1. Home
  2. Professional development
  3. Teachers
  4. Knowing the subject

A task-based approach

What is task-based learning (TBL), and why do many language teachers choose this approach over the more traditional presentation, practice, production (PPP) method? This article gives an overview of TBL and highlights its advantages for learners and teachers.

A Task-based approach - methodology article
Richard Frost
Article

Knowing the subject

Explore the latest articles, resources, and updates related to Knowing the subject

Presentation, practice, production (PPP)

During an initial teacher training course, most teachers become familiar with the PPP paradigm. A PPP lesson would proceed in the following manner.

  • First, the teacher presents an item of language in a clear context to get across its meaning. This could be done in a variety of ways: through a text, a situation build, a dialogue etc.
  • Learners are then asked to complete a controlled practice stage, where they may have to repeat target items through choral and individual drilling, filling gaps or matching halves of sentences. All of this practice demands that the student uses the language correctly and helps them to become more comfortable with it.
  • Finally, they move on to the production stage, sometimes called the 'free practice' stage. Students are given a communication task such as a role play and are expected to produce the target language and use any other language that has already been learnt and is suitable for completing it.

The problems with PPP

It all sounds quite logical but teachers who use this method will soon identify problems with it:

  • Learners can give the impression that they are comfortable with the new language as they are producing it accurately in the class. Often though a few lessons later, learners will either not be able to produce the language correctly or even won't produce it at all.
  • Learners will often produce the language but overuse the target structure so that it sounds completely unnatural.
  • Learners may not produce the target language during the free practice stage because they find they are able to use existing language resources to complete the task.

A task-based approach

Task-based learning offers an alternative for language teachers. In a task-based lesson the teacher doesn't predetermine what language will be studied, the lesson is based around the completion of a central task and the language studied is determined by what happens as the learners complete it. The lesson follows certain stages.

Pre-task

The teacher introduces the topic and gives the learners clear instructions on what they will have to do at the task stage and might help them to recall some language that may be useful for the task. The pre-task stage can also often include playing a recording of people doing the task. This gives the learners a clear model of what will be expected of them. The learners can take notes and spend time preparing for the task.

Task

The learners complete a task in pairs or groups using the language resources that they have as the teacher monitors and offers encouragement.

Planning

Learners prepare a short oral or written report to tell the class what happened during their task. They then practise what they are going to say in their groups. Meanwhile the teacher is available for the learners to ask for advice to clear up any language questions they may have.

Report 

Learners then report back to the class orally or read the written report. The teacher chooses the order of when learners will present their reports and may give learners some quick feedback on the content. At this stage the teacher may also play a recording of others doing the same task for the learners to compare.

Analysis

The teacher then highlights relevant parts from the text of the recording for the learners to analyse. They may ask learners to notice interesting features within this text. The teacher can also highlight the language that the learners used during the report phase for analysis.

Practice

Finally, the teacher selects language areas to practise based upon the needs of the learners and what emerged from the task and report phases. The learners then do practice activities to increase their confidence and make a note of useful language.

The advantages of TBL

Task-based learning has some clear advantages

  • Unlike a PPP approach, the learners are free of language control. In all three stages they must use all their language resources rather than just practising one pre-selected item.
  • A natural context is developed from the learners' experiences with the language that is personalised and relevant to them. With PPP it is necessary to create contexts in which to present the language and sometimes they can be very unnatural.
  • The learners will have a much more varied exposure to language with TBL. They will be exposed to a whole range of lexical phrases, collocations and patterns as well as language forms.
  • The language explored arises from the learners' needs. This need dictates what will be covered in the lesson rather than a decision made by the teacher or the coursebook.
  • It is a strong communicative approach where learners spend a lot of time communicating. PPP lessons seem very teacher-centred by comparison. Just watch how much time the students spend communicating during a task-based lesson.
  • It is enjoyable and motivating.

Conclusion

PPP offers a very simplified approach to language learning. It is based upon the idea that you can present language in neat little blocks, adding from one lesson to the next. However, research shows us that we cannot predict or guarantee what the students will learn and that ultimately a wide exposure to language is the best way of ensuring that learners will acquire it effectively. Restricting their experience to single pieces of target language is unnatural.

Further reading

Willis, J. (1996) A Framework for Task-Based Learning. Harlow: Longman.

Willis, D. and Willis, J. (2007) Doing Task-Based Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 

Bookmark this

Comments

Submitted by waiwaitint84@g… on Sun, 10/26/2025 - 16:48

Both models can be effective depending on the teaching context. PPP helps introduce new language in a clear, structured way, while TBL gives students more freedom to use English in real-life situations. I believe combining both methods can make lessons more balanced and engaging.

