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B1 Speaking & Budgeting Game

BUDGET CHALLENGE 💷

Unit: Money & Spending • 25 Minutes Classroom Simulation

Target Grammar:

will • be going to • present continuous

📋 1. RULES OF THE GAME

Teacher & Student Directives

Teacher Box Facilitation

Divide students into small teams of 3 to 4 players.
Distribute one Money Card randomly to each team.
Set a strict 25-minute countdown timer on the screen.
Award points based on grammar accuracy, unit vocabulary, and justification.
Cross-check common oral errors using the Teacher Key below.

Student Box Team Goal

Spend your money wisely or save remaining cash without exceeding your card limit.
Select items from the Price List balancing essential needs vs wants.
Draft 6 pitch sentences using will, going to, or present continuous.
Deliver a sharp 1-minute budget pitch to convince the whole class.
Vote for the most financially responsible team to earn bonus points.

⏱️ 2. TIMED GAME PLAN (25 MINUTES TOTAL)

Pacing Guide

Step 1

Draw your Money Card & assign team roles.

Step 2

Calculate expenses & balance needs vs wants.

Step 3

Write 6 presentation sentences with reasons.

Step 4

Pitch your budget plan in 60 seconds per team.

Step 5

Vote for the smartest budget & crown the winner.

💷 3. MONEY CARDS (DRAW ONE PER TEAM)

Starting Capital

CARD 01 Tight Budget

💷

£15

Weekly Allowance

Must strictly prioritize essential needs.

CARD 02 Average

💷

£30

Standard Allowance

Room for 1 small leisure treat if budgeted well.

CARD 03 Generous

💷

£50

Weekly Income

Can afford entertainment while saving cash.

CARD 04 Luxury Week

💷

£75

Bonus Income

Big spending power: balance wants and debt prevention.

🛒 4. OFFICIAL PRICE LIST (20 CATALOG ITEMS)

Needs vs Wants

Item & Category	Cost	Classification
🥪 Sandwich & Drink	£4.00	Need
📱 Mobile Phone Credit	£10.00	Need
🚌 Weekly Bus Pass	£12.00	Need
📓 School Notebooks	£3.00	Need
🧤 Winter Gloves	£8.00	Need
🍲 Canteen Lunch Meal	£5.00	Need
🪥 Toothpaste & Soap	£3.00	Need
💧 Reusable Water Bottle	£2.00	Need
🎬 Cinema Ticket	£9.00	Want
🎮 Video Game	£25.00	Want

Item & Category	Cost	Classification
👕 Designer T-shirt	£35.00	Want
🧋 Bubble Tea	£4.00	Want
🎟️ Live Concert Ticket	£40.00	Want
🍕 Pizza with Friends	£11.00	Want
📚 Graphic Comic Book	£6.00	Want
🎧 Bluetooth Earbuds	£20.00	Want
🛹 Skatepark Day Pass	£7.00	Want
🍫 Chocolate Snack Bar	£1.50	Want
📖 Bestseller Novel	£8.00	Want
🍿 Cinema Butter Popcorn	£4.50	Want

🏆 5. GAME SCORING MATRIX

Points Breakdown

+1 pt

Grammar Accuracy

Each sentence correctly applying will, be going to, or present continuous.

+1 pt

Unit Vocabulary

Each proper use of target words: allowance, budget, afford, expense, save, bargain, discount, debt.

+3 pts

Class Smart Budget Vote

Awarded to the team voted as having the most realistic and financially balanced plan.

💬 6. REQUIRED SENTENCE STARTERS (6 PITCH ITEMS)

Speaking Frames

Every team pitch must include these 6 structures:

Starter 1

"We have a weekly allowance of [amount] from our card..."

Starter 2

"First, we are going to buy [item] because we can't afford to..."

Starter 3

"We are meeting our friends on Friday, so we are spending [amount] on..."

Starter 4

"This item is an essential expense, so we will purchase..."

Starter 5

"We found a great bargain on [item], which helps us save [cash]..."

Starter 6

"We aren't buying [want item] because we want to stay out of debt."

🔑 7. TEACHER KEY & COMMON MISTAKES

Assessment Reference

Example Realistic Plans:

Card 1 (£15) Model

• Expenses: Bus pass (£12) + Reusable water bottle (£2) = £14.
• Cash remaining: £1.00 saved.
• Rationale: "We are going to buy a bus pass because transport is our biggest expense. We can't afford cinema or video games this week."

Card 3 (£50) Model

• Expenses: Bus pass (£12) + Mobile phone credit (£10) + Pizza with friends (£11) + Cinema ticket (£9) = £42.
• Cash remaining: £8.00 saved.
• Rationale: "We are having pizza with friends on Saturday, but we will save £8 in cash to avoid any future debt."

⚠️ Common Oral Grammar Errors to Monitor:

"I will going to buy a ticket."

✅ "I am going to buy a ticket." / "I will buy..."

"We spending £10 next week."

✅ "We are spending £10..." (Missing auxiliary 'are')

"We don't can afford that game."

✅ "We can't afford that game."

"We will to save some cash."

✅ "We will save some cash." (Bare infinitive)

🔀 8. DIFFERENTIATION & VARIATIONS

Adaptability

Level 1: Easy

Provide pre-filled spending calculation sheets; students simply select quantities and read prompts.

Level 2: Medium

Mandatory Savings Rule: Teams must save at least 20% of their total cash for the following week.

Level 3: Hard

Unexpected Expense: Drop an emergency event card halfway through (e.g., lost bus pass: -£12 or fine -£5).

Fast Groups

Invent a new discount item (a 50% bargain) and negotiate to resell it to another struggling group.

❓ 9. CLOSING CLASS REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Debrief

1. Which group managed to save the most cash without sacrificing their essential needs?

2. Was it harder to agree on 'needs' or 'wants' inside your team?

3. When presenting budget choices, what is the key grammar difference between 'will' and 'be going to'?

Class activity: Budget Challenge (Money and Spending)

BUDGET CHALLENGE 💷

📋 1. RULES OF THE GAME

⏱️ 2. TIMED GAME PLAN (25 MINUTES TOTAL)

💷 3. MONEY CARDS (DRAW ONE PER TEAM)

🛒 4. OFFICIAL PRICE LIST (20 CATALOG ITEMS)

🏆 5. GAME SCORING MATRIX

Grammar Accuracy

Unit Vocabulary

Class Smart Budget Vote

💬 6. REQUIRED SENTENCE STARTERS (6 PITCH ITEMS)

🔑 7. TEACHER KEY & COMMON MISTAKES

Example Realistic Plans:

⚠️ Common Oral Grammar Errors to Monitor:

🔀 8. DIFFERENTIATION & VARIATIONS

❓ 9. CLOSING CLASS REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Related lessons

IELTS Speaking: Money and Spending

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Vocabulary & Pronunciation: Money and Spending

IELTS Writing Task 1: Money and Spending

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