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Pick TwoActivity

Matching pairs: how to write one

A1–B2Updated Live examples

Matching puts two columns side by side and asks students to rebuild the pairs. It is the natural shape for vocabulary and meaning, for collocations, and for anything where the point is the connection between two things rather than a form.

Also called

The same task goes by several names: match the words, matching exercise, pair the words, word meaning match. They all describe the exercise below, and this page uses matching pairs throughout.

What one item is made of

The left column
The prompts: words, sentence halves, questions. Usually the thing being learned.
The right column
The answers, shown shuffled. Definitions, translations, responses.
The overlap
How close the options are. Six unrelated words is a reading exercise; six words from the same set is a vocabulary exercise.

When to use it

Works well at A1–B2. Reach for it when:

  • You are pre-teaching the vocabulary a reading text needs.
  • The target is a pairing: verb and preposition, question and answer, word and definition.
  • You want something a class can do in pairs, out loud, in two minutes.

Choose something else when:

  • You want students to produce the word. Matching only ever asks them to recognise it.
  • The definitions are so different that meaning is irrelevant and length alone gives it away.

How to write a matching pairs exercise

  1. Step 1:

    Keep both columns in one set

    Six words about food and six food definitions. Mixed topics can be solved by topic instead of by meaning.

  2. Step 2:

    Write definitions at their level

    A definition using harder words than the word itself teaches nothing. B1 definitions for B1 words.

  3. Step 3:

    Even out the lengths

    One long definition among five short ones is matched on sight.

  4. Step 4:

    Add one extra option

    Seven definitions for six words removes the free last pair, where the final match is correct by elimination.

  5. Step 5:

    Follow with production

    Matching finishes with recognition. Ask for one sentence using two of the words before you move on.

Mistakes teachers make

  • Not thisbakery — a shop where you buy bread, cakes and other things made from flour

    Betterbakery — a shop that sells bread and cakes

    The definition should be easier than the word. Long definitions are matched by length, not meaning.

  • Not thisSix words, six definitions

    BetterSix words, seven definitions

    With equal columns the last pair is free. One spare option makes every item count.

  • Not thisapple — a fruit; bank — money place; run — to move fast on foot

    BetterAll six items from the same topic set

    Unrelated items are matched by category before meaning is considered.

Try it: matching pairs examples

Real items, not screenshots. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class exactly as it is.

One set, one topic. The right-hand column is shuffled each time the page loads.

1Match each word to its meaning.

5 to go

2Match the verb to the noun it goes with.

4 to go

Variations worth knowing

Sentence halves
Left column starts the sentence, right column finishes it. Good for conditionals and relative clauses, where the join is the grammar.
Question and response
Functional language: offers, requests, apologies. Students match, then practise the exchange in pairs.
Word and collocation
make / do, heavy / strong. The pairing is the lesson, and no rule will do the job for them.

Grammar topics that suit this task

Where it appears in the Cambridge levels

Pick Two Activity is independent and not affiliated with Cambridge University Press & Assessment. These pages describe the level you are teaching towards; always check the official site for the current format.

Exam practice in this format

Frequently asked questions

How many pairs should a matching exercise have?

Five to eight. Fewer is trivial; more turns the exercise into a scanning task where students lose their place between the columns.

Why add an extra option?

With equal columns the final pair is correct by elimination, so the last item measures nothing. One spare definition keeps every pair honest.

Does matching work on a phone?

Yes — students tap a word and then tap its pair, which is easier on a touchscreen than dragging a line across two columns.