Information Gap Grid

A 2-column or multi-row grid. Student A has some cells filled; Student B has the other cells filled. Neither can see the other's grid. They ask questions to complete their own copy. Classic TBLT information-gap activity.

Procedure

1. Prepare a grid with data across 2 dimensions — e.g., people × jobs/ages/cities, or flights × times/prices/routes.
2. Print two versions: Student A's grid has cells 1, 3, 5 filled; cells 2, 4, 6 blank. Student B's is the inverse.
3. Pairs sit facing each other, grids hidden (or back-to-back).
4. Students take turns asking questions to fill their blanks:
   • What's Maria's job? / What time is the 3 PM train from Hanoi?
5. Partners answer from their own grid.
6. When both grids are complete, compare for accuracy.

Why It Works

• Real communicative need: students must ask questions to get information they genuinely don't have.
• Question forms in context: the whole activity is question-heavy, with natural variation.
• Built-in feedback: at the end, grids are compared; gaps reveal miscommunications.
• Core TBLT task: the classic information-gap principle — two parties with different information needing to exchange.

Good Grid Contents

Grid type	Columns	Language practised
People profile	Name, job, city, age, hobby	Simple present, age/place prepositions
Schedule	Event, time, place, day	Time prepositions, days
Price comparison	Product, shop, price, discount	Comparatives, -est
Travel itinerary	Flight, departure, arrival, duration	Time, duration expressions
Menu	Dish, ingredients, price, allergen	Food vocabulary, relative clauses

Variations

• Three-party grid: three students each have 1/3 of the information. More complex but richer.
• With a constraint: students can only ask yes/no questions. Forces creative question-formation.
• Split-reading: Student A reads article version 1 with missing facts; Student B reads version 2. They reconstruct the full story together.
• Map-based info gap: each student has a partly-labelled map; they fill each other's in by asking directions.

Tips

• Design the grid so some cells require higher-level question forms (a date requires When, a choice requires Which, a reason requires Why).
• Prevent sneaking peeks: grids back-to-back or on a divider.
• For lower levels, supply question stems: What's... / When is... / Where does... / How much is...
• Debrief the questions that worked best, not just whether the grid was completed.

Source

TBLT tradition, from Long (1985) A role for instruction in second language acquisition. Prabhu's Bangalore Project (1987) uses info-gap extensively. Ellis (2003) Task-based Language Learning and Teaching.