Customer service role plays(PDF)

FAQ Mini-Role Plays

(Practicing Present Simple)

Click here for FAQ mini-role plays speaking activity PDF file

INTRO: This role play is a suitable activity for:

Elementary students- for present simple requests: “Where is..?”

“Could I ?” “How much?” etc.

Pre-Intermediate students- indirect requests with verb “to be”: “Do

you know where it is?” and “to do”: “Could you tell me how much it costs?”

Intermediate students- requests using “if” and gerunds: “Is it Ok

if?” “Would you mind if?” “Would it be OK if..?” “I wonder if I could? Would you mind telling me if? “I was wondering if..?”

STEP 1

Write the words Airline, Fair, Hospital, Ticket Counter, University, Mall, & Library in a list down the board. Ask the students to give a (local if possible) name to each place. For example:

Airline……Japan Airlines

University…….Bangkok University

Ticket Counter……..Skytrain Ticket Counter etc.

STEP 2

Select a student and ask them to choose one location and tell them they work at the the information counter and that you (the teacher) are a customer requesting information. Suppose they choose the Skytrain Ticket Counter and you are teaching an elementary class you might ask:

“When does the next train to downtown leave?”

“How much does a ticket cost?”

“Is there a train at 1AM?

Can I buy a drink on the platform?”

and so on..

Model a role play with the student.

STEP 3

Ask pairs of students to select one location. Cross out the locations on the board as They are selected. Tell the students to write down 5 requests they might at ask at the information counter of their chosen location. Check their questions as they write.

STEP 4

Finally, for the role play, ask one student from each pair to stand up with the questions. Tell them to walk around the room and talk to the seated students. For example:

STUDENT A (standing): You are the Bangkok University Information Assistant

STUDENT B (seated): OK.

STUDENT A (standing): Excuse me, when does the next term begin?

STUDENT B (seated): : It begins on….

STUDENT A (standing): And can I register late?

STUDENT B (seated):Well,..

STEP 5

After the standing students have role played with a number of students tell them to sit down and get the sitting students to stand and be the customers.