ESL Information Gap Activities Include Everyone in the Fun

It took me a while to try using information gap activities in my large EFL classes. They seemed to be too complicated and they required too much preparation. Fortunately, I quickly discovered that I was wrong. Information gap activities are absolutely awesome! They get everyone involved and engaged in the lesson. Info Gaps also get students to actually speak English with each other. They are now one of my favorite kinds of activities to use in primary English classes.

Now, with all that said, I admit it can be daunting for some teachers to try information gaps for the first time. They can be noisy and chaotic – but in a good way! That’s why I have a ton of ideas, examples, and tips so you can be successful whether you have 15 or 45 students in your classes.

What are Information Gap Activities?

Information gap activities are activities where each student has only a portion of the information they need. They have to talk with one or more of their classmates to collect the rest of the information that they need to finish.

There are a couple basic kinds of information gap activities that work great even for large, lower-level primary school classes.

The most controlled kind is one where you provide all of the information, such as when each student has a different part of a school schedule that you’ve created.

Another kind allows for more flexibility. This is where you provide the framework and the children input their own information. They then speak with each other to collect their classmates’ information. A great example of this is a survey.

Why are Information Gap Activities Useful?

Active Engagement for Everyone: In these activities everyone has a role to play. Students all need to speak, listen, and even write down information to successfully complete the activity. This gives everyone lots of opportunities to actually practice using English. Nobody just sits and watches while other children get to participate.

Meaningful Communication: In information gap activities children actually need to communicate with each other. They need to understand what their classmates are saying, and sometimes even ask follow-up questions.

A well-designed information gap activity can also provide your students with an authentic context for using English, such as taking an order at a restaurant or doing an interview.

Your students can even express their own ideas and opinions in some versions. This is all very motivating for students as it makes English come alive for them.

Level Appropriate & Differentiated Learning: It’s fairly straightforward to design these activities for all sorts of ages and levels. You can even do versions of information gaps with preschool children!

They also allow for differentiation by providing varying levels of challenge. For example, you can allow some children to participate by just using chunks of necessary language while their more confident classmates use full sentences. Each child gets to participate at their level.

You can also let younger children participate by limiting the writing they need to do. With the right design, children can participate by drawing or coloring.

Collaboration Skills: In today’s world people need to be able to collaborate. Information gap activities help students start building this skill by requiring them to take turns, work together, and negotiate meaning.

It’s also really helpful for less competitive students to have activities like these. Not everything in an EFL lesson needs to be a competition to be engaging for kids.

Forms & Examples Information Gap Activities

There are three basic forms of information gaps; pair, small group, and whole-class. Here are a few examples of each to highlight your options.

Pair Information Gap Activities

In these activities you divide the class into pairs of students. One student is “A” and the other is “B”.

“A” students get the “A” handout and “B” students get the “B” handout. These handouts can already be pre-filled with information, or students need to write/draw/color in them first.

They then speak with their partner who listens and uses the information. They continue until they’ve completed the form or you end the activity.

Table Gaps (School Schedules, Timetables, and More):

Give each student a table that is pre-filled with some of the information they need, for example the school class schedule an imaginary child. Students take turns asking, answering, and writing down the schedule information until their tables are complete.

Some language practice possibilities:

School Schedules: “What does Sally have on Tuesday in the afternoon?”
Daily Schedules: “When does Mike wake up?”
Weather Forecasts: “What will the weather be like on Monday in Hanoi?”

Picture Dictation:

Provide each student with a handout with both A and B sections. In the version above, each student colors their section (A colors A, B colors B). Then, student A describes their picture(s) and student B listens and colors along to match the description. At the end, students compare their pictures to see how well they understood the description.

You can do this with prepared picture scenes as well. Children can either draw pictures into the scenes or color them.

Some language practice possibilities:

Prepositions: “There’s a cat next to the tree.”
Body Parts: “He’s got three eyes and a big nose.”
Clothing: “She’s wearing a red jacket and pink boots.”
Relative Clauses: “The boy who is riding a bike is wearing a green hat.”

