Asking Questions - ESL EFL Activities, Games and Worksheets

Information Line Up

ESL EFL Speaking Activity - Elementary - 25 Minutes

In this enjoyable teaching activity, students line up in teams as quickly as possible, according to a series of instructions. To do this, students ask each other 'Wh' questions to establish the correct line up. The class is divided into teams of six to eight. The students line up in their teams, according to the criteria you call out. For example, if the criteria was 'Line up as quickly as possible by age', the students need to ask each other the question 'How old are you?' The first team to line up correctly wins three points. The second team wins two points. The third team wins one point. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

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Yes or No

ESL EFL Speaking Activity - Elementary - 25 Minutes

This delightful speaking game helps students to master yes/no questions and short answers with the 'verb to be' and 'do'. This game can be used to practice asking and answering yes/no questions in the present simple, present continuous and with 'going to'. The students are divided into groups of three and each group is given a set of short answer cards. The cards are shuffled and dealt out evenly. The first player picks one of their cards and thinks of a yes/no question that will yield the answer on the card. The player then directs the question to another student in the group. If the student gives the same short answer that is on the card, the player wins and discards the card. If not, the player keeps the card. Players take turns proceeding in this way. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins the game.

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Answer the Previous Question Game

ESL EFL Reading, Writing and Speaking Activity - Pre-intermediate - 30 Minutes

In this amusing worksheet activity, students play a game where one student asks a series of questions and the other student answers the previous question each time. The class is divided into pairs (A and B). Each student is given a corresponding worksheet, containing a set of ten questions. Student A asks Student B the questions on their worksheet. Student B's task is to delay their answer to each question until the next question is asked. For example, if Student B's first question is 'Where do you go swimming?', the student doesn't reply. If the second question is 'Where do you cook?', the student replies to the first question, e.g. 'In a swimming pool'. The aim of the game is to answer all ten questions in this manner. When the students have finished, they swap roles. Afterwards, the students create their own list of ten questions and play the game again with different partners.

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Ask the Right Question

ESL EFL Reading, Writing and Speaking Activity - Pre-intermediate - 40 Minutes

In this fun group activity, students play a game where they guess 'Wh' questions from answers written by other students. The class is divided into groups of three and each student is given a set of questions. The students write down a one or two word answer for each question. When the students have finished, they cut or tear the worksheet along the dotted line so the questions and answers are separate. One student begins by placing their answers on the desk for the other two students to see. These two students read the first answer and take it in turns to guess the 'Wh' question. The first student to guess the question wins one point. If the two students are having problems thinking of the right question, the student who wrote the answer gives them a clue, e.g. 'It’s a question about learning', etc. This process continues until all three students’ questions have been guessed correctly. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins.

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Get it right

ESL EFL Speaking Activity - Pre-intermediate - 30 Minutes

In this entertaining group activity, students play a game where they ask 'Wh' questions in order to receive a specific answer. The class is divided into groups of four. Each group is given a set of cards, which they shuffle and place face down in a pile on the table. The first student begins by picking up a card and asking a question that will make someone in the group answer with the word or phrase on the card. The student, who answers with the word or phrase, keeps the card and wins one point. If no one answers correctly, the student keeps asking questions until someone says the word or phrase. The next student then picks up a card and so on. The student with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

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Guess the Word

ESL EFL Speaking Activity - Pre-intermediate - 30 Minutes

Here is a fun worksheet activity that helps students practice asking questions with a variety of question words. In the activity, students have five minutes to ask questions to their partner to elicit as many words as possible from their worksheet. The class is divided into pairs (A and B) and each student is given a worksheet. The students go through the words on their sheet and think of possible questions. When everyone is ready, a five-minute time limit is set. Student A then asks questions to their partner to elicit as many words from their worksheet as possible. When Student B says a word from the worksheet, Student A puts a tick next to the word. If Student B cannot guess the word after a few questions, Student A puts a cross. After five minutes, the students stop and swap roles. The process is then repeated with Student B asking the questions. When everyone has finished, pairs add up their points. The pair with the highest combined score wins the game.

