Variance Analysis & Reporting

B2 · Upper-intermediate1 hr 6 minBusiness EnglishLesson 7 of 8 · Outline

Aims

Goal: explain why actual results differ from budget by walking your manager across the bridge — every step quantified, the root cause named, and an action at the end.

The lesson, stage by stage

  1. Warm up5 min

    Warm-up: Crossing the bridge

    2 warm-up questions

  1. Reading10 min

    Reading: What your manager is judging

    Read a 153-word text about What your manager is judging

  2. Vocabulary8 min

    Vocabulary: Variance Analysis Vocabulary

    7 items

  3. Framework6 min

    Framework: Bridge Analysis Framework

    Bridge Analysis: Actual vs. Budget, 5 steps

  4. Reading10 min

    Reading: Three model bridge walkthroughs

    Read a 405-word text about Three model bridge walkthroughs

  5. Practice7 min

    Practice: Build Variance Reporting Sentences

    Word-ordering exercise, 5 items

  6. Dialogue10 min

    Dialogue: Monthly Variance Review

    Role-play: You're leading the monthly variance review meeting, presenting the gap between budgeted and actual results to your finance manager. (3 lines)

  7. Discussion10 min

    Discussion: Your mission: walk the bridge

    3 discussion questions

Open the full lesson

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Target vocabulary

In a Tuton account these words become your student's vocabulary deck, so they come back in practice between lessons.

variancefavorableunfavorablebridge chartdeviationroot causeactual vs. budget

This plan comes from the Financial English & Reporting course in the Tuton library. Browse all free lesson plans.