Focus on

TEACHING MIXED-ABILITY
CLASSES

1. What is it?
‘Mixed ability’ is often used to describe classes containing students at different levels.
For students of English, language proficiency is not the only marker. Students have
differing levels of motivation and different interests. Learning needs, rates of learning,
and learning preferences can also vary from student to student. The combined effect
of these and other differences between students is what makes a class ‘mixed ability’.
Such classes are the norm, rather than the exception.
Mixed-ability teaching involves helping learners to work in a way which suits them
best. It is based on the understanding that all learners have both strengths and
weaknesses. It aims to recognize and accommodate diversity among learners, not stifle
it. Effective activities for the mixed-ability classroom look beyond language, supporting
the development of global skills such as communication, collaboration, creativity,
critical thinking, emotional self-regulation, and wellbeing. This helps students acquire
learning skills which they can apply in a range of contexts, both inside the classroom
and outside.

2. What does it mean for English language teaching?

Flexible goals
Language proficiency will not develop in the same way or at the same rate, so it is
important to enable all students to fulfil their potential for learning and development.
This requires flexible planning. Effective tasks for the mixed-ability classroom provide
students with a range of learning opportunities. In addition to a language learning
objective, a good communicative task also gives students a chance to develop
interpersonal skills, such as communication and collaboration. For example, project
work can help learners build the skills of effective communication across a variety of
modes, while also helping them to understand a range of alternative perspectives.
These are crucial competences, not only for effective language learning, but also in
the workplace.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Edmund Dudley is an author, materials writer, and trainer. He is the author of
ETpedia Teenagers (Pavilion Publishing, 2018), and the co-author with Erika Osváth
of Mixed-Ability Teaching (Oxford University Press, 2016).

