Medical Diagnoses Role-Play

All Required File Downloads

Pair Practice (Speaking)

Pair-Practice activities involve learners being organized into pairs for learning tasks that require back-and-forth communication between 2 people. For 1-on-1 lessons with only 1 student, the activities can be practiced by the student and the instructor.

Primary Required Files

The following files (in the quantities specified) are necessary for students to be able to practice this Role-Play Scenario activity.

Character Cards

  • A Character Card Deck can be created with the 18 cards in Medical Symptoms Set A. This will allow for 18  different diagnostic scenarios.
  • 1 deck of 18 cards will be sufficient for simultaneous use by up to 36 participants (or 18 partner-pairs).
  • For the best long-lasting durability, print, cut, and then laminate each individual card. This should allow for years of regular use, even by younger learners.

Medical Symptom Cards

Printable Cards – Set A

Included Core Vocabulary:
body-aches, cold-chills, day, diarrhea, dizzy, ear-ache, fever, gradually, headache, high-temperature, hour, itchy-skin, minute, nausea, nosebleed, pain, rash, reduced-appetite, runny-nose, sneezing, sore-throat, stomache-ache, suddenly, tired, trouble-breathing, trouble-hearing, vomiting

A4 Format - 2 Pages - PDF

US Letter - 2 Pages - PDF

Diagnostic Table

  • Each partner-pair participating in this speaking activity will need their own Diagnostic Table.
  • The set of medical symptoms on each Medical Symptoms Card can be used to narrow down the character’s condition to 1 or 2 possible diseases/conditions.
  • If a Diagnostic Table is laminated, learners can use an erasable whiteboard marker to systematically cross off the 9 possible diagnoses until only 1 or 2 remains.
  • There are 2 versions available. 
  • One version includes a Symbol Key at the bottom. No cutting is required for this version. Once printed, the Diagnostic Table can be used (and ideally laminated) as a full sheet of paper.
  • The other version does not include a Symbol Key (and is smaller as a result). The printable for this version includes 2 Diagnostic Tables on a single printable page each will need to be cut out.
  • Learners can start with the Diagnostic Table with the Symbol Key and then move to using the version without the Symbol Key once they have built confidence and have learned the meaning of all of the symbols.

Medical Diagnostic Tables*

Diagnostic Tables

Included Core Vocabulary:
body-aches, cold-chills, day, diarrhea, dizzy, ear-ache, fever, gradually, headache, high-temperature, hour, itchy-skin, minute, nausea, nosebleed, pain, rash, reduced-appetite, runny-nose, sneezing, sore-throat, stomache-ache, suddenly, tired, trouble-breathing, trouble-hearing, vomiting

Reading Vocabulary:

asthma, chicken pox, common cold, COVID, ear infection, flu, food poisoning, nosebleed, seasonal allergies

Symbol Key Version
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A4 Format - 1 Page - PDF

Symbol Key Version
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US Letter - 1 Page - PDF

Coming Soon

No Symbol Key Version
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A4 Format - 1 Page - PDF

No Symbol Key Version
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US Letter - 1 Page - PDF

Coming Soon

*These Medical Diagnostic Tables absolutely should not be used for any real world medical diagnosing. These resources are only intended for speaking practice for the purpose of learning English-as-a-second-language, and are not intended (or sufficient) for any real medical uses. Refer to a licensed physician for any real medical issues or concerns.

Additional Files

The following files are not required, but serve useful optional purposes.

Card-Back Patterns

  • Printing a unique pattern on the back of each set of cards makes sorting easier and also provides a clean professional look.
  • Print a pattern on the back of a set of cards BEFORE cutting out the individual cards.
  • Patterns can also be printed on the backs of Deduction Panels to show which Card Sets they match with. This may be useful for younger learners.

Card-Backs Pattern - Hearts - Red & Black

A4 Format - 1 Page - PDF

US-Letter - 1 Page - PDF

Card-Backs Pattern - Hearts - Red & Pink

A4 Format - 1 Page - PDF

US-Letter - 1 Page - PDF

Card-Back Pattern - Hearts - Dark Blue & Light Blue

A4 Format - 1 Page - PDF

US-Letter - 1 Page - PDF

Cheat Sheets

  • For learners who have basic reading skills, using a Cheat Sheet allows them to learn the vocabulary words WHILE they are practicing the speaking activity. 
  • Includes activity Sentence Patterns & Core Vocabulary Words

Medical Diagnostic Role-Play Cheat Sheet A

A4 Format - 1 Page - PDF

Coming Soon

US-Letter - 1 Page - PDF

Coming Soon