These first lines of an language learning activity are also know as the rubric, but I prefer to call them instuctions. You will find them in coursebooks, student-facing slide decks, workbooks, and self-paced learning assignments. Regardless of where you find them, writing effective instructions for ELT materials is a skill that requires clarity, simplicity, relevance, and consistency. We need to make sure that instructions are not an obstacle to learning but a guiding force to help students complete tasks efficiently without confusion. Poorly written instructions tend to increase cognitive load and often lead to frustration, whereas well-crafted ones allow learners to focus on the task itself. This is also true of the manner in which trainers explain tasks to learners.
Clarity
Instructions should be easy to understand and without unnecessary ambiguity. Learners should immediately know what they need to do without having to decipher some secret code. A good rule of thumb is to limit each sentence to about seven words (plus or minus two) and one action verb. In some cases, two very simple actions can be joined with the conjunction “and” to form a slightly longer sentence. For example:
Listen to a conversation and choose the correct answers.✅
If the sentence starts to become too long, split it and use a simple sequencing word like “then” to create a second step. For instance:
Listen to a conversation at an airport check-in desk. Then choose the correct answers. ✅
It is a good idea to use a limited range of action verbs such as look, choose, describe, fill, match, complete, connect, read, write, and listen. These words are standardized and applied across various activities and levels.
One common mistake is using overly long and convoluted instructions. Consider the following example:
You are going to listen to a funny conversation between two businessmen standing in a long queue at the airport check-in area, and you will probably notice they are talking about their business trips. OK, so then you need to read some questions. Then, you are going to have to figure out the right answers from the audio and write them down in your notes.” ❌
This instruction is too long, contains unnecessary details, and uses modal verbs like going to and probably that introduce uncertainty. Instead, a clearer version would be:
Listen to the conversation and answer the questions” ✅
If you wish to add context, then include that in a separate sentence. For example:
Two businessmen meet at an airport check-in area. Listen to their conversation and answer the questions” ✅
This revision is to the point, clearly broken into two separate steps that show the difference between context and the rubric clearly.
Another common mistake is making instructions vague or overly complex:
Choose the appropriate terms or expressions that are the most applicable based on an analysis of the context in which the sentences will be incorporated, taking into consideration the desired clarity and accuracy in communicating the intended message. The correct and accurate sentences should be incorporated into the text. ❌
This sentence is difficult to process, and students may not even be sure what they are supposed to do after several readings. It boggles the mind! A much clearer and direct version is:
Choose the correct words to complete the sentences. ✅
The golden rule is that a good instruction should have no more words than necessary and should make the task immediately obvious without too much effort.
Simplicity
Instructions should not teach language but tell learners how to complete a task in the simplist way possible. When instructions are unnecessarily complex, they distract from the activity itself. The simplest way to give instructions is to use imperatives and keep grammar minimal.
Read the article and answer the questions. ✅
If additional contextual information is needed, it should be given in a separate sentence rather than cluttering the main instruction. Compare these:
Listen to a conversation with a customer who is booking a hotel room on the telephone and complete the gaps.❌
Listen to the conversation and complete the gaps. The dialogue is about a customer booking a hotel room on the telephone. ✅
Separating context from the instruction makes it easier to process. If an instruction becomes too long, consider whether the activity itself needs simplifying rather than trying to condense too much into one stage of an activity. If you cannot simplify a complex instruction, then there something clearly wrong with the exercise.
Relevance
Instructions should be stripped of anything unnecessary. Any extra words, weasel words, redundant details, or complex structures that do not contribute to understanding should be removed.
Avoid instructions that are overly wordy or formal. Instead ofwriting something like:
Prior to beginning the exercise, carefully examine the sentences provided, taking care to analyze their meaning before selecting the appropriate words from the list.❌
Simply write:
Read the sentences. Choose the correct words from the list.✅
There is no need to overexplain. Learners benefit from instructions that get straight to the point, leaving them more cognitive space to focus on the actual task. Each word in an instruction limits the cognitive capacity of the learner to process the task.
Consistency
Once a wording pattern is established for a certain type of instruction, it should be used consistently throughout a course. Learners build familiarity with instructions, which makes them easier to process over time. If the phrasing changes unpredictably, it can create confusion.
For example, if an activity type consistently uses the instruction:
Put the words in the correct order to make sentences.
It should not suddenly be rewritten as, even if that appears quite a valid choice:
Rearrange the words into sentences.
While both are grammatically correct, consistency helps learners focus on the task instead of adjusting to different ways of saying the same thing.
Standardizing action verbs also helps maintain clarity. If an activity consistently uses match to describe pairing items together, it should not switch between connect, link, or pair up without reason.
Additionally, instructions should always be spatially linked to their corresponding activity. If an instruction appears far from the task it relates to, it increases cognitive load as learners must locate and process both separately.
Final Thoughts
Clear and well-structured instructions are an essential part of ELT materials. They should be concise, simple, relevant, and consistent. Well-written instructions allow both trainers and learners to focus on the task itself without unnecessary confusion.
Image by This_is_Engineering from Pixabay
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