At the Clothes Shop

Objective & content

By the end, A2 students can buy an item of clothing: ask for a size and colour, try it on, and pay. This resource is a pair speaking activity: two self-contained cut-out role cards — a customer (Card A) and a shop assistant (Card B) — each carrying only the phrases that role needs, plus [S]/[A] variants. Prints 5 sets per A4 page.

Pedagogical guide

Roleplay cards work because each student only sees their own role, keeping the exchange a genuine information gap. This card set targets shopping functional language (have you got…?, sizes, colours, prices) and pairs naturally with a clothes or colours lesson. Use it as freer practice once students recognise clothing items, colours, and small numbers.

Suggested procedure

1. (2 min) Distribute one Card A and one Card B per pair; model one round with a confident student.
2. (1 min) Set the goal: Card A buys a T-shirt (colour, size, try-on, pay); Card B helps from the stock.
3. (8–10 min) Pairs run the exchange, then swap roles and repeat.
4. (2 min) Quick whole-class check: did students ask for size/colour, try on, and pay?

Adaptations

• [S] Give the customer the colour and size on the card; ask about the T-shirt only.
• [A] Cover the "You can say" lines and improvise; use the complication (no blue in the customer's size — offer red or a different size); bonus: swap roles and buy a second item.

Materials & prerequisites

Print the cards sheet (A4, 5 sets per sheet) and cut into cards; one set per pair. Assumes basic clothes and colour vocabulary and numbers.

Curriculum alignment

Maps to Cycle 3 "child and close environment" (FR 6e) — everyday transactions in a familiar setting.