© Oxford University Press www.oup.com/elt/expert 1

TEACHING MIXED-ABILITY CLASSES
Multi-faceted learning
In a mixed-ability class, it is vital to help students see that their
proficiency is not fixed or constant. Using a variety of topics
and task types means greater opportunities for students to
showcase specific skills. It also means that students come to
appreciate that all members of the class have both strengths
and weaknesses. When students are presented with topics that
they know little about, or with pair work or group work which
takes them out of their comfort zone, the opportunities for
learning are increased. Students can develop new skills while
also learning from others in the class.
Collaborative and cooperative activities
Pair work and group work are an important component of
lessons with mixed-ability classes, because they establish
collaborative patterns of working which can enable students
to learn with and from each other – fostering not just language
skills but also interpersonal skills.
Building students’ self-esteem
Students tend to judge themselves and each other based on
their language proficiency. This can damage both the classroom
dynamic and students’ self-esteem. You can help build students’
self-esteem by guiding them away from comparing themselves
with their classmates; instead, the focus should be on the value
of effort in unlocking one’s potential. All students have gaps in
their knowledge. These gaps should be welcomed for what they
are: opportunities for improvement and growth.
Giving students more responsibility for their learning
When students are encouraged to take more responsibility
for their learning, they become more motivated and more
active. Aim to give your students more active roles both as
learners and as supporters of the learning of others in the
class. There are many ways to do this, often involving giving
specific responsibilities to individuals, such as uploading any
new vocabulary from the lesson to the group’s online space.
The student given this extra responsibility will be more focused,
more likely to learn and remember any new language, and
will also be providing a service – something which you can
acknowledge and reward.
© Oxford University Press www.oup.com/elt/expert
3. What are the challenges?
Differentiated learning
Ready-made differentiated materials can be a great help for
teachers working with students at different language levels,
but what if the coursebook does not have differentiated
exercises? One option is to differentiate the instructions rather
than the materials, for example by modifying task instructions
to make them open-ended. Open-ended instructions have a
differentiating effect, because they allow students to tackle a
task in their own way, according to their own abilities.
Giving personalized feedback
Personalized feedback is particularly valuable to students in
mixed-ability classes, but there are usually too many students
in the class to give everyone personalized feedback on a daily
basis. Instead, it makes sense to combine personalized feedback
with whole-group feedback, and to introduce peer assessment.
As an occasional option, teachers can also give feedback out of
class time (for example, by responding to a student recording).
Demotivated students
Learners can feel disengaged for a variety of reasons. Students
with lower language proficiency than their peers can feel self-
conscious and be reluctant to speak in class. Students with
higher levels of proficiency, meanwhile, might feel that they
have little to learn, which can result in passive or domineering
behaviour. Students who are disengaged – for whatever reason –
are more likely to be disruptive. If tasks are meaningful and
relevant, however, students are more likely to be motivated to
take part. It is also worth bringing non-language skills into play,
such as design skills, intercultural competence, or knowledge
about a certain topic area. This allows all students to shine. In
addition, pair work, group work, and (in online lessons) breakout
rooms are collaborative formats which give students more
control and allow them to work with less pressure on individuals.
They also boost confidence, especially when students are able
to demonstrate their expertise in a certain area.
Getting students to work together in mixed-ability groups
Instead of trying to group students of similar language
proficiency together, you can give students the opportunity to
work in mixed-ability groups. This can take some getting used
to, but there are real benefits. Students’ language skills benefit
from the challenge of communicating with new people, and
working in mixed-ability groups can also have a positive impact
on students’ interpersonal skills.
Assessment for learning: a recipe for success
Test scores need not be the only measure of success.
Assessment for learning techniques – such as using task-specific
success criteria, with examples of successful work – help
students to get a concrete idea of what to aim for before they
begin. This can help individual students focus on areas where
they need to improve when preparing to do a task, rather than
simply comparing their results afterwards. Other success criteria,
such as effort, teamwork, or improvement, can ensure that the
strengths and skills of all students are noticed and rewarded.
This ensures plenty of specific positive feedback, praise, and
encouragement.
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TEACHING MIXED-ABILITY CLASSES
4. How can this be implemented?
Give learners options
Differentiation does not always have to involve adapting the
content of materials. It can simply involve handling materials
flexibly and providing options when setting up tasks and giving
instructions.
■ Different outputs
For a task on summarizing a story, give students the option
of drawing a storyboard or recording a news report – either
collaboratively or individually.
■ Take your pick
When doing workbook exercises, instead of asking all students
to complete all the items, let students choose a certain number
of items to tackle within the allotted time. When calling on
students to provide the answers, ask them which answer they
would like to give. This is a simple way to make students feel
less rushed. It can also relieve the anxiety students might have
when they are asked to answer a question they do not know the
answer to.
■ Same text, different prompts
When doing a reading or listening task, instead of changing
the text, provide alternative sets of instructions for the task,
focusing on different aspects of the text or audio. For example,
the instructions could include different types of questions:
open questions for gist understanding, comprehension-check
questions for specific details, and wider topic-related questions.
Again, help students to make decisions about their learning by
making it an option for students to focus on some, rather than
all, of the questions connected to the materials.
■ Time limits instead of word limits
When doing writing tasks in class, set time limits rather than
word limits. For example, instead of asking the students to
write a certain number of words, ask them to write for a certain
amount of time. This technique works especially well with more
open-ended tasks, in which students write their opinion about a
topic or express themselves creatively. Using time limits rather
than word limits means that all students feel that they tackled
the task properly, even if they did not get to the end of what
they had planned or write the same amount of words as others.
For teachers who prefer using word limits, a further option is to
allocate different word limits to different students.
© Oxford University Press www.oup.com/elt/expert
Effective feedback
The heart of effective feedback is getting students thinking.
Learners in mixed-ability classes can be encouraged to take
more control of their own learning in the feedback phase of
activities through responding to exploratory questions and
taking part in peer-learning and self-correction activities.
■ Mastery through multiple attempts
Let students attempt the same assignment twice. Indicate where
the mistakes are, for example by using a colour-coded marking
scheme to highlight issues such as spelling, word order, and
tense in a piece of writing. Do not make corrections the first
time, instead let the students correct their own mistakes. This
not only encourages self-correction but also takes some of the
pressure off students getting everything right the first time.
It also makes students receptive to receiving feedback, and it
instils the habit of perseverance, which is so often the key to
improvement. This approach also works for fun activities, such
as learning tongue twisters.
■ Post-test learning
After a test, encourage students to find out where they went
wrong themselves by referring back to their books or asking
their classmates to explain points they do not understand. This
technique builds learner agency, getting students out of the
habit of relying on the teacher to give them all the answers. It
also shows students that knowing how to get help with their
learning is an extremely valuable skill. It can be used with
younger learners as well as adolescents and adults.
Motivate your students
Empathize with how students might be feeling and empower
them by giving them different ways to opt in and out of
tasks. When students have a sense of security and receive
encouragement from the teacher, motivation can follow.
■ Try it again
If a speaking task has not gone as well as a student may have
wished, instead of correcting, ask them if they would like to try
it again. Make it an offer rather than a demand. If they accept,
their second attempt will nearly always be more successful than
the first.
■ Speak, pass, nominate
When calling on individual students after a paired discussion
task, give them the option of not speaking, and also the option
of nominating their partner to speak instead of them. This
is a simple but powerful gesture of respect – and students
appreciate it. Despite what you might think, most students
choose to speak, even when given the option of passing.
■ Challenge accepted
Keep stronger students interested in tasks they find simple by
incorporating an additional – optional – challenge. This can
be something unusual or arbitrary. In a job application email,
students could be challenged to include six colour words in their
writing (for example, the person they are writing to might be
Ms White, the company could be called ‘Green Machines’).
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TEACHING MIXED-ABILITY CLASSES
Co-operation and collaboration
When a group activity focuses on more than just language,
opportunities open up for students to develop interpersonal
skills as well. Figuring out how to work well together is at the
heart of successful co-operation and collaboration.
■ Bilingual role-play with mediator
This activity for classes with a shared first language (L1) gets
students working in threes. Student A speaks in L1 only (for
example, the shopkeeper), Student B speaks in English only
(for example, the tourist), and Student C is the mediator who
helps bridge the communication gap (for example, a local
student who offers to translate). All students can take an active
part in such a role-play, even if their English proficiency is low.
Afterwards, students can discuss the language they noticed
and the words they learned. They can also think of other real-
life situations where they might have to be a mediator, such
as between a visiting exchange student and a non-English-
speaking teacher at the school.
■ Project work for group dynamics
Working in groups, each student creates a profile of another
group member, featuring that person’s positive qualities. All
the work is combined and the finished product is presented,
either in the physical classroom or online. Other class members
provide feedback on both the content (supplying further
positive qualities) and on language. This activity promotes
the global skills of emotional self-regulation and wellbeing in
addition to providing language practice.
■ Specific learner roles
Group work and project work are most effective when students
are each given a specific role. For example, in a project based
on surveying people’s opinions about a topic, one student could
be responsible for writing the questions, a different student
could be responsible for collating all the data collected, and
another student could create graphics to display the results
© Oxford University Press www.oup.com/elt/expert
of the survey. All three students share the task of asking the
research questions and delivering the presentation of their
findings. This approach allows students to contribute to
group work using their particular strengths and their creative,
technical, and organizational skills.
Assessment for learning
Summative assessment can have a negative impact on
self-esteem and motivation, so students should have their
strengths affirmed in addition to having areas for improvement
highlighted. Where possible, use assessment for learning
methods to get students thinking about their strengths, and
where and how they can improve.
■ Who can leave first?
Towards the end of the class, describe a specific positive
attitude or behaviour that you saw from one of the students in
that day’s class, such as kindness, honesty, or determination. Ask
the students to say which classmate you are thinking of. Allow
the student in question to have the privilege of being the first
one to leave the class at the end of the lesson or to log off from
the online class. Naturally, strive to ensure that eventually every
student gets the chance to be one who can leave first.
■ Medals and missions
When giving feedback to learners on their attainment, give
them both medals (things which they can be proud of) and
missions (things which they need to work on).
■ Letter from the future
Ask students to think about their fears and anxieties in
connection with their studies. Tell them to imagine that two
years have passed and everything has turned out well. Get them
to write a letter to themselves – from their successful future self
– outlining all the steps they took to achieve their success and
offering additional advice. This is effective learner training for
assessment for learning, and also good for students’ emotional
self-regulation and wellbeing.
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TEACHING MIXED-ABILITY CLASSES

