For teachers · Café English
Teacher Pack: Café English for Life in Australia
Six ready-to-teach units, a simple lesson plan and an indicative CEFR guide, built from the Chatsifieds Coffee Culture lessons.
Published 18/10/2026 · Educational guide
About the CEFR labels. The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) describes language ability in six levels, A1 to C2 (Council of Europe). The CEFR labels on this site are indicative only. They come from Chatsifieds' own level labels and have not been checked against the official descriptors or tested with learners. Use them as a starting point and judge the fit for your own class.
How to use this pack
Each unit groups lessons that practise one real café situation, with "I can" goals, role-play prompts and one thing to watch for. The lessons are written for adult and young-adult learners at roughly beginner to upper-intermediate level. Browse every lesson by band in the lesson index.
A 60-minute lesson plan you can reuse
- Warm-up (5 min). Ask students what they usually order or have heard in a café. Pre-teach three words from the lesson.
- Input (10 min). Read or listen to the lesson dialogue once for the gist, then again for the key words.
- Controlled practice (15 min). Drill the "Useful phrases" in pairs. Change one detail each time (drink, size, milk).
- Role-play (20 min). Use the unit role-play prompts. Swap roles, then change partners.
- Quick check and reflect (10 min). Students do the lesson quick check, then say one phrase they will try this week.
The timings are a suggestion. For a 30-minute class, use the input, one practice activity and the quick check.
Unit 1: Your first café orders
Indicative level: CEFR A1–A2
Students can
- I can order a drink and say my size and milk choice.
- I can answer "here or takeaway?" and give a name for the order.
- I can ask for something to be repeated.
Lessons in this unit
- How to Order Coffee in Australia: ESL Café English
- Australian Café Ordering Cheat Sheet for ESL Learners
- What Will the Barista Ask? Australian Cafe English
- “Having Here or Takeaway?” Meaning | Australian Café English
- Regular or Large? Australian Coffee Size Vocabulary for ESL Learners
- Milk Options in Australian Cafés | Oat, Soy, Skim English Lesson
Printable: student worksheet · teacher answer key
Role-play prompts
- Student A is the customer, student B is the barista. Order a drink with a size and a milk, then swap roles.
- The café is noisy. The customer misses one question and asks for it again.
Watch for: Learners often answer with one word. Praise short, polite answers and add "please" and "thanks" gradually.
Unit 2: Paying and collecting
Indicative level: CEFR A2
Students can
- I can ask how to pay and understand a payment question.
- I can collect my order and check it is mine.
- I can ask about a stamp card or rewards app.
Lessons in this unit
- Cash or Card? Paying at an Australian Café
- Tipping, Surcharges and Paying at Australian Cafes
- Card Declined, Receipt and Split-Bill Café English
- Your Coffee Is Ready: Pickup and Collection English
- Name for the Order? Australian Cafe English
- Loyalty Cards and Stamp Cards at Australian Cafes
Printable: student worksheet · teacher answer key
Role-play prompts
- Two friends pay separately. Practise asking and answering.
- The card does not work. Stay calm and offer another way to pay.
Watch for: Payment rules and surcharges change. Teach the language of asking, and tell students to check the sign or ask staff.
Unit 3: Understanding fast speech and different voices
Indicative level: CEFR A2–B1
Students can
- I can pick out the key word in a fast café question.
- I can ask someone to repeat, slow down or say it another way.
- I can check my understanding by repeating the order back.
Lessons in this unit
- What Milk Was That? Cafe Listening Practice
- Busy Cafe English: What Australians Actually Sound Like
- How to Ask a Barista to Repeat or Explain
- Fast Cafe Questions: Listening to Connected Speech
- Understanding Different Accents in Australian Cafes
- Australian Coffee Pronunciation for ESL Learners
Printable: student worksheet · teacher answer key
Role-play prompts
- Read the dialogue at natural speed while partners listen for the key word only.
- Use three different ways to ask for a repeat, one for each question.
Watch for: No recordings of Australian voices are published yet. Use your own voice, colleagues or authentic audio you have rights to use, and aim for recognition rather than copying an accent.
Unit 4: Problems, dietary needs and polite repairs
Indicative level: CEFR B1
Students can
- I can say my dietary need or allergy clearly and ask staff to check.
- I can politely say the order is not what I asked for.
- I can accept a remake or explanation in a friendly way.
Lessons in this unit
- Dietary English at Australian Cafes: Vegan, Gluten-Free and Allergies
- Food Allergy Conversations in Australian Cafés: Clear English for Customers and Staff
- Wrong Coffee Order? Polite English for Fixing It
- Common Café English Mistakes in Australia
- Same Drink, Different Name? Ask at Australian Cafes
Printable: student worksheet · teacher answer key
Role-play prompts
- The drink arrives with the wrong milk. Raise it politely and agree what happens next.
- Ask what is in a drink you have not tried before.
Watch for: These lessons teach the language only. They are not allergy, medical or legal advice, and students should tell staff directly about any allergy.
Unit 5: Café life, culture and community
Indicative level: CEFR B1
Students can
- I can suggest a café meet-up and chat with a friend.
- I can ask whether I can work or study in a café.
- I can explain what I like about a café and ask for a recommendation.
Lessons in this unit
- Meeting Someone at an Australian Café
- Working or Studying in an Australian Cafe: English Phrases
- Chain Cafe or Independent Cafe? Choosing in English
- Why Neighbourhood Cafés Matter to Australian Communities
- Coffee and Multicultural Australia: Beyond the Italian Espresso Story
Printable: student worksheet · teacher answer key
Role-play prompts
- Plan a café catch-up: choose the place, time and what to order.
- Compare two cafés you know and say which suits you and why.
Watch for: Café habits vary and there is no single rule. Treat the cultural notes as discussion starters, not facts to memorise.
Unit 6: Working in a café
Indicative level: CEFR B1–B2
Students can
- I can take an order, check it and call out a name.
- I can handle a complaint politely and offer a solution.
- I can use clear, friendly English during a busy shift.
Lessons in this unit
- Your First Café Job in Australia: Useful English for New Staff
- How to Take a Customer’s Coffee Order in English
- Barista Customer-Service Phrases in Australian Cafés
- Handling Customer Complaints in an Australian Café: Polite English
- Your First Busy Café Shift: Teamwork and Workplace English
- Barista Workplace English for Café Jobs in Australia
Printable: student worksheet · teacher answer key
Role-play prompts
- Take a three-drink order with a change halfway through, then read it back.
- A customer is unhappy. Listen, apologise and offer a fix.
Watch for: Workplace rules differ between employers. Tell students to follow their workplace procedures and ask a supervisor, especially for allergies.
Differentiation
- Support: give students the dialogue with some words blanked, and let them use the phrase list during role-play.
- Stretch: ask students to add a complication (a change of mind, a missing item) or to play the staff role without the script.
- Mixed levels: pair a stronger student with a developing one, and give both the same task with different support.
Before you teach it
- Lessons describe café habits as general patterns. Prices, payment rules, surcharges and menus differ, so encourage students to check signs and ask staff.
- Lessons that mention allergies, privacy or workplace rules teach language only. They are not allergy, medical, legal or workplace advice.
- Lessons were checked against sources when written, and each says what it relied on. If you find a mistake, please contact us.