Guessing games – A2-B1

Title separator

Guessing games

intermediate ESL games

WORKSHEET OVERVIEW

This worksheet consists of five pre-intermediate and intermediate ESL games. The games can be used as warm-ups, fillers or end-of-lesson tasks. They are all about speaking and guessing

There is an e-lesson plan and a teacher’s version of the pdf available for this worksheet. There isn’t a student’s version as it is not needed. 

A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
B1 / Intermediate
60 minStandard LessonUnlimited Plan

GUESS THE WORD, 5-SECOND RULE AND 20 QUESTIONS

In the first game (Guess the word), a student explains a word and their teammates need to guess it. The student can do it by giving examples. They can also try to define the word. Students get a point for each word they guess in one minute. In the online version of the task, each student gets three words to explain in a minute. There are two sets of twenty-five words. 

The second of the pre-intermediate and intermediate ESL games is called 5-second rule. A student gets a category (e.g. pizza toppings, things you can see in the street, types of soup) and needs to come up with three things for it. The challenge is that they only have five seconds to do it, so the game is fast and fun. There are two sets of twenty-five categories in the worksheet. 

The third game is called 20 questions. A student gets a word and others need to guess what the word is by asking the student yes or no questions. Some examples are provided in the worksheet to give students some ideas for questions. There are two sets of twenty-five words for students to guess. 

OTHER (PRE-)INTERMEDIATE ESL GAMES: COFFEEPOT AND PASSWORD

In the game Coffeepot, students need to guess a verb by asking questions in which they substitute the verb with the word coffeepot. They need to pay attention to the form of the word (e.g. Are you coffeepotting now? Who in the group likes coffeepotting most?, etc). There are two sets of twenty-five words in the game. 

The last of the pre-intermediate and intermediate ESL games in this worksheet is called Password. This game is played in groups of four or two. During the game, students need to give each other one-word clues about the word. There are some examples provided in the worksheet, and there are also two sets of twenty words available. 

To read more about the games and see videos where famous actors play the games (and show them to your students), go to this blog post

You will find the upper-intermediate/advanced version of the games, go to the worksheet: Guessing games – B2-C1

WORKSHEETS

Comments

Title separator

Leave a Reply

  1. Sam O Neill

    This is so much fun!! The games are a fantastic idea. Thank you so much.

    1. Ewa

      Happy to hear that!

  2. JojoDodo

    Love these!

    1. Ewa

      Thanks 🙂

  3. Julia Nava

    These games can be adapted to so many different topics and levels of English, my students have all loved them! I’ve done at least one of these in 4 classes so far, and it was definitely a hit! Thank you!

    1. Ewa

      Thanks for the feedback, Julia! I love using these games, too 🙂

Browse other materials recommended for you

Title separator
airport vocabulary
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Vocabulary Lab 45 min / 60 min

At the airport

General

Practise useful airport vocabulary! In this lesson, students share their experiences, listen to common phrases used at the airport and collaborate to develop a creative story with the target vocabulary.

talking about paintings
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min

Talking about paintings

General

Engage students in talking about paintings with this lesson! They describe and visualise artwork, watch a video with AI-animated paintings and share their reactions and interpretations. They also imagine and describe a painting based on their own life.

weather vocabulary
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Vocabulary Lab 45 min / 60 min

Whatever the weather

General

Talk about weather conditions and their impact! In this lesson, students practise weather vocabulary, discuss the weather where they live and share opinions. They also debate weather inconveniences and preparations.

ESL lesson on humanities
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate | B1 / Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Are you into humanities?

General

Talk about human-centred subjects with this ESL lesson on humanities! Students practise key verbs for the discussion, watch a video explaining what the humanities are and debate different scenarios.

pronunciation practice
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

Pronounce it if you can

General

Focus on pronunciation practice with this lesson! Students discuss English pronunciation, watch a video and practise reading IPA transcriptions. They also listen to recordings and play a word game.

film vocabulary
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Vocabulary Lab 45 min / 60 min

The types of films I like

General

Practise key film vocabulary with this lesson! Students share their preferences for films, guess film types by listening to music and sounds and draft a film review.

Past Simple practice
A1 / Elementary | A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

She was born in 1991 (Past Simple)

General Grammar

Provide meaningful Past Simple practice for your students! They talk about life events, review key phrases and learn how to say years. Students also explore the life of Albert Einstein through a video.

talking about dates
A2 / Pre‐Intermediate
Standard Lesson 60 min

The date I always remember…

General

Engage students in talking about dates and milestones! They practise prepositions for days and dates, watch a video clip about a secretary who scheduled 93 meetings and share their experience with remembering dates.

clothes vocabulary
B1 / Intermediate
Vocabulary Lab 45 min / 60 min

In the wardrobe

General Lifestyle

Practise clothes vocabulary with this lesson! Students discuss clothing for various situations, listen to a recording with outfit descriptions and work in pairs, playing a guessing game.

Show more lessons

Questions

Title separator

Is there a minimum subscription period if I choose a monthly subscription?

No, there's no minimum required number of subscription months. You can cancel any time you want. Basically, you can sign up and then cancel your subscription the next day, which will mean you have access for 1 month and won't be charged again.

What currencies can I pay in for my subscription?

Our default currency is USD (American dollar), but you can also pay in EUR (euro), GBP (British pound sterling) or PLN (Polish zloty). You can change the currency you want to pay in at the Pricing page before selecting a subscription plan.

How can I edit an e-lesson plan?

You can get your own editable copy of an e-lesson plan and make changes to it. To do so, either (1) make a copy of it on your Google Drive (preferable method) or (2) download it in a Powerpoint format (but formatting might be a bit off so we can’t guarantee that it will work well).
Read more FAQ
Title separator

ESL Brains

Forgot password?
or continue with
Title separator
Title separator