Everyday English · Read, listen and speak
Asking for Feedback on a Task
Request feedback on completed work, ask for a specific example and agree on a revision.
Your speaking goal
Ask for feedback, clarify one suggestion and state the change you will make.
Before you start: Imagine a short project update with an unclear deadline. Do not use real workplace documents or private information.
Your six-step practice plan
- Understand: Read the goal and check the useful phrases.
- Listen or read: Follow both roles. Audio is optional.
- Repeat: Say one short line at a time, then join the words smoothly.
- Change details: Replace two details with imaginary ones.
- Role-play: Read the other person’s question, cover your reply and answer aloud. Then swap roles.
- Review: Use the “I can” checks below. Repeat any part that still needs help.
Work at your own pace. A clear message matters more than copying a particular accent.
Listen, read and notice
Roles: Team member and Colleague
Browser-generated English voice; availability and sound vary by device. Use the written dialogue if audio is unavailable.
Team member: I’ve finished the draft update. Could you give me some feedback?
Colleague: Of course. The main points are clear, but the final section needs a little more detail.
Team member: Could you give me an example of what’s missing?
Colleague: You mention the next task, but you don’t say who will do it or when it’s due.
Team member: So I should add the person responsible and the deadline?
Colleague: Exactly. That would make the next step clearer.
Team member: Is there anything else I should change?
Colleague: No, that’s the main thing. The opening is easy to follow.
Team member: Thanks. I’ll add those details and send you the revised draft this afternoon.
Colleague: Great. I’ll have another look when you send it.
Useful phrases and what they do
- Could you give me some feedback? — Ask for comments that help you assess or improve work.
- Could you give me an example? — Ask for a specific illustration of a suggestion.
- Is there anything else I should change? — Check whether further revisions are needed.
- I’ll add ___ and ___. — State the action you plan to take.
Say it clearly
Break the clarification into groups: ‘So I should add / the person responsible / and the deadline?’ Make the two missing details clear.
Build your own replies
Could you give me feedback on ___? → The ___ is clear, but ___ needs more detail.
Ask and check
Do you mean the opening or the final section? → The final section.
Common mistakes and alternatives
‘Feedback’ is normally uncountable: ask for ‘some feedback’, not ‘a feedback’. ‘A comment’ and ‘a suggestion’ are countable alternatives. Asking for feedback evaluates work already done; it is different from asking how to begin a task.
Check what you understood
Answer aloud before revealing each explanation. Natural replies with the same meaning also count.
Question 1
Which section needs more detail?
Show answer 1 and explanation
The final section. The colleague says the opening is easy to follow.
Question 2
What two details will the team member add?
Show answer 2 and explanation
The person responsible for the next task and its deadline. Repeating them back checks that the suggestion was understood.
Question 3
Which is natural: ‘Could you give me some feedback?’ or ‘Could you give me a feedback?’
Show answer 3 and explanation
‘Some feedback’ is natural because ‘feedback’ is normally uncountable. You could also ask for ‘a suggestion’ or ‘a comment’.
Your turn: make it a real exchange
Practise alone: read the other person’s line, cover your reply and answer aloud. Then swap roles. No partner is needed.
Role A
Ask for feedback on a fictional draft, request an example and state the revision you will make.
Role B
Mention one strength and one specific improvement. Explain the improvement with an example.
Make it easier: Keep the model visible and change one detail at a time.
Add a challenge: The feedback is too general: ‘Make it clearer.’ Ask which part is unclear and what information would help.
Ready to move on?
Try again with less reading. Use these checks and repeat any part that needs more practice.
- I can request feedback on completed work.
- I can ask for a specific example.
- I can confirm the change I will make.