In task-based lessons learners first use whatever language they have to reach an outcome, then study the
language they needed. scripts/task_check.py tests the task against Ellis's four criteria and the lesson against
the Willis cycle.
Trigger Conditions
Activate this skill when the user:
- Wants a task-based or TBL lesson, or a real-world task for adults or ESP learners
- Asks "is this a task or an exercise?"
- Wants to turn a coursebook exercise into a communicative task
- Has a fluent but inaccurate class, or a class that does not speak in "discussions"
Other shapes: ppp-lesson-structure-planner. Full plan: language-lesson-plan-builder. Task ideas: communicative-activity-generator.
Workflow
1. GOAL -> what learners will produce: decision, list, plan, solution, product
2. TYPE -> listing / ordering / comparing / problem solving / sharing / creative (references/task-types.md)
3. GAP -> information, opinion or reasoning; who holds what
4. PRE-TASK -> topic, topic vocabulary, model recording, outcome stated (no grammar pre-teaching)
5. CYCLE -> task (time limit) -> planning -> report
6. FOCUS -> analysis of a model/transcript + practice + errors from the task
7. CHECK -> python scripts/task_check.py tbl.json
8. REPEAT -> optional task repetition with new partnersTask or exercise?
| Criterion | Task | Exercise |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning focus | Agree on a class trip | Make five sentences with going to |
| Gap | Each has half the timetable | Everyone has the same text |
| Own resources | Any language | The structure on the board |
| Outcome | A plan, a ranking, a decision | A completed worksheet |
Framework detail, timings, focus-on-form techniques, complexity factors and common faults: willis-framework.md.
Review Codes (task_check.py)
| Code | Severity | Problem |
|---|---|---|
| TB001 | high | Instructions prescribe a structure: an exercise, not a task |
| TB002 | high | No information, opinion or reasoning gap |
| TB003 | high | No non-linguistic outcome |
| TB004 | medium | Pre-task teaches the target structure |
| TB005 | medium | Willis stage missing |
| TB006 | medium | Language focus before the task |
| TB007 | low | No planning time or task repetition |
| TB008 | low | Stage without a time limit |
Output Format
Deliver: task goal and outcome, task type and gap, materials (role cards, split information), instructions with
ICQs, staged plan (pre-task, task, planning, report, language focus) with times and teacher roles, likely
language for the language focus, and a complexity adjustment for stronger and weaker groups. Then the
task_check.py result.
Scripts
python scripts/task_check.py tbl.jsonKeys: title, instructions, gap, outcome, stages (name, minutes, procedure). Prints the Ellis criteria and the stage sequence. Exit codes: 0 no high findings, 1 high findings, 2 read or JSON error.
Additional Resources
| File | Content |
|---|---|
| willis-framework.md | Ellis criteria, Willis cycle stage by stage, focus on form, task complexity, common faults |
| task-types.md | Six task types with A1-C1 examples, outcomes and likely language; real-world vs pedagogic; instructions; converting exercises |
academic-english-eap-course-planner
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adult-literacy-esl-lesson-builder
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authentic-material-lesson-adapter
Turn authentic material (news articles, podcasts, videos, songs, menus, timetables, adverts, social media posts, forms, infographics) into language lessons by grading the task rather than the text. Selects texts for interest, relevance, exploitability, coverage, cultural load and rights; finds the 4-6 words to pre-teach, words to gloss on the page and words learners can ignore, plus names and cultural references to explain, with reading time by level; and builds a lesson shape (lead-in, pre-teach, gist or scanning, graded detail task, language focus on chunks and register, response) with task ideas per material type and level from A1 to C1. Covers copyright, fair dealing and fair use, Creative Commons and attribution.
can-do-statement-writer
Write and review can-do statements for language courses, units, lessons and learner self-assessment, CEFR or NCSSFL-ACTFL style: action (observable verb) + text or situation + level-specific conditions, learner ('I can') and descriptor ('Can') versions, progressions of one activity from A1 to C1, and coverage of reception, production, interaction and mediation. Includes a verb bank by mode and level and condition and text-type banks. Lints statements for teacher-centred phrasing, knowledge instead of use (learn, know, understand the passive), missing context, two skills in one statement, vague quality words, grammar items as outcomes, overlong statements and missing modes in a set.
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Build language course syllabuses aligned to the CEFR (A1-C2, plus levels, Companion Volume 2020): entry and exit levels, guided learning hours and course length (with an L1-distance adjustment), syllabus type (topic, functional-notional, task-based, skills-based, multi-strand), unit-by-unit can-do outcomes, grammar from a core inventory by level, vocabulary, functions, pronunciation, balance of reception, production, interaction and mediation, recycling and assessment points. Checks a syllabus for units without can-do statements, core grammar for the level not covered, items above the course level, skills missing from most units and units with no vocabulary or functions.