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Text-Driven Approaches to
Task-Based Language Teaching
Brian Tomlinson

Introduction experiencing and responding personally to the text prior

to using it to drive production activities and as a basis
Task-based language teaching is gaining in popularity for discovery activities. The underlying principles include
not only in the literature on second language exposure to language in use, affective and cognitive
acquisition (SLA) but with teachers and students too. engagement, use of language for communication and
The strong version of task-based language teaching opportunities for learner discovery. For information
(TBLT) advocates setting students a meaning-based about text-driven approaches see Tomlinson (2015) and
task with a non-linguistic outcome (e.g. making a paper Tomlinson & Masuhara (2018).
airplane; inventing a device for saving water; devising
and giving instructions for a game; recommending
which sports should be taught in the school). Although A Problem
the main objective of the students is to achieve
One of the experts on TBLT referred to above is
the outcome of the task the teacher might have
Michael Long, an applied linguist who has made a
language learning objectives in mind (e.g. improving
valuable contribution to the field of SLA and who I
the students’ ability to give clear instructions) and the
have respected for many years. Long (2015) not only
teacher will typically help the students with language
summarises what has been said in the literature and
problems they encounter in performing the task as well
done in the classroom with regards to TBLT but he also
as lead a reflection stage on the task performance of
manages to apply theory to practice in feasible and
the students after task completion. Ideally there will
potentially effective ways. I agree with and value just
also be language input (e.g. a stimulus text; spoken
about everything he says in the book except for his
and/or written instructions for the task) and language
rejection of the role of texts in TBLT in 2015, p. 305.
output (e.g. student discussion during performance
of the task; student written or spoken presentation On p. 305 Long says, for example, ‘Use task not text, as
of the task outcome). The main SLA principles on the unit of analysis’. In my view, if you rely on task as
which this approach is based are student experience the unit of analysis and do not make use of engaging
of contextualised and authentic use of language (i.e. texts to stimulate responses and generate tasks, you
to achieve a communicative outcome as opposed to can end up with an obvious but incomplete syllabus
focused practice of a structure), being stimulated and of asking for directions, ordering a meal, spotting the
pushed by interaction, learning from doing, learning difference between two pictures, telling the story of
from a teacher when the learning is needed and a picture to a partner and other rather trivial speech
wanted and being cognitively engaged. The weak task- events with some potential utility but little cognitive
based approach is similar but includes pre-teaching of challenge or engagement. These are the sort of tasks
the language required in the task and possibly post- which have been used by researchers to evaluate the
teaching of language points too. effectiveness of tasks. They are ideal for research
because they make it easy to control and to assess task
For information about TBLT see Long (2015), Mackey,
performance but they are far from ideal for classroom
Ziegler & Bryfonski (2016), Tomlinson (2015) and Van
use as their lack of stimulating content and of
den Branden (2006) and for accounts of how TBLT
cognitive challenge can make them very unappealing
approaches have been weakened by teachers in order
to intelligent learners.
to prepare their students for examinations see Thomas
& Reinders (2015). Long (2015, p. 305) also says, ‘the focus in text-based
courses […] is language as object’. This might be true
Text-driven approaches to materials development for
of some text-based courses but the focus in text-based
language learning are those in which units of materials are
courses obviously does not have to be on language
driven by potentially engaging written spoken or visual
as an object, it can be on the holistic meaning of the
texts rather than by pre-selected teaching points. The
text, on the intentions of the writer or speaker or on
objective is to engage learners affectively and cognitively
the responses of the learners to the text. It can also be
(i.e. to stimulate them to feel and think) through
on the way that language is used to achieve intended

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effects and therefore on language as an affordance • increase the educational value of the unit (by
of communication rather than language as an object. providing a new experience to connect to and
In addition, Long does not differentiate between possibly learn from).
text-based approaches, which do ultimately focus on
the language of texts, and text-driven approaches • stimulate more ‘authentic’ tasks (which relate to
(Tomlinson, 2013) which make use of potentially what the learners are interested in and to what they
engaging texts to drive receptive and productive tasks. want and need to do with the target language).

Another example of Long’s attack on texts is his • stimulate valuable tasks which might not be
statement that, ‘Texts are frozen records, often included in a needs driven task syllabus.
unrealistic records, of task accomplishment by others, • ensure the students receive a rich and meaningful
i.e. a by-product of tasks’ (2015, p. 35). Texts do not exposure to language in use.
have to be frozen or unrealistic. They can be alive
and authentic, even at lower levels, they can bring Simple examples of such text-driven tasks would be:
the target language to life by relating it to the real
world, they can stimulate interaction between the 1. for groups of students to be given three comics in the
producer of the text and its recipients as well as L2 to look through before deciding which one they
between the recipients, and they can lead to authentic want the class library to subscribe to and then giving
communication by learners who experience the texts. a short presentation to support their recommendation.