5. Over to you Talking points

Differences between students are an asset for learning, not a
problem to be ironed out. Gaps in knowledge, meanwhile, are
not only useful – they are vital. Think of it this way: a student
who knows all the answers to the questions of the lesson has
not learned anything that day. Mixed-ability teaching is about
inspiring learners to be motivated to learn more, and about
improving outcomes for all learners, whatever their level or
skills. ‘I don’t know … yet!’ is the point at which learning can
flourish.
6. Further reading
Learn more about mixed-ability teaching
Dudley, E., & Osváth, E. (2016). Mixed-ability teaching. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Teaching strategies
www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/mixed-ability
Documentary on mixed-ability teaching in a UK secondary
school
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J25d9aC1GZA
To what extent are the classes that you teach ‘mixed
ability’?
In what ways is it harder to teach mixed-ability classes?
Do you see any advantages to working with mixed-
ability classes?
Choose one or two of the global skills mentioned in this
paper. How could you introduce them into your next
lesson or the next unit in your coursebook?
Why is it useful for activities in mixed-ability classes to
focus on more than just language skills? Which of the
techniques mentioned in this paper do you like the
most?
Do you agree that it is beneficial to put students of
different levels together for group work and pair work?
Why?
What are some of the options for differentiation
mentioned in this paper? Which ones are best suited to
your context?

OUP position papers

Assessment for Learning
Boyd, E., Green, A., Hopfenbeck, T., & Stobart, G. (2019).
Effective feedback: The key to successful assessment for
learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press. www.oup.com/elt/
expert

Global Skills
Hockly, N., Lorenzo Gales, N., Mercer, S., & Stobart, G. (2019).
Global skills: Creating empowered 21st century citizens. Oxford:
Oxford University Press. www.oup.com/elt/expert Our experts
advise on EFFECTIVE
Our experts
LEARNER AGENCY FEEDBACK:
Learner Agency advise on
THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL
MAXIMIZING ASSESSMENT FOR
Larsen-Freeman, D., Driver, P., Gao, X., & Mercer, S. (2021). LEARNER POTENTIAL LEARNING
Learner agency: Maximizing learner potential. Oxford: Oxford
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To cite this paper:
Dudley, E. (2021). Focus on teaching mixed-ability classes [PDF]. Oxford:
Oxford University Press. www.oup.com/elt/expert

Acknowledgements
The publisher would like to thank the following for permission to reproduce
photographs: 123RF (wckiw); Shutterstock (michaeljung, Tanor, UfaBizPhoto).

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