Do you concur?

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
ESL At the Doctor's activity for A2 pre-intermediate: role-play, asking and answering questions, gap-fill, discussion, writing sentences

ESL At the Doctor's Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Role-Play, Asking and Answering Questions, Gap-fill, Discussion, Writing Sentences - Group and Pair Work

In this useful medical advice activity, students practice talking about basic medical issues and giving corresponding advice. First, in groups, students take on...

ESL At the Doctor's Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Role-Play, Asking and Answering Questions, Gap-fill, Discussion, Writing Sentences - Group and Pair Work In this useful medical advice activity, students practice talking about basic medical issues and giving corresponding advice. First, in groups, students take on the identity of a sick person and ask each group member their name and what their medical problem is, noting down each medical issue. Working alone, students then complete medical advice with verbs from a box. Next, in pairs, students discuss each person's medical problem and write advice for them using the language from the worksheet, e.g. 'Lee should stay in bed and get lots of rest.' Finally, review the medical advice the pairs gave each person as a class.
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Symptoms and Advice

Pre-intermediate (A2) 30 minutes
ESL At the Doctor's worksheet for A2 pre-intermediate: symptoms, advice, categorizing, matching, role-play, freer practice

ESL At the Doctor's Worksheet - Vocabulary and Reading Exercises: Categorizing, Matching - Speaking Activity: Role-Play, Freer Practice - Pair Work

This comprehensive 'At the Doctor's' worksheet helps students practice vocabulary and language for describing symptoms and giving medical advice...

ESL At the Doctor's Worksheet - Vocabulary and Reading Exercises: Categorizing, Matching - Speaking Activity: Role-Play, Freer Practice - Pair Work This comprehensive 'At the Doctor's' worksheet helps students practice vocabulary and language for describing symptoms and giving medical advice. First, students complete conversations between doctors and patients with words from a box. Next, students categorise the words in bold from the conversations into body parts and symptoms. Students then match medical advice to the people in the conversations. After that, students unscramble sentences and place them in a doctor-patient conversation. Lastly, students practice their own doctor-patient conversations, choosing different symptoms, and taking turns to be the patient and the doctor each time.
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At the Doctor's Discussion

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
ESL At the Doctor's activity for B1 intermediate: asking and answering questions, guided discussion, freer practice, group work

ESL At the Doctor's Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Guided Discussion, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this free visiting the doctor discussion activity, students practice healthcare vocabulary and talk about doctor visits, describing symptoms, medicines, and ways to manage common health...

ESL At the Doctor's Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Guided Discussion, Freer Practice - Group Work In this free visiting the doctor discussion activity, students practice healthcare vocabulary and talk about doctor visits, describing symptoms, medicines, and ways to manage common health issues. In groups, students take turns picking up a card and asking the other students in the group the healthcare question on the card. Each student responds to the question in turn, and the students then discuss the topic. This process continues until all the question cards have been discussed. When the students have finished, review the questions on the cards and elicit answers from around the class.
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What are your symptoms?

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
ESL At the Doctor's worksheet for B1 intermediate: medical vocabulary, matching, gap-fill, role-play, guided discussion, pair work

ESL At the Doctor's Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Gap-fill - Speaking Activity: Role-Play, Discussion, Controlled and Freer Practice - Pair Work

This 'At the Doctor's' worksheet helps students learn and practice medical vocabulary for visiting the doctor. First, students read eight...

ESL At the Doctor's Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Gap-fill - Speaking Activity: Role-Play, Guided Discussion, Controlled and Freer Practice - Pair Work This 'At the Doctor's' worksheet helps students learn and practice medical vocabulary for visiting the doctor. First, students read eight medical problems and match words in bold with their definitions. Next, students complete sentences using the medical vocabulary. Students then complete medical advice using the vocabulary provided. After that, students write the name of the person from Exercise A that each piece of advice is for. Afterwards, students complete a doctor-patient conversation with medical vocabulary from a box and then practice the dialogue with a partner, changing the symptoms and advice. Lastly, students discuss medical conversation questions with their partner.
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Advice for Aches and Pains

Upper-intermediate (B2) 25 minutes
ESL health advice game for B2 upper-intermediate: matching, role-play, doctor-patient speaking practice, giving advice

ESL Health Advice Game - Vocabulary: Matching - Speaking Activity: Role-Play, Communicative Practice - Pair Work

In this free giving health advice game and role-play, students match pictures to health problems and health problems to treatments, then role-play giving health advice as a doctor. In pairs, students...

