Warmer: “Spot the Difference – Quick Fire” Procedure: Show two contrasting photos on the projector (e.g., one of a busy city street vs. a quiet countryside, or two people doing different activities). Ask students: “What’s the first thing you notice in each photo?” “How are they similar?” “How are they different?” Write a few of their answers on the board, highlighting useful comparison phrases (e.g., “In contrast…”, “Whereas…”, “Both photos show…”). Encourage quick, spontaneous responses—keep the pace fast so everyone feels involved. Wrap up by saying: “Today we’ll learn how to compare photos more effectively, using useful language that will help you in speaking exams and real conversations.” Useful Language to Elicit During Warmer “In the first photo…” / “In the second photo…” “They are similar because…” “The main difference is that…” “Unlike the first photo…” “It looks like…” This warmer is short, interactive, and sets the exam-style context immediately while lowering the affective filter for shy students. It also primes them to use the useful language handout later in the lesson.

To expose students to a model of comparing photos through both reading and listening, so they understand the type of language and structure expected in their own production. Procedure Listening Model (3–4 minutes) Project two contrasting photos (e.g., a crowded city street vs. a quiet countryside). Play or read aloud a short recording/script of a student comparing the two photos using useful language. Example script (teacher reads aloud): “In the first photo, there are lots of people walking in a busy street, whereas in the second photo, there are only a few people enjoying the countryside. Both photos show people outdoors, but the atmosphere is very different. The first photo looks stressful, while the second one seems peaceful. Personally, I would prefer to be in the countryside because it looks more relaxing.” Ask students to listen carefully and note down any phrases they hear that compare or contrast the photos. Reading Model (3–4 minutes) Hand out a short written text (same comparison as above, slightly adapted). Students read silently, then underline or highlight useful phrases (e.g., “whereas”, “both photos show”, “the main difference is”). Pair check: Students compare what they highlighted with a partner. Language Focus (2 minutes) On the board, write a list of the useful phrases from the listening and reading. Categorize them into: Starting: “In the first photo…” Similarities: “Both photos show…” Differences: “Whereas…” / “Unlike…” Speculating: “It looks like…” Opinion: “I would prefer…” Briefly drill pronunciation of linking words (whereas, unlike, in contrast) to prepare for speaking tasks. Teacher Notes Keep the listening short and natural—students should hear fluent connected speech. Reading text should mirror the listening so students see the same structure in writing. Encourage shy students by asking them to highlight at least one phrase they liked. Boys in the front right can be kept engaged by timing the highlighting task as a quick competition. Lam can be asked to identify the most formal phrase and explain why it’s useful for exams. By the end of this stage, students will have seen and heard a clear model of photo comparison, and they’ll have a bank of useful phrases ready for the production tasks that follow.

To highlight, clarify, and practice the key phrases students should use when comparing photos, ensuring they are confident before moving into freer production. Procedure Board Work & Categorization (3 minutes) Write five headings on the board: Starting Similarities Differences Speculating Opinion Under each heading, add 2–3 useful phrases. Example: Starting: “In the first photo…”, “In the second photo…” Similarities: “Both photos show…”, “They are similar because…” Differences: “The main difference is…”, “Whereas…” Speculating: “It looks like…”, “They might be…” Opinion: “I would prefer…”, “I think the second photo looks more…” Clarification & Drilling (3 minutes) Go through each category briefly, explaining meaning and usage. Model pronunciation of linking words (whereas, unlike, in contrast). Ask students to repeat chorally, then individually. Highlight stress and intonation (e.g., contrastive stress in “In the first photo… whereas in the second…”). Controlled Practice (2–3 minutes) Show two simple photos (e.g., a classroom vs. a park). Ask students to use one phrase from each category to compare them. Example prompt: “Start with In the first photo…” “Now add a similarity with Both photos show…” “Give me a difference using Whereas…” Encourage shy students by giving them sentence starters. Keep boys engaged by turning it into a quick-fire challenge: “Who can give me a difference in 10 seconds?” Teacher Notes Keep the pace brisk—this is about exposure and confidence, not deep analysis. Praise correct use of phrases immediately. If Lam needs extra focus, ask him to write down one phrase from each category and share with the class. By the end of this stage, students will have a clear bank of useful language for comparing photos, practiced pronunciation, and tried out the structures in a safe, guided way.