I completely agree with your point. Combining PPP and TBL allows teachers to provide both structure and communicative practice, which helps students develop accuracy and fluency effectively.
That’s a great point! A combination of PPP and TBL really helps create a balanced lesson where students can both learn the target language clearly and use it

Submitted by vulanhuong278@… on Sun, 10/26/2025 - 15:10

I like the idea that the learners will have a much more varied exposure to language with TBL. They will be exposed to a whole range of lexical phrases, collocations and patterns as well as language forms.

Submitted by Tri-Thos_wiscm on Tue, 10/14/2025 - 19:26

I find the task-based learning approach quite compelling, especially when thinking about how we naturally acquire language in real-world situations. The main weakness of PPP that really stands out to me is that students often perform well in controlled classroom exercises but struggle to use the same language spontaneously later on. TBL seems to address this by putting communication first and letting the language emerge organically from what learners actually need to express. What I particularly appreciate is how it mirrors authentic language use—in real life, we don’t think about grammar rules before speaking; we focus on the message we want to convey and draw on whatever linguistic resources we have available. That said, I wonder if TBL might be challenging for absolute beginners who have very limited language resources to draw from, or in exam-focused contexts where there’s pressure to cover specific grammar points systematically. Perhaps the most effective approach would be a flexible combination, using TBL for developing fluency and communicative confidence while still incorporating some focused language instruction when learners demonstrate a clear need for it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Submitted by shoon-emerald on Tue, 10/14/2025 - 17:33

This content says, "Instead of using traditional method (PPP), we should use TBL because when the teachers use PPP, they guide and present to the students first (Presentation). After that, they tell the students to practice (Practice). Finally, they move to free-practice stage (Production). When the last stage arrives, the students have to say this main phrases, words, or vocabularies, but they only use the main target of this lesson not the others. However, in TBL, the teachers just give the instruction how to do and then recall the memories to use the languages that we've learnt and know as much as we can. So it is really effective

Submitted by Boitumelohl948 on Wed, 05/07/2025 - 10:40

do we need to let the students know about the PPP and how is going to help them

Submitted by Cath McLellan on Thu, 05/08/2025 - 08:06

Hi Boitumelohl948

Thanks for your comment. I would say that it can be helpful to let your learners know what you are planning to do in a class (and even how you are planning to do it) in any class, so they know what to expect, and what the learning outcomes will be. 

You might find this webinar (all about how to write great learning outcomes and share these with learners) useful:

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/news-and-events/webinars/webinars-teachers/creating-lessons-work-mini-event 

Hope that helps,
Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Submitted by lizayneef401 on Mon, 10/02/2023 - 10:57

PPP can be a more structured technique on planning a lesson than TBL. TBL can result in time consuming.

Submitted by Flavi on Tue, 06/06/2023 - 13:21

I personally consider that task-based learning can be more effective than the PPP model. However, my main question is: In TBL, at which stage do teachers teach grammar? In my opinion, grammar is an essential part of any target language.

Submitted by Cath McLellan on Wed, 06/07/2023 - 09:11

Hi Flavi

In TBL there is no pre-determined "language focus" - but that doesn't mean that teachers don't teach any grammar. The grammar taught will depend on what language comes out of the task - for example, if the students make lots of mistakes with the future tenses when doing a task around planning a trip, the teacher would focus on that grammar at the most appropriate time for the students.

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Submitted by Ivón Brito Iribar on Thu, 09/21/2023 - 17:03

If the lesson´s objective is not a grammatical structure, grammar is seen as a means to improve communication in real life situations. Grammatical focus is not longer a method to lead to communicative competence.

Submitted by kagxxl on Mon, 02/27/2023 - 02:29

what is the different of TASK-BASED teaching and ACTIVITY-BASED teaching?
KIND REGARDS
Khanh Nguyen Nam

Submitted by Cath McLellan on Mon, 02/27/2023 - 08:36

Hi Khanh

A task-based approach means that there is no pre-determined language aim, whereas activities will usually be designed to practice a particular language point, like in a PPP lesson described above. An activity and a task can be similar though.

Hope that helps,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Submitted by IraMaidan on Wed, 08/10/2022 - 16:53

As for me, it is better to use TBL when students have some basic knowledge. For primary teaching PPP is not bad.

Submitted by KateB on Fri, 07/26/2019 - 06:05

The article looks great. Task Based Learning is the next best alternative to PPP or as some may consider it to be part of PPP. However, as rightly mentioned in your article, with the TBL approach, students are free to communicate (without any language constraint) and interact to reach their goals determined by the task. I also found a similar article here, which speaks about some task based activities that can be done: https://www.xploretefl.com/articles/task-based-learning-teaching/

Submitted by carlosweb1000 on Sat, 04/27/2019 - 15:16

The PPP is a simplified instructional designed model that can consider different tasks into its performance. It includes TBL (Task Based Learning).

