The document defines and contrasts 'tasks' and 'exercises' in language teaching. Tasks are communicative activities that encourage free use of language and focus on meaningful content, while exercises are controlled, focused on specific language elements, and often lack real-life context. The document provides examples of each to illustrate their differences.

1. Name :- Pritiba B. Gohil
Roll No. :- 21
Course No. 12 – A :- English Language Teaching – 1
Presentation Topic :- What is the difference between Task And
Exercise ?
Enrolment No :- PG 14101016
M.A. English Semester - 3
Batch Year :- 2014 - 2016
Submitted to :-
Department of English
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

2. What is Task ?
• Definition :-
• The smallest identifiable and essential piece of
a job that serves as a unit of work, and as
a means of differentiating between the
various components of a project.
• A piece of work to be done or undertaken.

4. A task is a communicative act that does not usually have a restrictive focus on a
single grammatical structure and has a non-linguistic outcome.
Tasks are free. Students are given free will to use language for
communicative purposes.
Focus on multiple skills rather than on one.
Tasks are used in context.
Tasks are communicative and usually authentic.
Tasks are meaningful and focus is on content.
Correction of tasks is delayed and is done through observation and awareness raising.

5. Example of a Task
• Pedagogical tasks simulate real-life tasks.
• Planning a party. Learners will be asked to do the
following:
–agree on what they need for the preparation,
–choose the place where the party will be held,
–prepare for the party,
–write invitation letters…

6. What is Exercise ?
• An exercise usually has a restrictive focus on a single
language element, and has a linguistic outcome.
• A language exercise is guided and controlled by the
teacher.
• An exercise usually has a restrictive focus on a single
language element, and has a linguistic outcome.
• The focus is usually on a single skill.
• There is no reference to the context.
• A language exercise is not communicative and usually
not authentic.
• It is not meaningful and the focus is on form rather than
on content.
• Correction is usually done immediately.

8. Examples of Exercises :-
• Example of a Language exercise :-
• Fill in the blanks with the simple past form of
these verbs: write, go, have, study, buy.
–Yesterday, Nancy______to school and
______English.
–Last week, Leila________ an interesting book
about the history of the United States.
–We______a delicious breakfast this morning.
–She _______ an email to her pen pal last night.