ESL WORKSHEET - Going to the movies

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

BUYING A MOVIE THEATER TICKET (AmE)

BUYING A CINEMA TICKET (BrE)

LinguaHouse

Aug. 14, 2026

Level: Elementary (A1-A2)
Type of language: General English
Tags: Entertainment; Vocabulary Lesson; Situation Based; Speaking; 13-15 Years Old; 16-18 Years Old; 18+ Years Old
Publication date: 08/14/2026

In this lesson, students develop their conversational skills in the context of going to the movie theater. To engage with the topic, the students identify a set of subject-related vocabulary and answer general questions. The students then learn and practice common movie types in a variety of student-centered tasks before listening to a conversation between two friends discussing going to the movie theater. They then develop their skills further by listening to a follow-up conversation with a box office assistant and then answering comprehension questions. The students then focus on the functional language used to buy movie theater tickets. They then take part in a communicative roleplay task to consolidate and practice the language. The lesson finishes with an engaging speaking game to review the lesson content. (by Victoria Aitken)

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in British English.

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

ONE (Task 3, Part A)
Jen: Do you want to go to the movie theater on Saturday?
Gary: Sure, do you know what’s on?
Jen: Let me check. Well, there is an action movie about a man who has a short time to save his town from an explosion. A historical drama about a royal family from Europe and there is a funny animal animation movie.
Gary: Is that all?
Jen: Hmmm, no, there is also a romantic movie about two old college friends. Oh, and there is a sci-fi movie about fighting robots.

TWO (Task 3, Parts B and C)
Box Office Assistant: Hello, how can I help?
Jen: Hello, I’d like to watch Three Hours and Counting. What time does it start today, please?
Box Office Assistant: Well, it is a popular movie, so we have two showings today. The first showing starts soon… at one o’clock, then again at six o’clock.
Jen: Okay, great. How much does a ticket cost?
Box Office Assistant: The tickets are eight dollars each but there is a discount for students. The student tickets are six dollars.
Jen: That’s great, can I have two student tickets for the six o’clock show, please?
Box Office Assistant: Sure, that‘s twelve dollars, can I see your student ID card, please?
Jen: Of course, here you go.
Box Office Assistant: Great, here are your tickets and your change. Enjoy the movie.
Jen: Thank you.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/buying-a-cinema-ticket. Accessed on August 17, 2026. LinguaHouse.com © 2008–2026. All rights reserved.