ESL Health Advice Game - Vocabulary: Matching - Speaking Activity: Role-Play, Communicative Practice - Pair Work In this free giving health advice game and role-play, students match pictures to health problems and health problems to treatments, then role-play giving health advice as a doctor. In pairs, students take turns turning over one picture card and one health problem card. If the picture and health problem match, the student keeps the cards and has another turn. The student with the most pairs of cards at the end of the game wins. Next, students repeat the game, but this time they use the health problem cards and treatment cards, matching the health issues with the treatments. Finally, pairs role-play short doctor-patient interactions. Students take turns picking up a picture card and acting as a patient, saying the health problem shown in the picture, e.g. 'I've got a cold.' The other student acts as a doctor and gives health advice to the patient, e.g. 'You should rest and drink lots of fluids.'
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Medical Vocabulary

Upper-intermediate (B2) 20 minutes
ESL medical vocabulary worksheet for B2 upper-intermediate: matching definitions, gap-fill, asking and answering questions, pair work

ESL Medical Vocabulary Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Gap-fill - Speaking Activity: Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work

Here is a productive medical vocabulary worksheet for upper-intermediate students. Students begin by matching medical words to their definitions. Next...

ESL Medical Vocabulary Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Gap-fill - Speaking Activity: Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work Here is a productive medical vocabulary worksheet for upper-intermediate students. Students begin by matching medical words to their definitions. Next, students complete sentences with the medical words. Lastly, students complete questions with the medical vocabulary from the worksheet and then discuss the questions with a partner.
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Remedy Race

Upper-intermediate (B2) 20 minutes
ESL At the Doctor's game for B2 upper-intermediate: role-play, matching, communicative practice, group speaking

ESL At the Doctor's Game - Speaking: Matching, Role-Play, Communicative Practice - Group Work

In this doctor and patient role-play game, students race to suggest remedies to health issues. In groups of three, students take turns taking on the role of a patient and picking up a health problem card. The...

ESL At the Doctor's Game - Speaking: Matching, Role-Play, Communicative Practice - Group Work In this doctor and patient role-play game, students race to suggest remedies to health issues. In groups of three, students take turns taking on the role of a patient and picking up a health problem card. The other students take on the role of doctors and ask the patient, 'What seems to be the problem?' The patient then reads out the health problem, and the doctors race to find the correct remedy card and read it to the patient. If the remedy is correct as shown on the patient's card, the patient replies, 'Thank you, doctor.' The winning doctor then keeps the problem and remedy cards. If the remedy is incorrect, the patient replies, 'Can I have a second opinion?' The other doctor then chooses a different remedy card. The student with the most pairs of cards at the end of the game is the winner.
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Diagnosis Detective

Advanced (C1) 25 minutes
ESL medical vocabulary activity for C1 advanced: gap-fill, information gap, matching, asking and answering questions, controlled practice

ESL Medical Vocabulary Activity - Vocabulary, Reading and Speaking: Gap-fill, Information Gap, Matching, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled Practice

In this medical vocabulary activity, students complete sentences about patients' symptoms and exchange information to diagnose each person's...

ESL Medical Vocabulary Activity - Vocabulary, Reading and Speaking: Gap-fill, Information Gap, Matching, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled Practice In this medical vocabulary activity, students complete sentences about patients' symptoms and exchange information to diagnose each person's condition. First, in two groups, students use the words provided to complete sentences about different people's symptoms. Next, students pair up with someone from the other group and take turns asking their partner about the symptoms experienced by the people whose details are missing from the worksheet, writing their partner's responses in the table in sentence form. Finally, pairs race to complete sentences by writing each person's name next to the correct diagnosis based on their symptoms. The first pair to complete all their sentences correctly wins.
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Medical Conditions and Symptoms

Advanced (C1) 25 minutes
ESL health vocabulary worksheet for C1 advanced: matching, categorising, gap-fill, medical conditions, symptoms, practice

ESL Health Vocabulary Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Categorising, Gap-fill

In this insightful health vocabulary worksheet, students practice words related to medical conditions and symptoms. To begin, students match symptoms with medical conditions. Next, students put adjectives...

ESL Health Vocabulary Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Categorising, Gap-fill In this insightful health vocabulary worksheet, students practice words related to medical conditions and symptoms. To begin, students match symptoms with medical conditions. Next, students put adjectives related to medical issues in the correct categories. Students then write the adjectives next to their definitions. After that, students match the symptoms mentioned in Exercise A with definitions. Students then move on to match the medical conditions with advice. Lastly, students complete a doctor-patient conversation with the words provided.
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Visiting the Doctor

Advanced (C1) 25 minutes
ESL At the Doctor's worksheet for C1 advanced: gap-fill, reading comprehension, categorising, matching, freer practice, pair work

ESL At the Doctor's Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Gap-fill, Reading Comprehension, Categorising, Matching - Speaking Activity: Freer Practice - Pair Work

In this engaging 'At the Doctor's' worksheet, students practice vocabulary and language related to health, illness, and medical consultations. First...