Minimax Information Gap:

Provide each student with a small piece of paper, such as a half sheet of A4. Instruct students to draw a line down the middle, then write “me” on top of the left-hand side, and “my friend” on top of the right-hand side. Next have students write 1-3 or 1-5 down the left hand side of each half.

Then, instruct students to either write a word, phrase, or sentence (depending on their level) for each number under “me” and keep it secret from their partner. This can be from a list of vocabulary on the board, use information from a table or a picture, or answer questions you’ve put on the board.

Next students talk with their partner and ask “What’s your number (1)?” They then write their partner’s answer under “my friend.” Once they’re both done they compare and check each other’s answers.

Some language practice possibilities:

Basic vocabulary spelling skills: “sheep”, “giraffe”
Preference: “I like apples.”
If Clauses: “If it’s sunny, let’s go to the pool.”

Picture Differences:

Prepare two pictures that are similar but have some differences. Give one picture to each student in a pair. Tell them to keep their pictures secret.

Students ask and answer questions about their pictures to find the differences. Or, they make statements about the picture and their partner says yes or no. They circle the differences that they find.

It helps to tell your students how many total differences there are. It also helps to very briefly show everyone a bigger version of both pictures so they can see some of the possibilities.

You can use the picture difference cards from old Cambridge Starters/Movers/Flyers practice exams.

Some language practice possibilities:

Questions: “Is there a scarf under the bed?”
Prepositions: “There are some books on the table.”

Picture Stories:

Assign roles to each student in a pair. One is the Story Teller (A) and the other is the Listener (B). Provide each pair of students with two copies of a picture story. One copy is intact and in order (the Story Teller’s copy). The other copy has been cut into separate picture cards (the Listener’s copy). The Story Teller keeps their copy secret.

The Story Teller looks at their copy and describes their pictures in order or uses them to tell a story in the order of the pictures. The Listener listens and puts their picture cards in the correct order. Once the story is finished the two students compare their pictures to see if they’re in the same order.

Once a pair has successfully finished they switch roles and get a new picture story from you.

For easy access to level-appropriate picture sequences, make copies from old Movers and Flyers Practice tests from Cambridge.

Small Group Information Gap Activities

In these activities you divide the class into groups of 3 or 4 students that will participate with each other. Each student gets a handout. Once students are ready they talk with their group-mates, either one-on-one or with everyone in the group talking to one student at a time. They continue until they’ve completed the form or you end the activity.

Vocab Card Guessing Game:

Prepare a set of picture cards with the target vocabulary, such as animals, for each group. Each student takes a card without showing it to the others. Students take turns asking one question to another student to get more information and then guessing what the word is.

When a student guesses someone else’s card correctly they get to keep that card. The student who gave up their card draws another picture card from the set. Students play until all the cards are gone. The student with the most cards is the “winner.”

Some language practice possibilities:

Animals: “Does it have fur?”, “Can it fly?”, “Does it have fins?”
Fruits: “Is it yellow?”, “Is it big or small?”
Places in a city: “Can you eat there?”, “Can you buy something there?”

Small Group Surveys:

Each student gets a survey handout with questions and spaces for answers. Students take time to complete their own information on their survey handout.

Then, they take turns asking each other the questions from the survey and recording the answers. When students have filled in all the information they compare their answers with each other to make sure everyone has the correct information.

Language to practice includes:

Preferences: “What is your favorite school subject?”
Schedules: “When do you have dinner?”
Biographical Details: “How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

Jigsaw Gaps:

Each student gets a handout with enough rows, pictures, or spaces for each child to write, draw, or color in. Students complete their own section as they choose and keep it secret from their group-mates.

For example, you can provide your students (in groups of 3) with three blank head outlines. Each student then draws a face and colors it as they want to, such as with green eyes, a big nose, a big mouth, and curly brown hair.

