Types of English exercises
Choosing the task is most of the lesson planning. Each page here explains one exercise type: what it actually tests, how to write one that is not guessable, when it is the wrong choice, and a live set you can try in the browser or share with a class.
All exercise types
Classroom types are the everyday tasks, from beginner upwards: controlled practice, comprehension checking and the first steps towards production. Exam types are the shapes in the Cambridge papers from B1 upwards, worth teaching on their own terms long before an exam.
| Also called | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gap-fillGroup: Classroom,Levels: A1–B2fill in the blanks | |||
| Multiple choiceGroup: Classroom,Levels: A1–C1MCQ | |||
| True or falseGroup: Classroom,Levels: A1–B1true false quiz | |||
| Matching pairsGroup: Classroom,Levels: A1–B2match the words | |||
| Word orderGroup: Classroom,Levels: A1–B1sentence scramble | |||
| Sort into groupsGroup: Classroom,Levels: A1–B2categorise | |||
| Short answerGroup: Classroom,Levels: A1–C1open question | |||
| Open clozeGroup: Exam,Levels: B1–C1gapped text | |||
| Key word transformationGroup: Exam,Levels: B2–C1sentence transformation | |||
| Word formationGroup: Exam,Levels: B1–C1word building | |||
| Multiple matchingGroup: Exam,Levels: B1–C1match the texts | |||
| Missing sentencesGroup: Exam,Levels: B1–C1gapped text |
12 items
How to choose
Work back from what you want to find out. If the question is has the form stuck, use a gap-fill. If it is which mistake are they still making, use multiple choice, because the wrong options are the diagnosis. If it is can they use it, nothing recognition-based will tell you — ask for a short answer.
- Accuracy on one form: gap-fill, word order, word formation.
- Meaning and word choice: multiple choice, matching, sorting.
- Reading a whole text: open cloze, missing sentences, multiple matching, true or false.
- Production: short answer, and the speaking and writing prompts you add yourself.
By level
Each level page lists the grammar to cover and links back to the tasks that suit it.