Adult ESL Needs Analysis Questionnaire: Free Template

By The Kingdom of English · Published 3 October 2026

A needs analysis asks what learners want or need to do in English, what currently gets in the way and what practice is realistic. Use these ten questions to begin a conversation with an adult learner, then agree one useful task to work towards.

The questionnaire, simpler-language version and teacher planning sheet are free to use without an account. They are original planning resources, not a placement test or a validated proficiency scale. There is no score and no automatic CEFR result.

Download the questionnaire and planning notes

Before you start

  1. Choose one version. The standard and simpler forms ask about the same needs. Do not make learners complete both.
  2. Offer a suitable way to respond. Use a conversation, written answers, pictures, translation or another shared language where helpful. The goal is to understand needs, not to test whether the questionnaire's language is understood.
  3. Allow questions to be skipped. Ask about communication tasks. Learners do not need to give private health, immigration, financial or family explanations.
  4. Turn answers into a small task. “Improve speaking” is broad. “Ask for a missing detail in an instruction” gives you something to practise and observe.

Learners' confidence and their performance may differ. Use the answers alongside a short, appropriate sample task and your conversation. Do not infer a proficiency level from confidence ratings, interests or device access.

Ten adult ESL needs-analysis questions

You can read the questions below together or use the printable form. The online page does not collect answers.

1. Where do you want to use English?

Choose up to three: work, study, travel, everyday services, friends or community, online activities, another situation. Give one real example.

Teacher planning note

Ask about a specific task, such as explaining a problem, rather than treating work or travel as a complete learning objective.

2. What would you like to do more easily?

Complete: In the next four weeks, I would like to be able to ___. Describe something you could say, understand, read or write.

Teacher planning note

Agree a small observable task. The four-week period is a planning choice, not a promise of progress.

3. Which tasks matter most?

Pick three and number them 1-3: understand instructions; join a conversation; ask for help; write a message; read a notice; explain a problem; give an opinion; another task.

Teacher planning note

Use these choices to plan an initial activity. A low-priority task can still be useful if it supports the learner's main goal.

4. How do these tasks feel now?

For each chosen task, write: I can try alone / I can try with help / I have not tried or I am not sure. Add one example if you can.

Teacher planning note

These are confidence reports, not proficiency scores. Check them alongside a short appropriate sample task.

5. What already helps you communicate?

Describe one situation that went well. What helped: preparation, familiar words, time to think, another person's support, or something else?

Teacher planning note

Build on a strength and a useful condition; do not assign a fixed learning-style label.

6. When does communication become difficult?

Choose a situation, not just a skill label. For example: I follow one speaker, but I lose track when two people talk. You may leave this blank.

Teacher planning note

Do not request medical, immigration or other sensitive explanations. A task description is enough to begin planning.

7. What practice is realistic?

Choose days and an approximate number of minutes you could usually manage. Paper, phone, computer or classroom-only practice are all possible. You may skip details.

Teacher planning note

Offer a paper or classroom alternative. Do not equate limited device access or time with low motivation.

8. What would make feedback useful?

Choose up to two: an example; a short explanation; a chance to try again; a private conversation; written notes. Add anything you want your teacher to know.

Teacher planning note

Treat this as a current preference, not a permanent learner type. Explain what feedback you can offer.

9. Which topics would you like to discuss?

Suggest two topics and optionally one you would prefer not to discuss. No explanation is needed.

Teacher planning note

Use relevant, respectful content. Learners do not have to explain why a topic is uncomfortable.

10. How will we notice progress?

Choose one task from question 3 that you and your teacher can repeat or compare in four weeks. What would a more successful attempt look like?

Teacher planning note

Record a starting sample and a comparable follow-up task. Avoid promising that all learners will improve within the same timetable.

The same questions in simpler language

Use these prompts orally or print pages 3-4 of the learner PDF. Explain unfamiliar words; simpler wording is an access option, not a level classification.