Next, students take turns describing their face to their groupmates who listen and color in one of the available sections. Finally, once everyone is finished they all compare their pictures.

You can also pre-fill in each section. Students then just talk about their section with the information you have provided, such as in the Saturday schedules below.

Language to practice includes:

Schedules: “Mike plays basketball in the morning on Saturday”
Face & Body: “My monster has three eyes and green hair.”
Preferences: “Jill likes chocolate and milkshakes. She doesn’t like cake and she doesn’t like ice cream.”

Whole Class/Mingle Information Gap Activities

In these activities students will all get up and walk around to talk with each other (mingle) one on one. They will keep mingling until they complete the activity or you end it.

Find Your Twin:

Create paired sets of cards with enough for each student to have one card. These could be, for example, pictures of faces, monsters, or animals. They could also be information cards with key information about people, places, or animals.

Students each get one card and then stand up and mingle with each other while keeping their cards secret. They can either take turns describing their own card, or asking questions about the other person’s card.

When students find their match they can then sit down. If you want to make it easier to find a match, you can make four copies of a card instead of just two.

Language to practice includes:

Face/Body Parts: “Does your monster have one eye?”
Can/Can’t: “Can your animal swim in the ocean?”
Comparatives: “It’s bigger than a horse. It’s taller than an elephant.”
Time: “What time does the pet store open?”
Animals: “My animal lives in the jungle. It can climb trees.”

Minimax Find Someone Who:

Write 1-5 questions on the board. Give each student a small piece of paper. Tell them to write their answers, either as a word or a sentence, on their papers.

Students then mingle and ask each other the questions on the board. When they find someone who has a similar answer, they then write that person’s name next to that answer. Students keep mingling until you end the activity or they find someone for each of their answers.

Tips for Effective Information Gaps

Practice and Demo: Before starting the info gap, make sure to practice the language and skills needed to complete the task. Show students how to ask questions, give responses, and seek clarification (if needed). Do a short demonstration with a confident student or two to provide a clear example to everyone.
Provide Support Scaffolding: Leave key vocabulary and/or phrases on the board for students to refer to. These resources can help scaffold their language production and boost their confidence. If you want to increase the challenge and students are ready you can erase these halfway through the activity.
Allow for Differentiation: Not every student will be able to participate at the same level. This is especially true in large, mixed-level classes. You can help these students by making it clear that one word or short phrases are OK. The key is being understood by their classmates.
Pairing and Grouping: Use a routine to divide your class into pairs or groups. In large classes you can do this somewhat randomly, but in smaller classes you can consider your students’ language proficiency levels. In this case you can mix stronger and weaker students to facilitate peer learning and support. It also often helps to assign roles within the group, such as speaker and listener, to ensure balanced participation.
Time and Rotations: Set a time limit for the whole activity. You can also set shorter timers to encourage kids to switch to talking with someone else.
Positive Reinforcement: Acknowledge and praise students’ efforts at the end of your information gap activities. These are always the most “fun” activities, but you can encourage students by praising students who try a lot, took turns nicely, kept their papers secret, and so on.
Use it Again: One of the great things about many information gaps is that they create data sets that can be used in more activities, either in small groups or as a class. Students can use the information for activities such as Speed Speak or Listen Quick, a Board Game, or Two Truths and One Lie. In this case, make sure to tell students to check their information carefully so they can participate well in the later games.
Odd Numbers of Students: I don’t recommend pairing yourself with the extra student if you have an odd number of students. You should be walking around and monitoring. Instead, always go in with a plan for what you’ll do if there’s an extra student. For example, you could try pairing a strong student w/ two others in a pair activity.
Try, Try, Try Again: Information gaps are one of those activities that teachers often try and then say that their kids didn’t like it. The truth is, students have to spend extra mental power and focus to figure it out. It then appears like they aren’t having fun. So, don’t give up after using it once. Try doing info gaps for several lessons and you’ll see them enjoy it once they’re familiar with it.