described using the present continuous. What do they all have in common?
  3. The article says 'They are flying from Birmingham at 7:30am.' Why is the present continuous used instead of 'will fly'?  a) Because the flight might be cancelled. b) Because this is a confirmed, booked arrangement — not just a prediction or intention. c) Because the action is happening right now as we read. 
  4. Rewrite as present continuous for future (all are confirmed arrangements): (a) 'They will land in Cork at 8:45am.' → (b) 'They will visit Blarney Castle on Monday.' →
  5. You are going on a school trip next week. Write five sentences about what is happening each day, using the present continuous for future.
Personal Response — Discuss with a partner

Discuss with a partner. Share one idea with the class.

  1. Would you like to go on a language exchange like this one? What would be the best part — and the hardest part?
  2. The students are staying with host families, not in a hotel. What are the advantages and disadvantages of staying with a local family?
  3. The headteacher says it will be 'an experience they never forget'. Do you agree that travel and exchange programmes are important for young people? Give reasons.

Answer Key

Destination Ireland — B1 — Present Continuous for Future: Confirmed Itinerary

Exercise 1 — Reading for Gist

  1. To Cork, Ireland, for two weeks.
  2. A language exchange programme to practise English and experience Irish culture.
  3. She is very enthusiastic — she says the students are working hard and making new friends.

Exercise 2 — Reading for Detail

  1. At 5am.
  2. They are studying English at Mountwood Language School from 9am to 12pm.
  3. The Irish partner students are travelling to the Ridgeway group's language school for a joint cultural event.
  4. b)
  5. They are having a farewell dinner at a restaurant in Cork city centre.

Exercise 3 — True, False, or Not Given

  1. T — The article confirms this departure time directly.
  2. F — The students are staying with Irish host families, not in a hotel.
  3. NG — The article does not say whether this is the first exchange or if there have been previous ones.
  4. T — The article says on Thursday afternoon the Irish partner students are travelling to the Ridgeway group's language school for a joint cultural event.
  5. F — They are flying home on Saturday 15th June, not Sunday 16th.

Exercise 4 — Vocabulary in Context

  1. b)
  2. A family in Cork that welcomes one of the Ridgeway students into their home for the two weeks of the trip — the students are staying with Irish host families, not in a hotel.
  3. farewell
  4. Done together by two groups — in this case, the Irish students and the Ridgeway students are doing the event together, combining both cultures.

Exercise 5 — Grammar in Context

  1. Any five present continuous for future sentences from the article, e.g. 'They are flying from Birmingham Airport at 7:30am.' / 'The students are meeting at school at 5am.' / 'They are studying English at Mountwood Language School every morning.' / 'They are exploring Cork city with local students.' / 'The whole group is visiting Blarney Castle on Monday.' / 'They are taking a guided tour of the coastline.' / 'They are having a farewell dinner on Friday evening.' / 'The students are flying home from Cork Airport at 11am on Saturday.'
  2. They all have a specific confirmed time and place — they are fixed, pre-arranged events. None of them are vague predictions — every detail is already in the programme.
  3. b)
  4. (a) They are landing in Cork at 8:45am. (b) They are visiting Blarney Castle on Monday.
  5. Answers will vary. Answers will vary. Check: am/is/are + -ing with specific day and time markers. The arrangements should sound confirmed a

Notice the Grammar — suggested answers

Accept any five correct examples from the article that use the target grammar. Students should be able to explain why the grammar is used in each case.

Personal Response

Answers will vary. This section is for spoken discussion or short written response. There are no single correct answers.