Level: B1 / B2

MALALA YOUSAFZAI
PREPARATION TASK
LOOK AT THE BAR CHART AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.

1. Assuming that 50% of the population is female, which countries have fewer female students than expected?
2. Why do you think some girls are missing from school?
3. How can we make sure that girls attend school?
4. Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani woman who works to make sure girls around the world can receive an
education. What do you know about her life and work?

LISTENING
1. YOU ARE GOING TO LISTEN TO INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIFE OF MALALA
YOUSAFZAI (BORN IN 1997). BEFORE YOU LISTEN, READ THE SENTENCES AND TRY
TO PREDICT IF THEY ARE TRUE OR FALSE. THEN LISTEN AND CHECK YOUR IDEAS.
1. Malala’s father was a teacher.
2. In 2007, Malala and her family had to leave her home in Pakistan because of floods.
3. Malala was shot by a gunman at her school.
4. She gave a speech at the White House in 2013.
5. In 2014, she became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
6. Malala studied medicine at Oxford University

2. READ THESE SENTENCES FROM THE RECORDING AND EXPLAIN THE MEANING OF
THE WORDS IN BOLD.
Level: B1 / B2

1. Her father ... named his daughter after a female hero who led the Afghan people to victory in an 1880
battle against the British.
2. ...in 2008, Malala gave her first public speech, called "How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to
an education?"
3. The Taliban’s violent actions led to a new international focus on and action for girls’ educational rights
and Malala’s work was right at the heart of these efforts

3. READ THE QUESTIONS. CAN YOU REMEMBER THE ANSWERS? LISTEN AGAIN TO
CHECK.
1. What was Malala’s first school?
2. How did Malala react to the Taliban’s violent campaign against girls’ education?
3. Where did Malala and her family live after the shooting?
4. Why did she choose the title, "I am Malala" for her book?
5. What does the Malala Fund do?
6. How has Malala helped refugees?
7. What job did she do after she graduated?

LANGUAGE POINT
1. THE BIOGRAPHY OF A LIVING PERSON USES A RANGE OF DIFFERENT TENSES AND
VERB FORMS. MATCH EACH VERB IN BOLD WITH THE CORRECT NAME AND
DESCRIPTION.
1. During the next few years, she made two 5. In 2022, Malala was working as a TV
documentaries with a US filmmaker about producer.
the local situation and met with United a. present perfect - to talk about past events
Nations workers. or life experiences with no specific time
2. Malala attended the girls’ school that her reference
father had founded ... b. present simple - to talk about states or
3. The Malala Fund, set up in 2013, works facts which are currently true
in countries with low levels of female school c. past perfect - used with past simple to
attendance ... make the order of events clear
4. Malala has also opened a girls’ school in d. past simple - for finished past events
Lebanon for refugees from the Syrian Civil e. past continuous - to talk about an action in
War. progress at a specific time in the past

2. CHOOSE THE BEST FORM OF THE VERBS TO COMPLETE THE SENTENCES. BE READY
TO IDENTIFY THE FORM AND SAY HOW IT IS USED
Level: B1 / B2

1. More than 132 million girls miss / missed out on education every year, worldwide.
2. Malala shared / has shared the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize with Indian activist Kailish Satyarthi, another
campaigner for young people’s rights.
3. Malala attended / had attended Lady Margaret Hall, the same college at Oxford University that
Pakistan’s first female prime minister Benazhir Bhutto attended / had attended in the 1970s.
4. Speaking while still at university, Malala says that she had enjoyed / has enjoyed typical student
experiences like staying up all night to finish an essay.
5. Malala had lived / was living in student accommodation during her time at Oxford

3. THINK OF PERSONAL EXAMPLES USING THE PROMPTS. TALK ABOUT:

2. something you did because of another thing that had happened earlier

3. an unusual experience that you’ve had in your life

DISCUSS
1. DISCUSS THESE QUESTIONS IN PAIRS OR SMALL GROUPS.
1. What would you ask Malala if you could meet her?
2. What do you think Malala will do in the future? How influential do you think she will be?
3. Malala’s father named her after a strong female historical figure. Can you think of any similar heroes
that people might name their daughters after?
4. Malala Day takes place every year on Malala’s birthday, 12 July. The aim is to remind world leaders of
the importance of making sure that all girls receive an education. What do you think people could do on
this day?
5. Which of these Malala quotes do you like best and why?
 “One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world.”
 “Some people only ask others to do something. I believe that, why should I wait for someone else?
Why don’t I take a step and move forward?”
 “So let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty, and terrorism, and let us pick up our
books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons”
Glossary:
wage a struggle - fight against

illiteracy - not being able to read

poverty - not having enough money to live

2. READ THE INFOGRAPHIC ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF EDUCATING GIRLS AND CHOOSE
THE BEST HEADING FOR EACH BOX FROM THE LIST BELOW. ONE ITEM IS EXTRA.

1. Which information is the most surprising to you?

Answers

Listening 3. one of the most important parts of something

1. 3.

1. T Her father was an educator. 1. The one started by her father, in the Swat Valley,
in Pakistan.
2. F They left because the Taliban had taken over the
area. 2. She refused to stay silent - she wrote a blog for the
BBC, made two films and met with people from the
3. F She was shot on the bus on the way home from United Nations.
school.
3. In the UK, with relatives.
4. F at the United Nations
4. It was a response to the gunman’s question on the
5. T bus.
6. F She studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics. 5. It trains local workers in different countries to find
2. ways to get more girls into school.

1. gave her the same name as a female hero, to 6. She has opened a girls’ school in Lebanon for
remember and honour her and what she did refugees from the Syrian Civil War.

2. this phrase expresses anger about something that 7. She was working as a TV producer.
someone has done - note the verb form that follows
does not take a final -s for 3rd person singular

Language Point

1 2

1.→ d. 1. miss

2. → c. 2. shared

3. → b. 3. attended / had attended

4. → a. 4. has enjoyed

5. → e. 5. was living