I find it quite remarkable that Long does not discuss 2. for the teacher to perform a dramatic reading of a
the potentially positive roles of texts in TBLT and that poem or short story and for the students to then
he gives the impression on p. 305 that texts have no make a video film of it (as I once did in a language
positive role to play in TBLT (even though there are school where the students read and responded to
some texts in his very useful examples of tasks at the poem The Schoolmaster by Yevtushenko before
higher levels in his 2015 book). I have read numerous making a video of their interpretation of it).
dissertations and theses in which students have said
3. for students to read a harrowing text about the extreme
that Long disapproves of using texts in TBLT and
effects of a water shortage and then to design a
therefore the students do not use texts in their often
cheaply-made device for saving water and sell it to an
trivial tasks (usually the spot-the-difference or the
international company in a letter and a presentation.
picture story tasks which they have encountered in
the books and articles they have read on TBLT). As a Here is an example of a unit of ESP materials in which
result the students they are conducting their research a task is driven by a text. This task is unlikely to have
on (and those they subsequently teach) are denied the emerged from an analysis of the needs of non-native
potential stimulus and the vital exposure to language speaking doctors, nurses and medical students who are
in use which texts can provide. the target learners for the unit.

A Proposal for a Text-Driven

Task-Based Approach Time to Listen

To redress the balance I would like to propose and 1. Please get into groups of three.
exemplify a text-driven (not text-based) approach to 2. One of you is a doctor, one is a patient and
task-based teaching and to claim that using texts to one is an observer.
drive tasks in units of material can:
3. If you are the patient you are going to tell
• increase the students’ affective engagement (by, for the doctor what is wrong with you.
example, stimulating them to laugh, to cry, to feel
exhilarated, disturbed, excited, sad, sympathetic or 4. If you are the observer do the task you are
angry). given (the teacher gives the observers the
instruction, ‘Time how long it takes before
• increase the students’ cognitive engagement (by, the doctor interrupts the patient.’)
for example, stimulating them to think in order to
connect the text to their lives, to comprehend the full 5. Listen to what happened when a doctor
significance of the text, to evaluate ideas put forward decided not to interrupt a patient (the
in the text or to solve a problem posed by the text). teacher summarises what is reported in A
time to listen (Barr, 2004), focuses on the
• increase the content value of the unit (by adding problems caused by doctors prematurely
information, ideas and experience to what interrupting patients and especially on the
otherwise might be a shallow experience of the case of the old lady whose cancer was only
target language).

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revealed because the doctor let her talk for 5. Peer monitoring of the task performance by
22 minutes and concludes by reading aloud individuals or groups of students with a view
a quote from the old lady, ‘Oh, don’t worry to offering advice both on the content and the
about all that. I’ve had a good life. But I just expression of the task performance.
wanted you to know – this is the best doctor
visit I’ve ever had. You’re the only one who 6. Comparison with a proficient user of the L2’s
ever listened to me’). performance of the task – preferably focusing on a
particularly salient lexical, structural or pragmatic
6. Read the text ‘A time to listen’ and as feature of the text.
you read it try think of a way of allowing
patients enough time to talk about their 7. Task revision (or performance of a different but
problem without creating long queues of similar task).
patients waiting to see the doctor.
8. Research Task (looking for ‘texts’ outside the classroom
7. Write a letter to your hospital authority which provide further evidence of how language
telling them about your idea. You can do this features investigated in 6 are typically used).
individually, in pairs or in a small group.
For more detail and examples of text-driven approaches
8. Show your letter to another individual, pair see Tomlinson, 2013. Please note:
or group and ask them for suggestions for
1. Not every stage of this framework needs to be used
improvement.
in a unit of material and stages 5-8 can be used in
9. Compare your letter with the one your different sequences (for example, with the research
teacher gives you. task conducted before the task revision).

10.
Revise your letter making use of the 2. The teacher is encouraged to teach responsively in
suggestions from 8 and what you’ve learned stage 4 by providing help and advice when invited.
from the letter you looked at in 9.
Here is another example of a text-driven task-based
unit of material, this time for General English students:

