6 ESL Speaking Activities for Adults: A2-B2 Lesson Ideas
Plan practical adult ESL speaking activities with clear aims, usable prompts, mixed-level adaptations and a ready-to-use lesson plan.
Give learners a clear reason to speak, language support and an outcome they can finish. A pair should agree on a visit time, choose an option or clarify missing information, rather than simply talk for ten minutes. Demonstrate one exchange, give preparation time and finish with brief feedback.
A room can be noisy without everyone getting useful speaking practice. These six activities help adult learners share the speaking time, ask follow-up questions and reach a clear outcome. They are intended for A2-B2 classes; suggested levels and timings are planning estimates, not a formal CEFR assessment.
You need paper, pens and a board or shared document. Some tasks need two short lists, but no purchased resource or printed worksheet is required. Learners can use invented details instead of disclosing money, employment, family circumstances or other personal information.
Before the task: make the language usable
Choose one communication aim and show a short example with a volunteer. Put two or three helpful expressions where learners can see them. Give thinking time before speaking, and check that learners understand the outcome. Ask “What will your pair decide?” rather than only “Do you understand?”
During a fluency round, listen for whether partners understand each other. Note useful language and a few recurring problems for later feedback. If meaning breaks down, help promptly; avoid stopping every sentence to correct a form. A separate accuracy round can focus on one pattern after the task.
1. Find a shared appointment
Aim: Ask about availability and confirm a time.
Level: A2-B1. Time: 8 minutes. Grouping: pairs.
Materials: Two private lists copied onto separate pieces of paper.
Person A is free: Monday 18.00, Wednesday 19.00, Saturday 10.00.
Person B is free: Tuesday 18.00, Wednesday 19.00, Saturday 14.00.
Steps: Give each partner only their own list. Let them prepare two questions, then discuss without showing the lists. They find the common slot and say a complete confirmation. Change one person's availability for a second round.
Useful language: “Are you free on...?” “Would ... work for you?” “Let's confirm: on Wednesday at seven.”
Outcome: Wednesday at 19.00 in the first round.
The information is different for each partner, so the conversation has a purpose. For A2, supply the question frames. For B1, add a travel-time constraint or ask them to propose a backup time. Review in, on and at for time before the task if needed.
2. Choose a class outing
Aim: Compare options, justify a preference and reach agreement.
Level: A2-B2. Time: 10 minutes. Grouping: groups of three.
Materials: The three invented options below on the board.
Option A: a park picnic, free, outdoors, 20 minutes away.
Option B: a museum visit, R80 each, indoors, 10 minutes away.
Option C: a craft class, R120 each, indoors, 30 minutes away.
Steps: Each learner privately picks an option and prepares a reason. Each gets a first turn. The group asks one follow-up question per proposal, then agrees on an outing within a R100-per-person budget. They report their choice and one drawback.
Useful language: “It's cheaper than...” “I see your point, but...” “Could we agree on...?”
Outcome: One affordable choice with a reason and a drawback. There is no single best answer.
A2 learners can compare price and distance with sentence frames. B2 learners can consider accessibility, weather and compromises. Keep the figures fictional so learners do not need to reveal what they can personally afford. The comparison guide supplies relevant language.
3. Explain an object without naming it
Aim: Paraphrase and ask clarification questions.
Level: A2-B1. Time: 6 minutes. Grouping: pairs.
Materials: Private word lists or three words chosen by each learner.
Starter words: umbrella, charger, kettle, backpack, ticket, scissors.
Steps: A describes a word without saying it or translating it. B asks a question before guessing. Swap after each word. In the final round, ask learners to explain one item they struggled with again using a different description.
Useful language: “You use it/them to...” “It's/They're made of...” “Do you mean something you carry?” Use the plural frames for scissors.
Outcome: A successful explanation and at least one clarification question per turn.
For A2, let learners keep a short list of features beside them. For B1, include an abstract everyday word such as appointment or refund. Avoid making speed the main goal; give both partners time to formulate a description.
4. Retell a small problem and ask for advice
Aim: Sequence events and respond with a suggestion.
Level: B1-B2. Time: 9 minutes. Grouping: pairs.
Materials: These invented situation prompts on the board.
Prompts: You missed a bus before a class. You borrowed a book and cannot find it. You arrived for an event a day early.
Steps: A chooses a prompt and prepares three stages: situation, problem and result. A speaks for up to one minute. B checks one detail and offers advice. A explains whether the suggestion would help. Swap roles.
Useful language: “At first...” “While I was...” “What happened next?” “You could...”
Outcome: A short coherent story, a detail check and an appropriate suggestion.
