Class Survey

Students design their own survey questions on a topic, interview classmates, record answers, then report results back to the class. Combines question formation, speaking, listening, and mini-statistics in one task.

Procedure

1. Pick a topic or let students choose: sleep habits / weekend routines / learning English / technology use / food preferences.
2. Design questions (5–10 min): in pairs, students write 5 survey questions. Mix question types:
   • Yes/no: Do you drink coffee?
   • Wh-: How many hours do you sleep?
   • Scale: On a scale of 1–5, how important is exercise to you?
3. Mingle and interview (10–15 min): each student surveys 6–10 classmates. Records answers briefly.
4. Analyse (5 min): back at seats, students summarise findings. 6 out of 10 drink coffee. Most people sleep 6–7 hours.
5. Report (5 min): each student (or pair) reports 2 findings to the class.

Why It Works

• Authentic question use: students ask because they actually want to know, not because the teacher asked them to.
• Natural turn-taking: every student speaks many times across the interview phase.
• Integrates four skills: asking (speaking), hearing (listening), recording (writing), reporting (speaking again).
• Numeracy in language: the report phase forces numerical phrases (most, half, a third, 6 out of 10).

Good Survey Topics

Topic	Sample questions
Sleep habits	Hours/night, when you wake, dreams
Learning English	Years studying, hardest skill, what helps
Technology	Screen time, favourite app, one tech to keep forever
Food	Breakfast habits, diet restrictions, dish you'd miss most
Free time	Weekly hours, favourite activity, last new hobby tried
Travel	Countries visited, dream destination, longest trip

Variations

• Blind survey: questions are secret; answers are recorded; the interviewer guesses the pattern from the data.
• Cross-class survey: groups ask different classes the same questions; compare.
• Data visualisation: after surveying, students produce a chart (pie, bar, line) of their findings. Good for IELTS Task 1 prep.
• Follow-up interview: two surprising answers selected; student interviews those respondents in more depth.

Tips

• Pre-teach reporting phrases: X out of Y said... The majority reported... Only a small percentage...
• Demand follow-up questions during the interview — without them, the survey is yes/no mechanical.
• Debrief: Whose question produced the most interesting answers? Why? — teaches question design by reflection.

Source

Widely used in ESL; documented in teach-this.com, esl-lounge.com adult pairwork/surveys pages.