This unit of material follows a flexible procedure for

developing text-driven tasks for the classroom:
1. Listen to your teacher.
1. A readiness activity to activate the learners’
T: ‘Morning class. I was going to read you a
minds in relation to the theme, topic or location
very funny story but Sandy seems to have
of the text and task (e.g. a visualisation activity,
eaten it.
a connecting to previous experience activity, a
prediction activity, a mini-role play). What have I just done?’
2. An experience of a potentially engaging text 2. Think about typical excuses in your culture.
which focuses the students’ minds on the meaning
of the text rather than on the language it uses to 3. Tell the people around you about typical
express the meaning (e.g. a visualisation activity, excuses in your culture.
a continuation of a connection readiness activity,
a checking of predictions activity, an inner speech 4. Listen to your teacher reading a poem about
questioning of the author/speaker) . typical excuses in Myanmar (‘Can you let me
pass the exam please?’ By Tan Bee Tin).
3. A personal response to the experience of the text
which helps the students to deepen and articulate 5. Some of the excuses used by the students
their interpretation and reaction to the text (e.g. in the Myanmar poem are common in UK
drawing what comes to mind when they think back schools too.
to the text, saying what they like/dislike about the Here are some excuses which an English
text, responding to a provocative statement about schoolboy called Tom Gates wrote or gave
the text, summarising the essence of the text for to his teacher for not doing his homework
someone who hasn’t experienced it). or for being late for class.
4. A task driven by the text (e.g. an oral presentation (T shows and reads aloud extracts from p. 46,
of views, a letter to the author/speaker of the text, p. 122, p. 180, p. 181 and p. 236 of: Pichon,
a continuation of the text, a modified use of the (2011) The brilliant world of Tom Gates)
text, the presentation of an invention inspired by
the text, the presentation of a solution to a problem 6. Either write:
posed in the text).

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1. a letter from Tom to his teacher explaining

why he failed all his exams.
References
Barr, D. A. (2004). A time to listen. Annals of Internal
2. 
a letter from yourself to your teacher Medicine 140, p.144.
explaining why you didn’t do your
homework. Long, M. (2015). Second language acquisition and task-based
language teaching. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell.
3. a letter from Tom’s teacher, Mr Fullerman, Mackey, A., Ziegler, N. & Bryfonski, L. (2016). From SLA
to Tom’s parents. research on interaction to TBLT materials. In B. Tomlinson
(Ed.). SLA research and materials development for language
4. Tom’s end of term report. teaching (pp. 103-119). New York: Routledge.
7. Form a group with students who’ve done McCullagh, M. & Wright, R. (2008). Good practice:
the same task and then read what they have Communication skills in English for the medical practitioner.
written. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Owen, G. (1997). Excuses, excuses. In Foster, J. Excuses,
8. Revise your letter or report making use of excuses: Poems about school. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
anything you’ve learned from other students.
Pichon, L., 2011. The brilliant world of Tom Gates. London:
9. Try to find other examples of excuses in Scholastic.
English and bring them to the next English Thomas, M. & Reinders H., (Eds.). 2015. Contemporary task-
class. based language teaching in Asia. London: Bloomsbury.
10. Share your new examples of excuses with Tomlinson, B. (Ed.). (1981). Talking to learn. Port Vila;
your group and then help each other to Government of Vanuatu.
revise what you’ve written in 6. Tomlinson, B. (2013). Developing principled frameworks
for materials development. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), 2013.
11. Here’s poem about another English schoolboy Developing materials for language teaching (2nd edn., pp.
making excuses (Excuses, Excuses by Gareth 95-118). London: Continuum.
Owen). Your teacher will read it to you.
When he/she pauses shout out what you Tomlinson, B. (2015.) TBLT materials and curricula: From
think the next word is. theory to practice. In M. Thomas & H. Reinders (Eds.),
Contemporary task-based language teaching in Asia (pp.
328-340). London: Bloomsbury.
Tomlinson, B. & Masuhara, H. (2018). The complete guide
to the theory and practice of materials development for
Conclusion language learning. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Task-based approaches to language learning are not Van den Branden, K. (2006). Task-based language education:
new. I have been using them since the 1970s and I From theory to practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
even published a collection of tasks written by myself
and a group of teachers (Tomlinson,1981) to be used Brian Tomlinson has worked as a teacher, teacher
in both the classroom and the examinations in primary trainer, curriculum developer,materials developer and
schools in Vanuatu. What I found then and have found university lecturer in nine countries around the world
ever since in classrooms, for example, in Japan, Oman and has given conference presentations, run workshops
and the UK is that using potentially engaging texts to and acted as an educational consultant in over seventy
drive tasks is far more productive than simply setting countries. He has also worked as a kitchen porter, a
students a task. I have seen students bored and off task film extra and a professional football coach. He has
doing spot-the-difference and picture story tasks and published over a hundred articles, chapters and books
I have frequently seen students come alive in English (including fourteen books on materials development
when doing tasks whilst still stimulated by an engaging for language learning). His most recent publications
text. It would be interesting to compare the difference are Tomlinson, B. (2018).Evaluating, adapting and
in attitude and performance of an experimental developing materials for EIL learners. Malang: TEFLIN
group doing a task driven by an engaging text and a and Tomlinson, B. & Masuhara, H. (2018). The
control group doing the same task without the text to complete guide to the theory and practice of materials
stimulate them first. development for language learning. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Brian is currently President of MATSDA, an Honorary

Visiting Professor at the University of Liverpool, a Chair
Professor at Shanghai International Studies University
and a TESOL Professor at Anaheim University.

www.matsda.org/folio.html