Writing: Quiz Night Experience

Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.

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How to use this lesson

For teachers

Run this 30-minute lesson step by step, and review the short vocabulary answers with the class before students write.

Check that students use past time forms and simple questions with who or what in their final message.

For learners

First, complete the four quick word tasks to practise ten key quiz words.

Next, use the starter frame and checklist to write your own message to a friend.

Module 1

Vocabulary & Practice

Warm up with 10 words you need for talking about quiz games.

round category buzzer riddle winner competition judge knowledge guess fact

(a) Word order

Put the words in the right order to make a complete sentence.

Item 1: Put these words in order:

tested / quiz / general / our / The / knowledge

____ (Type the complete sentence here...)

Item 2: Put these words in order:

fast / pressed / team / the / Our / buzzer

____ (Type the complete sentence here...)

Item 3: Put these words in order:

that / solved / clever / Liam / riddle

____ (Type the complete sentence here...)

Item 4: Put these words in order:

checked / The / answers / every / judge / carefully

____ (Type the complete sentence here...)

(b) Fill in the blanks with a word bank

Choose one word from the box for each sentence.

buzzers • round • knowledge • riddle • competition

1. Each team had two electronic ______ on their table to ring in. ____

2. The second ______ was about world flags and capital cities. ____

3. Maria impressed everyone with her deep ______ of science. ____

4. The presenter gave us a tricky word ______ to figure out. ____

5. There was lively ______ between the four neighbourhood groups. ____

(c) Choose the correct word

Pick the best word to finish each sentence.

1. An impartial ______ made sure every team followed the rules.

____ a. judge ____ b. player ____ c. spectator

2. It is better to answer with clear ______ rather than wild guesses.

____ a. jokes ____ b. facts ____ c. buzzers

3. My favourite ______ was European history because I read books about it.

____ a. category ____ b. trophy ____ c. buzzer

4. When the points were counted, David was named the overall ______.

____ a. riddle ____ b. judge ____ c. winner

(d) Match question to answer

Match each question from the night with the correct explanation.

Question asked

Tie-break

No phones

Two points

1. How much is a correct reply worth?

____ Tie-break ____ No phones ____ Two points

2. What happens if two teams finish with the same score?

____ Tie-break ____ No phones ____ Two points

3. Are players allowed to search the internet during a round?

____ Tie-break ____ No phones ____ Two points

Module 2

Writing Task

Write a message to your friend about the quiz night.

Your writing mission

"Write a message to a friend who could not come to your quiz night. Tell your friend who came, what the questions were about and who won. Ask your friend two questions about next week."

Write 100-120 words.

Starter frame (use these sentence openers in order)

• Hi ...,
• You missed a great night! ...
• The categories were ...
• The winner was ...
• Who ...?
• What ...?
• See you soon

Checklist before you submit

____ the day of the quiz ____ two people who came ____ two kinds of questions ____ who won ____ two questions to your friend with who or what ____ a friendly ending

Your message: ____ (Write your message here using the sentence starters...)

1. Task Achievement

2. Coherence & Cohesion

3. Lexical Resource

4. Grammatical Range

Module 3

Model Answer

A model message

Hi Sam,

You missed a great night! On Thursday evening, Mark and Elena came along to our weekly quiz night at the Red Lion hall. The categories were world geography and pop music from the nineties, and we answered thirty challenging questions. Everyone had a tough time with the music round, but our group stayed calm and confident. The hall was packed with teams, and after two intense hours, the winner was our team! We proudly took the trophy home. Who wants to come along with us next Thursday? What time should we meet at the entrance so we can save a large table? Can we count you in?

See you soon,
Leo

Word count: 113 words

Why this works

"You missed a great night!"

A warm and friendly way to tell someone that an event was enjoyable and exciting.

"had a tough time with"

Everyday words that show a specific part of the quiz was difficult or challenging.

"packed with teams"

A natural description meaning the venue was full of people playing the game.

"took the trophy home"

A lively phrase meaning our team won first place in the competition.

"count you in"

A casual question asking a friend if they will join the group activity next time.

How to use this lesson

Vocabulary & Practice

(a) Word order

(b) Fill in the blanks with a word bank

(c) Choose the correct word

(d) Match question to answer

Writing Task

Model Answer

Why this works

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