TOEFL Speaking Task 3

The concept of 'information gap' refers to a situation in communication where one person possesses knowledge or information that another person does not have. This gap creates a genuine need for communication, as the person lacking information is motivated to ask questions or seek clarification, and the person holding the information is motivated to share it. In educational settings, information gap activities are designed to encourage authentic interaction and language use, because participants must exchange missing pieces of information to complete a task or solve a problem.

Professor: Today, let's look at a real example. In my business communication class, I paired up students, giving one student a map of a city with several restaurants marked, and the other student a map with the same streets but no restaurants. The first student had to describe the location of each restaurant, and the second had to draw them on his map. The catch was they couldn't see each other's maps, and they couldn't point or gesture. The second student had to ask specific questions like, 'Is it next to the bank?' or 'How far from the park?' And the first student had to give clear, detailed directions. They had to keep asking and clarifying until both maps matched perfectly. This activity forced them to use real communication because the information gap was real—each had crucial information the other needed. The result was lively interaction and lots of language practice.