To provide students with extended opportunities to practise comparing photos using the target language, both in pairs and in small groups, with teacher monitoring and feedback. Task 1: Pair Work – Compare Two Photos (8 minutes) Procedure: Hand out two contrasting photos to each pair (e.g., one of a busy office vs. one of a relaxed home setting). Students take turns describing and comparing the photos using the Useful Language handout. Student A starts with “In the first photo…” and continues with similarities and differences. Student B adds speculations and opinions. Encourage them to use at least one phrase from each category (Starting, Similarities, Differences, Speculating, Opinion). Monitor pairs, noting good use of language and common errors. After 4 minutes, swap photos with another pair and repeat with new images. Task 2: Group Work – Mini Speaking Exam Practice (6 minutes) Procedure: Put students into groups of three. Give each group a set of two exam-style photos (from Gold Experience B2, Unit 1). One student acts as the “exam candidate” and compares the photos for 1–2 minutes. The other two students act as “examiners” and ask follow-up questions: “Which situation would you prefer?” “Why do you think people enjoy this activity?” Rotate roles so each student has a chance to be the candidate. Teacher monitors and provides support if students get stuck. Task 3: Whole-Class Challenge – Quick Fire Comparisons (4–6 minutes) Procedure: Project two photos on the board. Call on individual students to give one sentence comparing them using a useful phrase. Example: “Unlike the first photo, the second one shows people relaxing.” Keep the pace fast—each student contributes one sentence, then pass to the next. Boys in the front right can be kept engaged by turning this into a competition: Award points for correct use of phrases. Encourage shy students by giving them sentence starters. Wrap up with a short reflection: “Which phrases did you find most useful today?” Teacher Notes Ensure shy students are paired with active ones for support. Keep Lam engaged by giving him a role as “language monitor” (he listens for useful phrases and notes them down). Praise effort and creativity, not just accuracy. Correct errors after the activity, not during, to maintain fluency. By the end of this stage, students will have practised comparing photos in pairs, groups, and whole-class settings, reinforcing the useful language and preparing them for exam-style speaking tasks.

To provide constructive feedback on students’ production, highlight successful use of useful language, and correct common errors without discouraging fluency. Procedure Positive Feedback First (2–3 minutes) Highlight examples of good performance you noted during monitoring. Use specific praise: “I liked how Maria used ‘Whereas…’ to contrast the two photos.” “The boys in the front right gave very clear opinions with ‘I would prefer…’.” Write 2–3 strong sentences from students on the board as models. Error Highlighting (3–4 minutes) Write 3–4 common errors on the board anonymously (no names). Example: ❌ “In the photo one…” → ✅ “In the first photo…” ❌ “Both photo show…” → ✅ “Both photos show…” ❌ “She look like happy.” → ✅ “She looks happy.” Ask students to correct the sentences together. Encourage peer correction before teacher correction. Clarification & Mini-Drill (2–3 minutes) Focus on one or two key problem areas (e.g., singular/plural forms, verb agreement, connectors like whereas/unlike). Quick oral drill: Teacher says: “Photo one busy, photo two quiet.” Students respond: “In the first photo it looks busy, whereas in the second photo it looks quiet.” This reinforces accuracy while keeping fluency. Reflection & Wrap-Up (1–2 minutes) Ask: “Which phrase did you find most useful today?” Encourage shy students to share one phrase they used successfully. Remind the class: “In your exam, the key is to use these linking phrases naturally to compare and give opinions.” Teacher Notes Always balance correction with encouragement. Keep corrections short and clear—avoid long grammar explanations. Praise effort from shy students to build confidence. Keep boys engaged by turning correction into a quick challenge: “Who can fix this sentence fastest?” Lam can be asked to identify one corrected sentence and explain why it’s better. By the end of this stage, students will leave with a clear sense of what they did well, what to improve, and how to apply the useful language more accurately in future speaking tasks.