By the end of this exercise, you can read a short text about migration statistics and describe trends and proportions in English, like a caption for an infographic.
Free Year 10 English practice: an original reading text on migration to the UK and US, plus drills on describing statistics, trends and proportions in English. Gymnasium B2/C1.
Read the text carefully, then answer the questions below. Some questions ask about content, others ask you to interpret the statistics yourself.
Migration has reshaped both the United Kingdom and the United States over the past few decades, though the reasons people give for moving differ sharply between the two countries. In the UK, work and family reunification dominate: net migration to the UK has risen sharply since 2000, climbing from around 160,000 people a year to a peak of over 600,000 in 2022, before falling back to roughly 340,000 the following year.
Surveys of new arrivals suggest that just under half name employment as their main reason for coming, while a further quarter arrive to study at British universities. The remaining group — made up largely of refugees and family members joining relatives already settled — accounts for the rest.
Across the Atlantic, the pattern looks rather different. Immigration to the United States has grown far more gradually: the number of new lawful permanent residents has remained relatively stable at around one million a year for over a decade, dipping only briefly during the pandemic before recovering. According to the most recent Population Survey, family ties bring in the majority of new arrivals, while employment-based visas account for a smaller, though still significant, share.
What both countries share is a growing public debate about how to manage these numbers fairly — a debate that shows no sign of settling any time soon.
1 How does UK net migration change over the period described in paragraph 1?
2 According to the surveys mentioned, roughly what share of new arrivals to the UK say employment is their main reason for coming?
3 Besides work and study, what does the text say makes up the remaining group of UK arrivals?
4 How has immigration to the United States changed over the past decade, according to paragraph 3?
5 According to the Population Survey mentioned in the text, what is the most common reason for new arrivals to the US?
6 What do both countries have in common, according to the final paragraph?
Each item describes a set of figures. Choose the sentence that correctly describes the trend the figures show.
1 International student numbers in Country A rose from 40,000 in 2015 to 95,000 in 2023.
2 The number of temporary work visas issued grew slowly but steadily, from 22,000 to 27,000, over five years.
3 Asylum applications fell from 60,000 to 12,000 in just two years.
4 Family visas dropped slightly, from 34,000 to 31,000, over three years.
5 Net migration stayed at almost exactly 200,000 a year for the whole decade.
6 The number of returning citizens went up and down unpredictably every year, with no clear pattern.
7 New arrivals climbed every year until 2020, then dropped suddenly the following year.
8 Student visas issued increased only very slightly, from 18,000 to 19,200.
Each item gives you a figure. Choose the sentence that correctly describes the proportion or comparison it shows.
1 Of 1,000 people surveyed, 480 gave family reasons for migrating (48%).
2 Of 1,000 arrivals, 670 came for work (67%).
3 Of 600 refugees resettled, 200 were children (33%).
4 City A received 40,000 migrants last year; City B received only 16,000.
5 9 out of 10 new residents surveyed said they planned to stay permanently (90%).
6 Only 60 of the 1,000 arrivals surveyed were over the age of 65 (6%).
7 Work-related visas made up 55% of all visas issued — more than any other single category.
8 Review — “It was surprising ___ researchers to find that migration figures had barely changed.”
Your school’s Global Studies magazine is publishing an infographic about migration, and the editor has asked you to write the captions. You have been given these figures about work-related migration to New Zealand:
Write two sentences describing the trend in work-related migration from 2010 to 2023, and one sentence describing a proportion from the 2023 breakdown — as if they were the captions under the infographic. Use at least one trend phrase (e.g. has risen, has fallen, peaked) and one proportion phrase (e.g. the majority of, just under a quarter). Aim for 40–70 words.
Review your answers below, then send them to your teacher.
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