Part 8: Multiple Matching · C1 Reading & Use of English

AElena Vargas — graphic designer

Leaving my agency job felt reckless at first, but I needed room to develop ideas that clients would never have approved in a corporate setting. That creative freedom has been the greatest reward of the year, even on weeks when the work itself was unremarkable.

Money has been the harder lesson. Some months are comfortable; others leave me recalculating every bill. I eventually found an experienced designer online who was willing to review my pricing and contracts, and her advice stopped me undercharging almost immediately. Without that guidance, I suspect I would still be treating every enquiry as a favour rather than a professional exchange.

BTomás Ribeiro — translator

What sold me on freelancing was the chance to collect my children from school and share evenings that used to disappear into a commute. That part of the arrangement has been everything I hoped for, and I would not trade it lightly.

The cost has been social rather than financial. I miss the quick conversations that once filled the edges of the working day, the jokes by the printer, the sense of belonging to a team. I have also discovered that winning new clients is a skill in itself. Producing excellent translations is not enough if nobody knows you exist, and learning to present my services confidently has taken far longer than the linguistic work ever did.

CAisha Rahman — software developer

I am more productive at home than I ever was in an open-plan office. Without constant interruptions, I can finish complex tasks in a single stretch, and clients have noticed the difference in delivery times.

The difficulty is knowing when to stop. When your laptop is always within reach, the working day expands until it occupies the whole evening. After a few burnt-out months I joined a local coworking space for three days a week. Having somewhere to go — and, just as importantly, somewhere to leave — restored a boundary I had lost. The membership fee pays for itself in clearer thinking alone.

DMarcus Hale — journalist

The best feature of freelancing is choosing which stories deserve my time. In staff jobs I was often assigned topics I found dull; now I can pursue the investigations that matter to me, and that autonomy still feels luxurious.

What I failed to anticipate was the volume of unpaid administration. Invoicing, chasing late payments, updating a website and answering endless preliminary emails can swallow half a week before a single word of journalism is written. Income is uneven as well — a feast of commissions one month, almost nothing the next — so I keep a stricter reserve than I ever needed on a salary. The work is freer, but it is certainly not simpler.

Question 1

Which person mentions finding it hard to advertise their work effectively?

Answer for question 1

Question 2

Which person received practical help from someone more experienced?

Answer for question 2

Question 3

Which person values being able to decide which projects to accept?

Answer for question 3

Question 4

Which person took a concrete step to reduce isolation at work?

Answer for question 4

Question 5

Which person compares irregular earnings with the stability of a former salary?

Answer for question 5

Question 6

Which person appreciates having more time for family life?

Answer for question 6

Question 7

Which person found it difficult to switch off at the end of the day?

Answer for question 7

Question 8

Which person was surprised by how much non-billable work freelancing involves?

Answer for question 8

Question 9

Which person feels freer creatively than in previous employment?

Answer for question 9

Question 10

Which person misses informal contact with former colleagues?

Answer for question 10

Review

Question 1

Which person mentions finding it hard to advertise their work effectively?

Your answer: No answer

Correct answer: Section B

Tomás says winning clients is a skill in itself and that learning to present his services confidently has taken a long time.

Question 2

Which person received practical help from someone more experienced?

Your answer: No answer

Correct answer: Section A

Elena describes finding an experienced designer online who reviewed her pricing and contracts.

Question 3

Which person values being able to decide which projects to accept?

Your answer: No answer

Correct answer: Section D

Marcus highlights choosing which stories deserve his time and pursuing investigations that matter to him.

Question 4

Which person took a concrete step to reduce isolation at work?

Your answer: No answer

Correct answer: Section C

Aisha joined a coworking space for three days a week after struggling with blurred boundaries at home.

Question 5

Which person compares irregular earnings with the stability of a former salary?

Your answer: No answer

Correct answer: Section D

Marcus contrasts feast-or-famine commissions with the reserve he never needed on a salary.

Question 6

Which person appreciates having more time for family life?

Your answer: No answer

Correct answer: Section B

Tomás explicitly values collecting his children from school and sharing evenings that used to disappear into commuting.

Question 7

Which person found it difficult to switch off at the end of the day?

Your answer: No answer

Correct answer: Section C

Aisha explains that when the laptop is always nearby, the working day expands into the evening.

Question 8

Which person was surprised by how much non-billable work freelancing involves?

Your answer: No answer

Correct answer: Section D

Marcus says he failed to anticipate the volume of unpaid administration such as invoicing and chasing payments.

Question 9

Which person feels freer creatively than in previous employment?

Your answer: No answer

Correct answer: Section A

Elena says creative freedom has been the greatest reward after leaving agency work that limited her ideas.

Question 10

Which person misses informal contact with former colleagues?

Your answer: No answer

Correct answer: Section B

Tomás misses quick conversations, jokes by the printer, and the sense of belonging to a team.