  1. Where do you need English? Choose: work / study / travel / everyday life / friends / online. Write one example.
  2. What do you want to do in English? In four weeks, I want to ___. Example: ask questions at work.
  3. Choose your top three tasks. Number three: understand instructions / talk to someone / ask for help / write a message / read a notice / explain a problem / give an opinion.
  4. How do your three tasks feel now? For each task, choose: alone / with help / not sure. Give an example if you can.
  5. What can you do well? Write about one good experience. What helped you?
  6. What is difficult? Example: One person is OK. Two people speak too fast. Write your example, or skip.
  7. When can you practise? Days: ___. Minutes: ___. Paper / phone / computer / in class. You can skip this question.
  8. What help would you like? Choose: an example / an explanation / try again / talk privately / written notes.
  9. Which topics interest you? Two topics I like: ___. A topic I want to skip: ___ (optional).
  10. What can we try again later? Choose one task to try again in four weeks. What do you want to do better?

Turn the answers into a teacher summary

The teacher PDF contains a blank one-page sheet. Complete these six fields after the conversation:

  1. Learner or agreed code and date. Keep only the information needed for teaching.
  2. Priority task and context. What does this person need to say, understand, read or write?
  3. Starting evidence. Note a small sample task and what the response shows. Separate observation from interpretation.
  4. First teaching objective. Choose one observable action rather than a general ambition such as “be fluent.”
  5. Practice arrangement. Agree a realistic format and frequency, with a paper or classroom alternative if needed.
  6. Feedback and follow-up. Decide how feedback will work and when to try a comparable task.

A four-week review is one possible planning interval, not a promise that everyone will progress within four weeks. Use a different interval if that fits the course.

Two fictional worked examples

These examples illustrate planning decisions. They are invented, not student records, testimonials or results from testing this questionnaire.

A. Ask for clarification at work

Learner answers: Sam wants to follow spoken instructions and ask questions when a detail is unclear. Ten minutes of paper practice on two evenings is realistic.

Starting sample: In an invented instruction task, Sam identifies the action but does not ask about a missing time. This supports a narrow question-practice objective.

First objective: Ask one specific clarification question about a missing detail.

Practice and feedback: Use three short instruction cards. Model one question, let Sam try another, and give feedback on whether the question resolves the gap. The WH-question worksheet can support question formation.

Review: At the agreed date, use a different but comparable instruction card. Compare whether Sam asks for the needed detail; do not promise a particular improvement.

B. Write a clear appointment message

Learner answers: Alex wants to write short appointment messages. Phone practice is possible on three days, but a paper option is useful.

Starting sample: In an invented message, the reason is understandable but the proposed new time is missing.

First objective: Include a reason, a proposed time and a request for confirmation.

Practice and feedback: Compare two model messages, write a new one, then revise using that three-point checklist. Discuss tone after the essential information is clear; the register activity provides related practice.

Review: Compare a new appointment message at the agreed date. Look for the same three details, not a higher word count alone.

Connect the plan to appropriate practice

A needs analysis should guide the choice of work, not push every learner towards the same exercise. Use a grammar topic to support a relevant language pattern, a reading task for understanding written information, or writing practice for a particular message.

Teachers using The Kingdom of English can follow the assignment guide to set selected follow-up practice and review completion. The questionnaire itself is a separate teacher-led planning resource: it does not create a profile, assign work or diagnose a level automatically.

Common questions

Does a needs analysis replace a placement test?

No. It asks about purposes, priorities and practical conditions. A placement decision needs evidence appropriate to the course and the decision being made. This questionnaire does not supply a validated score.

What if a learner cannot answer in English?

Read prompts aloud, explain them, allow another shared language or discuss one concrete situation at a time. Difficulty understanding the form should not prevent someone from expressing a goal.

Can I use this with a whole class?

Yes. Gather common priorities to help plan shared work, then keep a small individual goal where useful. Do not publish learners' private answers on a class board or treat the most common preference as everyone's need.

Source and reuse

The British Council TeachingEnglish course-planning workbook includes identifying learner needs and designing a needs-analysis questionnaire. The questions, simpler wording, summary sheet and fictional examples here are original materials by The Kingdom of English.

You may print or copy these materials for your own teaching and personal study. Keep the source credit on copies. For redistribution as a published pack or commercial resale, contact us.