Who doesn’t have an opinion about party food? Whether your students would happily fill their plates with cake and ice cream or go straight for the savoury snacks, food is an easy way to get a conversation going. And with World Food Day on October 16th, it’s the perfect excuse to bring this A2 food listening lesson into your classroom.
My inspiration for Cambridge lesson plans comes in waves, depending on the students and the exams they are preparing for. This time, I wanted to create an A2 lesson that didn’t feel like a traditional exam worksheet. Instead, the lesson gradually moves from students’ own ideas about party food to listening for specific information, before introducing the Cambridge exam task and building towards more communicative speaking activities. If you are interested in similar lesson plans based on authentic Cambridge exams, you can take a look at my other post A2 – School Gardens Competition – Reading Part 2.
To get the lesson plan with all the exercises and answers, scroll down and get your copy. You can find the original KEY Listening Part 5, including the audio by downloading either A2 Key Handbook or Sample Papers for A2 Key.
Warmer: Your Perfect Party Menu
The lesson starts with students imagining that they are having a party for 10 people. They create a list of 10 foods they would like to have at their party, using prompts such as something savoury, something sweet, something healthy and something easy to eat. Students then compare their menus with a partner and discuss which foods they have in common, which are different, and which foods they would definitely or definitely not bring to a party. It’s a simple way to get everyone talking while activating the vocabulary they will need later in the lesson.
Listening for Gist: What’s on Maria’s Menu?
Students are introduced to Maria’s birthday party and look at 16 pictures of different foods. They compare the pictures with their own lists before listening to Maria and her friend talking about the party. Instead of jumping straight into the exam task, students first listen for the food items mentioned in the recording and circle the ones they hear. They then identify and name the eight foods that will become their A–H options for the Cambridge task. This gives students some preparation before they encounter the exam format and helps them focus on recognising food vocabulary in natural speech.
Cambridge A2 Key: Listening Part 5
It is also worth mentioning that in the exam, students will not be presented with pictures – words only. Therefore, the exam situation may be a bit more complicated. Explain the rules of Cambridge Key Listening Part 5. Then, students move on to the actual exam task. They read the A2 Key Listening Part 5 task and listen to find out what each person will bring to the party. Students need to match five people with one of eight food options, while one example is provided. This is a useful opportunity to remind students that they need to listen carefully to the whole conversation: several of the options are mentioned, but they aren’t necessarily the correct answers.
After checking the answers, students listen again and complete a table showing what each person is bringing and what they mentioned but decided not to bring. They then discuss the reasons behind those choices. This extra stage takes the listening beyond simply finding the correct letter and encourages students to pay attention to details and justifications.
Grammar: Question Tags
Write down three sentences from the recording used to explain grammar – question tags. Make sure to pay attention to different tenses used in the examples and the structure of the question tag: auxiliary verb (not) + subject + question mark. The one curious thing shown in the listening was the use of everyone. It is a third singular person in the main sentence, but it is ‘they’ in the question tag.
- Everyone gets hungry, don’t they?
- He likes cooking, doesn’t he?
- He’s coming, isn’t he?
Students then complete a series of food- and cooking-related sentences with the correct question tags. Once they have checked their answers, they practise saying some of the tags aloud, paying attention to natural intonation. This controlled practice prepares them for the final speaking activity, where they need to produce the question tags themselves rather than simply recognise the correct form.
Speaking: Who’s Bringing What?
The lesson finishes with an information-gap activity. Students work in pairs and receive different information about the food people are bringing to a party. They cannot show their tables to each other, so they have to ask and answer questions to complete the missing information. Students use question tags to check what their partner knows:
- Peter is going to bring chicken, isn’t he?
- No, he isn’t. He’s going to bring burgers.
The lesson ends with a few broader questions about party food, giving students the opportunity to use the vocabulary and question tags in a more spontaneous conversation.
With World Food Day on October 16th, this lesson is also an easy way to bring a food-themed lesson into your October teaching. The party theme keeps the topic light and accessible while still giving students plenty of opportunities to talk, listen and interact. If you’re looking for an A2 Food Listening Lesson that combines Cambridge exam practice with vocabulary, grammar and communication, this one is ready to use with minimal preparation.
What food do you bring to parties?
Reblogged this on More than Teaching.
I love everything you post.