For B1, give a sequence frame and keep the problem concrete. For B2, ask the listener to suggest two possible responses and explain a tradeoff. Refer learners to storytelling in English or modal verbs for advice when useful.
5. Clarify and repair a misunderstanding
Aim: Check meaning and correct information politely.
Level: A2-B2. Time: 7 minutes. Grouping: pairs.
Materials: Two short notes shown privately.
Note A: You invited your partner to a study session on Thursday at 18.00, in Room 12.
Note B: You think the session is on Tuesday at 18.00, in Room 20.
Steps: B checks the plan aloud. A corrects the mismatched details politely. B repeats the final plan; A confirms it. Swap with a new day, time and room invented by the learners.
Useful language: “Did you say...?” “Sorry, I meant...” “So that's ... Is that right?”
Outcome: Both partners agree on Thursday, 18.00, Room 12.
Keep both notes visible to their owners so the task tests communication rather than memory. A2 learners use the written frames; B2 learners add a brief explanation for the change. Practise checking a detail without blaming the listener.
6. Build and revisit an opinion
Aim: Give reasons, consider another view and summarise.
Level: B1-B2. Time: 10 minutes. Grouping: groups of three.
Materials: One neutral prompt on the board.
Choose a prompt: Should community classes start earlier or later? Is a short daily study session better than one long weekly session? Should a neighbourhood event be indoors or outdoors?
Steps: Learners prepare a view and reason independently. Give each person an uninterrupted first turn. Each then asks another learner a follow-up question. At the end, each summarises a partner's view before saying whether their own opinion changed.
Useful language: “My main reason is...” “What would happen if...?” “You suggested ... because...”
Outcome: A fair summary of another view and a reasoned final position; agreement is optional.
Offer a pass or an alternative prompt if a topic feels uncomfortable. B1 learners can use a reason frame; B2 learners can address a counterargument. A learner may argue a fictional position, provided partners know that it is a role.
A ready-to-use 30-minute speaking lesson
- 0-4 minutes: Set the appointment-task goal and demonstrate one question and response.
- 4-6 minutes: Learners prepare questions and check the time phrases.
- 6-14 minutes: Run activity 1, including the changed-availability round.
- 14-17 minutes: Share two useful expressions and repair one recurring misunderstanding.
- 17-24 minutes: Run activity 5 with new fictional details.
- 24-30 minutes: Partners confirm their final plan, review one language point and write an exit sentence they can use outside class.
The timings add up to 30 minutes and are adjustable. For a large class, keep pairs seated rather than spending speaking time moving everyone. For online teaching, paste private notes in individual messages and use pairs in breakout rooms; demonstrate the task before opening the rooms.
Mixed levels, quiet learners and useful feedback
Give everyone the same outcome but different support. A learner who needs more time can rehearse two lines and use a visible phrase bank. A stronger learner can add a constraint or ask a deeper follow-up question. An odd-numbered class can use one rotating observer who checks the outcome, then joins the next round.
Do not assume a quiet learner lacks ideas. Give preparation time, an initial partner and a predictable first turn. Avoid compulsory whole-class performance; a pair can report an invented answer or write its final decision.
After a task, first discuss whether the outcome was reached. Then choose one or two anonymous language examples for the class to improve. Finish with a short repeat so learners can use the improved wording. Teacher notes can track a successful clarification, a relevant follow-up and a clear confirmation instead of simply counting words spoken.
Classroom choices that improve participation
Model a manageable exchange
Demonstrate one exchange and leave two useful question frames visible. Brief preparation time can help learners begin with a message instead of searching for every word.
Give each person a turn
An initial turn before open discussion, followed by a question about someone else's proposal, makes participation more balanced. Invented prompts can replace personal disclosure.
Confirm the information and retry
In the appointment task, Wednesday at 19.00 is the shared slot. In the repair task, Thursday at 18.00 in Room 12 is the corrected plan. Repeat a short exchange after focused feedback.
Related guides
Continue with follow-up questions in conversation and polite requests.
Keep the conversation useful and accessible
Support for quiet learners
Provide thinking time, visible language frames and a predictable first turn with a partner. Let learners use invented details and avoid compulsory personal stories or immediate whole-class performance.
A limited correction focus
Choose the focus before the task. During a fluency round, help when meaning breaks down and save selected form feedback for later. An accuracy round can target a particular pattern more directly.
Adaptations for levels and online groups
Yes, with suitable support and extension tasks. Keep a shared outcome, vary the phrase bank and constraints, and share private notes individually online. Model the task before sending learners into pairs.
Further reading
British Council: supporting lower-level fluency; British Council: monitoring; British Council: speaking terms and information gaps. References checked on 9 October 2026. The explanations, examples, prompt sets and practice on this page are original.
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