Download this free B2–C1 English worksheet PDF for English learners and teachers. This lesson explores school reunions, old friendships, social comparison and the difficulty of confronting the past.
The article examines why reunions can produce a mixture of nostalgia and apprehension. Former classmates may have drifted apart, and some people feel reluctant to attend because they worry that they will not measure up to the apparent success of others.
Students read about a man who attended his 20-year reunion hoping to make amends for failing to defend a schoolmate who had been bullied. His apology was sincere, but the conversation became uncomfortable when the former classmate ended up comforting him.
The worksheet considers how reunions can revive resentment, embarrassment and painful memories as well as positive experiences. It also questions the idea that a reunion can automatically resolve unfinished conflicts from the past.
The article then looks at the pressure people may feel to compare careers, relationships and money. These comparisons can distort perspective, particularly when people continue to judge former classmates through labels formed during their teenage years.
The discussion section develops these ideas through questions about bullying, success, nostalgia, social media, teenage friendships, personal change and whether reunions offer genuine closure or simply reopen old wounds.
Level: B2–C1
Date: 22 October 2026
Focus: Reading comprehension, phrases, vocabulary and discussion about school reunions, social comparison and unresolved memories
This free worksheet includes:
- A three-paragraph reading article about school reunions, old friendships and facing the past
- Eight True/False reading-comprehension questions
- A Phrase Match activity with 10 useful expressions
- A Synonym Match exercise with 10 vocabulary items
- A Use the New Language activity requiring students to write their own sentences
- 16 discussion questions divided between Student A and Student B
- Speaking topics including nostalgia, bullying, success, social media, personal change and closure
- A complete answer key
- Example sentences showing how the target phrases can be used naturally
Useful phrases from the worksheet include look back on, catch up with, drift apart, turn up, break the ice, bring up, make amends, measure up, brush off and move on. Students also practise vocabulary such as apprehension, tentative, awkward, assumptions, sincere, reluctant, meaningful, resentment, perspective and eventually.
A central classroom point is that reunions are not simply about nostalgia. They can also force people to reconsider old assumptions, compare themselves with others and decide whether they want to reconnect, apologise or leave the past behind.
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