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Overview of 5 Advanced (B2–C1) ESL Speaking Activities for Adult Learners

For learners who are already comfortable in English but need to push into more sophisticated registers. These are the activities that show up in IELTS Speaking Band 7+ preparation, Cambridge C1 Advanced, and the high end of business English.

Bonus 1. The Expert Witness

Level: C1 · Time: 45 min · Prep: A short technical article (anything: AI, biology, finance, architecture)

How it works: One learner is an expert in a topic. Three are journalists. The expert has 10 minutes to read the article. The journalists have 10 minutes to read an alternative article. The journalists then interview the expert for 15 minutes, pushing back on claims.

The lesson: Advanced hedging (to a certain extent, it's worth noting, while that's true in principle), agreeing and disagreeing, and the specific grammar of conceding a point then redirecting.

Bonus 2. The Lecture

Level: B2+ · Time: 30 min · Prep: None

How it works: One learner gives a 5-minute lecture on a topic of their choice (with 24 hours' notice to prepare). The rest of the class takes notes and then asks 5 minutes of questions. The lecturer cannot use notes.

The lesson: Sustained monologue, organizing ideas, and handling questions — the output skills that B2+ learners are often weakest at, despite their strong grammar.

Bonus 3. The Pitch

Level: B2+ · Time: 45 min · Prep: A short brief (design a new product for university students)

How it works: Pairs or groups of 3 are a startup. They have 25 minutes to design a product and a 5-minute pitch. The class plays the role of investors. After each pitch, the investors ask tough questions for 10 minutes.

The lesson: The grammar of business English — we believe, our market is, we project, our competitive advantage is, we anticipate. This is the language of business meetings.

Bonus 4. The Negotiation

Level: C1 · Time: 50 min · Prep: A scenario (a freelancer negotiating with a client, two companies in a deal)

How it works: Pairs. Each side has a negotiation position with clear constraints (I can't go below $X, but I can offer Y instead). They have 20 minutes to negotiate, with the goal of reaching a deal.

The lesson: Conditionals, concession (while I understand, I appreciate that, given that, although I see your point), and the specific skills of anchoring high, making concessions, walking away.

Bonus 5. The Podcast

Level: C1 · Time: 60 min · Prep: A topic and three articles

How it works: Groups of 3 record a 15-minute podcast episode on a topic. They have 25 minutes to plan, 15 minutes to record, and 20 minutes to listen back and discuss what they would change.

The lesson: Spoken academic English, turn-taking, and the specific skill of listening to your own English and identifying improvement targets.
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5 Advanced (B2–C1) ESL Speaking Activities for Adult Learners