C2 reading and speaking
If I Could Tell You Just One Thing
Read advice from remarkable people, identify what it reveals about them, and decide which ideas deserve to be remembered.
One question worth asking
If you could ask one living person for a single piece of advice, whom would you choose—and what would you ask about?
Understand the book’s central idea
- What is the book about?
- What does the writer discuss at the beginning, and why?
- What does the cairn symbolise?
Read the book extract
Use the embedded document below. Focus on the introduction first; the same response routine can then be used with any of the book’s individual chapters.
If the document does not appear, open the reading in a new tab.
Use the same four-question routine
Each short chapter focuses on a different well-known person. Keep your response concise: one or two strong sentences for each point.
The advice
What is the person’s main piece of advice?
The personality
What does the advice suggest about the person’s character or values?
Your response
How convincing or useful is the advice? Explain your view.
The person
What did you learn about their nationality, career, interests or achievements?
Which advice would you keep?
Choose the most valuable advice from the chapter and speak for 60–90 seconds.
- State the advice in your own words.
- Explain what makes it memorable or useful.
- Give one situation in which it could be applied.
Partner response: agree, qualify or challenge the choice with one clear reason.