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Question Crossword

ESL EFL Writing, Listening and Speaking Activity - Pre-intermediate - 35 Minutes

In this fun crossword activity, students practice making questions with different question words. The class is divided into two groups (A and B) and each student is given a corresponding worksheet. Both groups have the same crossword, but Group A has the words across and Group B has the words down. Working together, the students write down questions that would elicit the words and phrases on their crossword. When they have finished writing their questions, the students pair up with someone from the other group. Students then take it in turns to ask their partner for a question to one of their missing words or phrases, e.g. 'What’s the question for 1 down?' Their partner then asks them the question for that word or phrase, indicating the number of words in the answer, e.g. one-word answer, two-word answer, etc. The student then tries to guess what it is. If the student guesses the answer successfully, they write in the missing word or phrase on their crossword. If not, their partner continues to ask more questions until they are able to guess the answer. When the students have finished, they compare crosswords.

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Questions for me

ESL EFL Writing and Speaking Activity - Pre-intermediate - 35 Minutes

This engaging worksheet activity gives students practice at asking and answering questions using various structures. This activity can also be used as an ice-breaker on the first day of class. The students are divided into large groups and each group sits in a circle. Each student is given a copy of the worksheet. Students write their name at the top of the first column and give the worksheet to the person sitting on their right. This person thinks of a question that they would like to ask the student whose name is on the worksheet. The students write their question on the worksheet by completing one of the unfinished questions or by using the empty spaces at the bottom of the worksheet to write their own question. When students have written a question, they write their name next to it. Students then give the worksheet to the person on their right and repeat the process. The activity continues until the students receive back their own worksheet. The students then find the person who wrote each question and answer it. Finally, students give feedback to the class on what they found out about their classmates.

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The Question is...

ESL EFL Reading, Listening and Speaking Activity - Pre-intermediate - 20 Minutes

This worksheet activity is great for reviewing 'Wh' questions. The class is divided into pairs (A and B) and each student is given a corresponding worksheet. Student A starts by reading out the first answer on their worksheet to Student B. Student B listens and tries to guess the question which is on Student A’s worksheet in brackets. If Student B guesses incorrectly, they keep trying until they manage to guess the question. Student B then reads out their first answer and Student A tries to guess the question. The students continue taking it in turns to read out answers until all the questions have been guessed. Alternatively, you can make the activity more competitive by seeing which student can complete all the questions in the fastest possible time.

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What's the question?

ESL EFL Listening and Speaking Activity - Pre-intermediate - 20 Minutes

Here is a simple game to practice question forms. Before class, prepare a list of answers for questions you want to review. In the activity, students play a game where they are given an answer and they have to race to come up with the correct question. The class is divided into two teams. One player from each team comes to the front of the class. An answer is read to the two players. The first player to respond with the correct question wins a point for their team. Then, two new players come to the front of the class for a new round, and so on. The team with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

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Opening Statements

ESL EFL Speaking Activity - Intermediate - 30 Minutes

In this challenging team game, students practice asking questions to find out further details about an opening statement. The class is divided into groups of six. Each group comprises of two teams (A and B). A student from Team A picks up a card and reads the opening statement on the card to Team B. Team B then gets two minutes to ask the student as many questions as they can to find out further details about the opening statement. The student replies to the questions with short imaginary answers. Team B receives one point for each question. After the two-minute time limit has been reached, the teams swap roles and a member of Team B gives an opening statement. This process continues until all the cards have been used. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

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The Job Interview

ESL EFL Writing and Speaking Activity - Intermediate - 1 Hour

In this teaching activity, students create job interview questions. Students then role-play a job interview and practice asking and answering the questions. The students begin by deciding on a job they would like to apply for. The class is then split into interviewers and candidates and each student is given a corresponding worksheet. The students sit together in their groups. The interviewers discuss and write down the details for the job, e.g. salary, hours of work, etc. The candidates discuss and write down the ideal profile a candidate should have for the job, e.g. the person’s age, work experience, etc. The interviewers then write down job interview questions for the items listed on their worksheet and the candidates write down questions to ask during the interview. After that, the interviewers and candidates are paired together and they begin the role-play. The interviewer’s task is to decide if the candidate is right for the job. The candidate’s task is to find out as much information as possible to decide if they want the job. When all the pairs have completed the job interview, the interviewers say what qualities they were looking for and if they found the right candidate. The candidates say what they thought of the job and if they would like to do it. Finally, pairs act out their role-plays in front of the class and the class votes for the best candidate from the interviews.

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