Task Cycle
The three-phase instructional framework for Task-Based Language Teaching proposed by Jane Willis in A Framework for Task-Based Learning (1996, Longman). The framework sequences a lesson through pre-task, task cycle, and language focus, designed to create optimal conditions for language acquisition by prioritising meaning before form.
The Three Phases
1. Pre-Task
The teacher introduces the topic and the task. Activities at this stage:
- Activate schemata and relevant vocabulary
- Explore the topic through brainstorming, visuals, or a brief recording of others doing a similar task
- Ensure learners understand the task requirements
- May include exposure to useful language (but not pre-teaching target structures for practice)
Time is deliberately kept short — the goal is to prepare learners for the task, not to front-load language.
2. Task Cycle
Three sub-stages:
| Sub-stage | What happens | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Task | Learners do the task in pairs/small groups. Teacher monitors but does not intervene on language. | Meaning and Fluency |
| Planning | Learners prepare to report to the class on how they did the task and what they decided/discovered. This is where linguistic accuracy becomes important — the public nature of reporting motivates careful language use. | Accuracy and organisation |
| Report | Groups present their outcomes to the class. Teacher chairs, comments, may play a recording of fluent speakers doing the same task for comparison. | Public use of language |
The planning stage is critical. Willis argued that the shift from private task performance to public reporting creates a natural pressure to move from fluent-but-rough communication toward more accurate, organised language — without the teacher needing to impose accuracy artificially.
3. Language Focus
Two sub-stages:
- Analysis: Learners examine specific features of the language used in the task or in a transcript/recording. This may involve Consciousness-Raising activities, identifying patterns, or comparing their language with a model.
- Practice: Controlled activities (drills, gap-fills, substitution exercises) that target features identified during analysis.
Language focus comes last — the reverse of PPP, where presentation precedes practice and production.
Willis vs PPP
| Feature | Task Cycle (Willis) | PPP |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence | Meaning → Form | Form → Meaning |
| Language focus | Emerges from task performance | Pre-selected by teacher |
| Fluency/accuracy | Fluency first, accuracy through planning | Accuracy first, fluency in production |
| Learner initiative | High — learners choose language to complete task | Lower — target language prescribed |
Significance
Willis's framework gave practitioners a concrete lesson shape for TBLT — answering the common criticism that task-based teaching lacked clear Staging. The framework demonstrates that attention to form is not abandoned in TBLT but repositioned: it occurs after meaningful use, when learners have a felt need for the language.