Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
It would be an understatement to say that getting high-intermediate ESL (B2 level) students to speak English is easy. They may have the vocabulary and basic grammar skills to form sentences, but without regular speaking practice, they risk getting stuck.
B2 ESL speaking activities are essential for helping these students express the words that are in their hearts and minds—but often refuse to escape their mouths. In this blog post, I’m sharing my favorite B2 ESL speaking activities that actually work—with teens, in real classrooms. If you’re looking for ideas across proficiency levels, you might also enjoy my post on ESL speaking activities for secondary students.
Why B2 Learners Need Targeted Speaking Practice
Simply “talking” in English by reading from a written paper isn’t enough. B2 learners often have the ability to craft semi-beautiful written sentences—but the temptation is to let them just read those sentences aloud and call it speaking practice.
What they truly need is on-the-spot speaking opportunities. That kind of real-time practice gives them just enough challenge—and just enough push—to grow into confident, bilingual communicators.
This real-time practice includes B2 ESL speaking activities that go beyond surface-level chit-chat and help students build fluency with real-world, meaningful topics—especially when they’re part of consistent speaking routines.
B2 students need:
- Support with academic language
- Practice with expressing opinions, problem-solving, storytelling
- Safe risk-taking in speech
Activity Ideas That Actually Work
1. Problem-Solving Prompts
- These types of prompts give B2 level students real-world situations or hypotheticals that they must think critically about and generate a logical response.
- For example: “What would you do if your friend broke your phone?”
- Why it works: These types of questions exercise a student’s critical thinking skills, promotes use of conditionals, modals, and transitions.
This type of prompt is a favorite in my classroom—and one of the 10 categories I include in my B2 Conversation Starter Cards. This type of prompt is a favorite in my classroom—and one of the 10 categories I include in my B2 ESL Conversation Starter Cards.
2. Memory-Based Storytelling
- Students think of real situations that they can recount from their own lives or they can even invent them.
- For example: “Describe a time that you felt angry with a friend.”
- Tip: These are great when paired with sentence frames as some B2 students still have trouble forming past tense phrases.
I find that teens open up more when they can relate personally to the prompt—which is why I built a ‘Memory Lane’ category into my conversation starter card sets.
3. Speed-Dating Style Speaking Circles
- These are perfect for one-on-one practice. Students can rotate and question each other.
- A timer keeps them on topic and sets the expectation.
- These are perfect for warm-ups or Friday fluency days.
- Because students are in a one-on-one situation, it reduces stress and helps build stamina.
If you’re short on time, grab a few cards from your B2 ESL conversation starter deck and let students pick randomly—it keeps things fresh and low-pressure.
4. Roleplay with Real-Life Scenarios
- For our B2 ESL students these speaking activities would include situational skills like asking for help, asking for directions, making complaints, etc.
- These can be student-created or pulled from a prompt bank.
- These are vital for survival English skills that will come in handy in real situations.
In my own classroom, I love pairing these with the problem-solver conversation cards or the social-media prompt themes.
5. Fast-Paced Word Games
Sometimes the best way to break speaking hesitation is through laughter and competition. One of my students’ favorite activities is Word Dash!, my free, ESL-friendly version of the Mexican game ¡Basta!.
Students race to fill categories with words that all start with the same letter. It’s fun, loud, and surprisingly effective for reinforcing vocabulary while also lowering speaking anxiety.
If you’d like to see how I adapt this culturally rooted game for the ESL classroom, check out my full post on ¡Basta! for the ESL Classroom.
Tips to Make B2 Speaking Activities More Effective
- Use sentence stems and question stems. If your students still need support getting started, these free ESL sentence starters for teens work well even at the B2 level.
- Provide students with a word bank that will help them in advance of speaking activities. This will ensure that they have the words necessary to comfortably communicate.
- Set up low-stakes speaking games and informal formats. You should encourage speaking without overly correcting. Nothing shuts down ESL students more than nit-picking their every mistake. Keep it comfortable, many mistakes will be fixed in time and with continued practice and occasional correction.
Conclusion: Give Your B2 Students the Confidence to Speak
B2 students succeed when they are given the opportunity for meaningful discussions and not just scripted “talk.”
If you’re looking for fresh, teen-friendly B2 ESL speaking activities, my B2 ESL Conversation Starter Cards might be just the thing. With 80 prompts across 10 categories, they’re designed to do exactly what this post is about: actually get teens talking.
If you’re also looking for ways to track speaking growth, here’s how I assess pronunciation without it feeling babyish.
👉 Check out the B2 ESL Conversation Starter Cards here
You can also grab my FREE A1 level “Would You Rather…” card set to try with your newcomers.