Submitted by mshujaat2012 on Sun, 06/17/2018 - 10:15

I often find that for TBL/TBI to succeed students need to be highly motivated. I think TBL/TBI may be counterproductive in contexts where students are used to lecture-mode/lcok step and other traditional language clarficiation approaches. I understand that TBL/TBI is not only a way of presenting the systems, yet I seriously doubt the utility of TBL/TBI at lower levels with shy and conservative students. I wish someone could share the bnefits/uses of TBL/TBI at lower levels and wtih students studying English as a subject in not as a language in large classes. Also, I am planning to study the effect of TBL in my context (a university with large classes and EFL situation) and would really like some help with research.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/30/2018 - 23:54

Personally- I have a hard time accepting that I, as a teacher, am leaving the language targets up to the students. First of all even in the strongest of classes my students have an overall goal- and they need to be able to complete certain tasks to complete these goals. IF they are left to 'figure out' what they're learning as they go, they may never stumble across these targeted areas or necessarily connect them to the overall goal. SO for a Tasked Based Class- I would think that this would not completely cover any thing more than a purely oral for fun class. I would NOT in good conscious, tell my students that I am prepping them to take the IELTS test with this method...nor would I use this method in a structured curriculum based school setting that relies on previously taught material in order to advance. That being said - I do find this model a great tool to further my students range of use. I preload vocabulary first- then go over the targeted area content (be it topic or grammar based)- and then in a subsequent lesson I use a task to reinforce both my targeted language but also to judge how well each person/ group has understood the target. I find this method more suitable as most students do not just 'learn' new language by doing a task- it's my job as their teacher to expand their language and not just rely on what they already know. It's one thing to just allow students to wander through language acquisition but quite another to guide them in creating their own language ability.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/12/2017 - 02:59

Thanks for this great article. However, I have several things to ask due to my insufficient knowledge about this method. 1) After reading this article, it seems to me that TBL is an unstructured lesson framework. If this is true, is it still possible to apply it in a context where teachers are required to teach based on a set of predetermined curricular contents? 2) Next, if it is carried out as an unstructured lesson, the class will proceed depending on the language brought into the class by the students, which relies on the students' existing knowledge. If it is so, when is it the time for the teacher to introduce a new language item to the students? Or, introducing a new language item cannot be done by using TBL? (Here, I am talking of an EFL context). Thank you.

Submitted by Cath McLellan on Fri, 05/12/2017 - 12:53

Hello Thanks for your comment, and glad you found the article useful. TBL isn't necessarily a framework without any structure - the teacher would divide the task up into different sections, but the focus is on completing the task rather than teaching a specific language point. If you have to teach predetermined language or grammar, then of course, this might not come up in the task. Many teachers would use TBL alongside other teaching approaches, and maybe those are better suited to introducing set language structures that need to be included in the course. This article gives an overview of some of the differences in the two approaches, which you might find useful: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/tbl-pbl-two-learner-centred-approaches?page=2 And here you have another article describing some different task types for TBL: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/six-types-task-tbl I hope that helps, Best wishes, Cath TE Team

Submitted by matbury on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 01:29

This is a nice summary with the pros and cons but I think those who are unfamiliar with TBLL would benefit from some background reading. Firstly, one of the leading authorities on TBLL is Rod Ellis, University of Aukland. His book: Task-based Language Learning and Teaching (2003) is probably the best place to start. You can also find a number of PPT presentations and videos of Rod Ellis talking on the subject of TBLL if you search the web. Secondly, I've seen and heard many remarks about how TBLL increases fluency but does little for accuracy. That would be the case if learners aren't encouraged and helped to "focus on form". Michael Long is a renowned scholar in this respect: http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/foreignlang/top.htm And finally, another learning and teaching approach that is particularly productive with TBLL is Reflective Practice for both learners (Reflective Inquiry) and teachers (Reflective Practice). Thomas Farrell at Brock University in Canada is a pioneer in this field. See: Professional Development for Language Teachers: Strategies for Teacher Learning (Cambridge Language Education) by Jack C. Richards and Thomas S. C. Farrell (4 Apr 2005), and the forthcoming: Reflective Writing for Language Teachers (Frameworks for Writing) by Thomas S.C. Farrell (1 Aug 2012) I hope this helps!

Submitted by jvl narasimha rao on Thu, 11/03/2011 - 01:08

This is a good approach but it is not posssible to show a recorded activity in all the classes.It is not possible unadvanced countries like India.It may be possible in some corporate schools.

Research and insight

Browse fascinating case studies, research papers, publications and books by researchers and ELT experts from around the world.

See our publications, research and insight