ESOL Entry 2 Reading Practice: Work Messages and Answers

Try this ESOL Entry 2 reading practice with three fictional workplace texts. Read a shift rota, find the final information in a message and follow instructions for a handover note. There are 12 questions, followed by answers and explanations.

These original activities practise selected reading skills. They are not an official paper, a placement test or a qualification result.

How to use the activities

Read each text once before answering. Write a short answer and mark the row or sentence that supports it. Keep the answer section covered until you finish.

You do not need experience of this workplace. Use only the information in the texts; do not add rules from a job you know.

Text 1: read a shift rota

A rota shows when people are scheduled to work. This is a fictional rota for two workers.

Key: OFF means the person is not scheduled to work that day. Times use the 24-hour clock: 13:00 is 1 pm, 14:00 is 2 pm and 17:00 is 5 pm. The first time is the start; the second is the finish.

Follow the whole row across. A time from the row above may belong to a different person or day.

Questions 1–4

1. Who is scheduled to work on Monday from 13:00 to 17:00?
2. On which day is Leon marked OFF?
3. What time does Asha finish on Tuesday?
4. Who starts work at 09:00 on Wednesday?

Text 2: find the changed collection point

This message is for the Wednesday morning team.

From Rita

Please collect your new staff badges at the reception desk, not in the staff room. The badges will be ready from 09:30.

At 10:00, we will meet in the stockroom for a short team briefing. Bring your staff card when you collect your badge so I can check your name.

Thank you,
Rita

A badge and a staff card are different items in this message. Workers collect a new badge and bring their existing card.

Questions 5–8

5. Where should workers collect their new badges?
6. From what time will the badges be ready?
7. What happens at 10:00?
8. What should workers bring when they collect a badge?

Do not choose a time just because it appears first on the page. Leon's shift starts at 09:00, the badges are ready from 09:30 and the briefing starts at 10:00. Each time has a different purpose.

Text 3: leave a handover note

A handover note tells the next worker what has happened and what still needs doing.

Before you finish your shift

1. Write today's date and your name at the top of the note.
2. Under Finished, list the jobs you have completed.
3. Under Next shift, write one job that still needs doing. Include enough information for another worker to continue it.
4. Give the note to Rita before you leave. Do not leave it on the packing table.

Questions 9–12

9. What two things should you write at the top?
10. Under which heading should you put a job that is not complete?
11. Who should receive the note?
12. What is the main purpose of the note: to help the next worker continue the work, or to ask for a longer shift?

Answers and the evidence

Your wording may differ from these answers. Check that it gives the same information.

Rota answers

1. Leon. His Monday row says 13:00–17:00. Asha also works on Monday, but her shift finishes at 13:00.

2. Tuesday. Find Leon's name beside Tuesday, then read the final cell: OFF. Asha is the person marked OFF on Wednesday.

3. 14:00, or 2 pm. Asha's Tuesday shift is 10:00–14:00. The question asks for the finish, so 10:00 is not the answer.

4. Leon. The Wednesday row for Leon begins at 09:00. Asha's Wednesday row says OFF.

Message answers

5. The reception desk. The message says “at the reception desk, not in the staff room”. The second location is the place workers should not use.

6. 09:30, or 9:30 am. This is when the badges will be ready. It is not Leon's shift start or the briefing time.

7. A short team briefing in the stockroom. The sentence beginning “At 10:00” names the activity and its location. “A team meeting” also communicates the activity clearly.

8. Their staff card. Rita asks workers to bring the card so she can check their name. They are collecting a new badge, not bringing that new badge with them.

Handover answers

9. Today's date and your name. Both appear in the first instruction. A job list belongs lower down the note.

10. Next shift. That heading is for work still to do. Finished is for completed jobs.

11. Rita. The last instruction says to give her the note before leaving. Leaving it on the packing table does not follow that instruction.

12. To help the next worker continue the work. The note records completed and unfinished jobs. Nothing in the text asks for extra working hours.

Review the kind of mistake

If you selected the right time but the wrong person, practise moving across one table row without changing rows.

If you confused 09:00, 09:30 and 10:00, write a label beside each: shift, collection or briefing.

If you put an unfinished job under Finished, look again at the heading before reading the details. Headings tell you what kind of information belongs there.

Try the questions again later without looking at the answers. Explain one choice aloud using “The text says…” rather than simply remembering a number.

Choose your next practice

For shorter starter activities, try ESOL Entry 1 everyday skills and practice. If you want longer texts involving conditions and viewpoints, use Entry 3 reading practice with explained answers. Our ESOL levels guide explains the pathway; this worksheet cannot assign you a level.

For additional general reading, videos and quizzes, explore the official ESOL English app page. These exact workplace activities are provided here; a matching app lesson is not promised.

Official reading resources

Ask your tutor which awarding organisation provides your qualification before choosing exam-specific material.

• Trinity College London: Entry 2 reading resources provides official reading guidance and sample materials.
• OCN London: ESOL Skills for Life identifies its qualifications and assessment resources.

The texts and questions above were created independently. They do not reproduce those papers or cover every assessment requirement.