ESL At the Doctor's Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Gap-fill, Reading Comprehension, Categorising, Matching - Speaking Activity: Freer Practice - Pair Work In this engaging 'At the Doctor's' worksheet, students practice vocabulary and language related to health, illness, and medical consultations. First, students read dialogues between a doctor and four patients and complete each conversation with an illness from a box. Next, students complete sentences about the dialogues by writing the correct person's name. Students then put the words in bold from the doctor dialogues into two categories, symptoms or treatments. After that, students match the symptoms and treatments with definitions. Lastly, students work with a partner and ask them questions about the last time they visited the doctor.
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Using Visiting the Doctor's Language

At the doctor's functional language covers the phrases patients and medical professionals use to carry out a consultation in English, from describing symptoms and asking follow-up questions to giving a diagnosis and explaining a treatment plan. Students who rely on only a few basic phrases often struggle to communicate clearly under the stress of a real appointment, which matters most when they are living, working, or studying in an English-speaking country.

This page covers visiting the doctor's language across four CEFR levels from A2 to C1, with ten activities and two free downloads.

The table below shows the key phrases used in each stage of a medical consultation in English, covering both patient and doctor language.

SituationSpeakerExample Phrase
Describing a symptom Patient 'I've had a tight feeling in my chest for the past two days.'
Asking about symptom onset Doctor 'When did you first notice the pain, and has it been getting worse?'
Asking about medical history Doctor 'Do you have any existing conditions or are you taking any medication?'
Giving a diagnosis Doctor 'It looks like you have a chest infection, which is quite common at this time of year.'
Recommending treatment Doctor 'I'm going to prescribe a course of antibiotics for the next seven days.'
Asking for clarification Patient 'Should I take the tablets with food, or does it not matter?'
Giving aftercare advice Doctor 'Make sure you finish the full course, even if you start feeling better.'
Requesting a follow-up Patient 'Do I need to come back for a check-up, or should I be fine after the course?'

How to Use Visiting the Doctor's Language

Describing Symptoms Precisely: A well-formed symptom description identifies location, sensation, and duration, for example: 'I've had a dull ache behind my right eye that gets worse when I look at a screen, and it started about three days ago.'

Responding to a Diagnosis and Treatment Plan: Students should practice asking for clarification when they are unsure, for example: 'Could you explain what that means in simple terms?' or 'Is that something I should be worried about, or is it fairly straightforward to treat?'

Discussing Alternatives and Concerns: A polite, direct question works best when raising concerns about a recommended treatment, for example: 'Are there any other options apart from surgery, or is that the only course of action at this stage?'

3-Step Framework for Teaching Visiting the Doctor's Language

1. Start With Controlled Sentence Work: Students unscramble jumbled sentences from a doctor-patient consultation, identify whether each line was said by the doctor or the patient, then use the correctly ordered lines to role-play the consultation in pairs.

2. Build to Advice Under Time Pressure: Students draw a card showing a health complaint and must give a correct piece of advice quickly enough to claim the card. The race mechanic pushes advice language from recognition into automatic production.

3. Extend to a Collaborative Diagnosis Task: Students each hold different clues about a patient's condition, share information, ask follow-up questions, and work together to reach a diagnosis, sustaining a professional register across a longer exchange.

Common Mistakes with Visiting the Doctor's Language

Using 'I have pain' Instead of a Natural Symptom Description: Students often produce a literal translation when describing how they feel, which can sound unnatural and make it harder for a doctor to understand the severity of the problem. Wrong: 'I have pain in my head since yesterday.' Correct: 'I've had a throbbing headache since yesterday morning, and it gets worse when I move around.'

Staying Silent After a Diagnosis: Students often accept a diagnosis or treatment plan without checking their understanding, either because they do not know the phrases or because they confuse politeness with silence. Wrong: 'OK, thank you, doctor.' Correct: 'Could you tell me a bit more about that? And is there anything I need to watch out for?'

Common Questions About Teaching Visiting the Doctor's Language

What is a good visiting the doctor role-play?

The activity Do you concur? gives students practice with doctor and patient language. In groups, students take on the identity of a sick person and find out what is wrong with each classmate. They then work in pairs to write and discuss medical advice for each person using target language from the activity.

What is a useful worksheet for learning medical vocabulary?

The worksheet Medical Vocabulary takes students through matching medical words to their definitions, completing sentences with the target vocabulary, and forming questions using the same words. Students finish by discussing their questions with a partner, giving the vocabulary meaningful context through conversation.

What is a creative activity for discussing health topics in English?

The activity At the Doctor's Discussion is a free card-based speaking activity where students take turns picking up a healthcare question card and answering it. Each student responds in turn before the group discusses the topic together. This continues until all question cards have been covered, building fluency around doctor visits, symptoms, and medicines.

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