Survey Task

speakingwritingcommunicationfluencymainminglemedium prep30+ minTBLT

Students design a questionnaire, survey classmates, compile results, and present findings.

Procedure

Groups design a short questionnaire (5–8 questions) on a topic.
Students circulate, surveying classmates individually. Everyone fills in their own answers first.
Return to group; compile and analyse results.
Create a visual summary (chart, graph, infographic).
Present findings to the class as a short talk or on posters.
(Optional) Whole-class discussion: Was there any result that surprised you? What is the most important finding? How could we act on these results?

A structured variant that converts the survey into a jigsaw, ensuring every student asks and answers every question:

The class agrees on a topic (e.g. food, shopping, travel, climate change) and six sub-topics. For "food": breakfast, drinks, eating out, favourite foods, cooking, special diets.
Divide into six groups, each assigned one sub-topic. Each group agrees on 2–3 questions and prepares an interview sheet.
Regroup so each new group has at least one member from each original group. Members ask "their" questions in turn — everyone talks to everyone else.
Original groups reassemble to organise their data (tables, diagrams).
Each group presents their sub-topic findings.

Vary question types: open Wh-questions, multiple-choice, true/false, agree/disagree scales, frequency scales, gap-fills.
The real language work happens in steps 3–5 — discussing data and presenting require more complex language than the survey itself.
With smaller classes, use fewer sub-topics in the jigsaw variant.
Alternative mingle methods: free circulation instead of structured regrouping, or assign as homework (students ask friends and family).
Adapts well to digital and distance-learning environments: Google Forms for the questionnaire, breakout rooms for the jigsaw regrouping.

Survey Task

speakingwritingcommunicationfluencymainminglemedium prep30+ minTBLT

Students design a questionnaire, survey classmates, compile results, and present findings.

Groups design a short questionnaire (5–8 questions) on a topic.
Students circulate, surveying classmates individually. Everyone fills in their own answers first.
Return to group; compile and analyse results.
Create a visual summary (chart, graph, infographic).
Present findings to the class as a short talk or on posters.
(Optional) Whole-class discussion: Was there any result that surprised you? What is the most important finding? How could we act on these results?

A structured variant that converts the survey into a jigsaw, ensuring every student asks and answers every question:

The class agrees on a topic (e.g. food, shopping, travel, climate change) and six sub-topics. For "food": breakfast, drinks, eating out, favourite foods, cooking, special diets.
Divide into six groups, each assigned one sub-topic. Each group agrees on 2–3 questions and prepares an interview sheet.
Regroup so each new group has at least one member from each original group. Members ask "their" questions in turn — everyone talks to everyone else.
Original groups reassemble to organise their data (tables, diagrams).
Each group presents their sub-topic findings.

Vary question types: open Wh-questions, multiple-choice, true/false, agree/disagree scales, frequency scales, gap-fills.
The real language work happens in steps 3–5 — discussing data and presenting require more complex language than the survey itself.
With smaller classes, use fewer sub-topics in the jigsaw variant.
Alternative mingle methods: free circulation instead of structured regrouping, or assign as homework (students ask friends and family).
Adapts well to digital and distance-learning environments: Google Forms for the questionnaire, breakout rooms for the jigsaw regrouping.