The main purpose behind communicative language teaching methods is to prepare students to be confident communicators in different real-life contexts, through repetitive oral practices and student-student cooperation. In CLT, communication is the end and the means of the teaching method.

Principles of CLT include focus on communication, functional language use, task-based activities, collaborative learning, and student-centered learning. Types of CLT activities: role-plays, information gap tasks, debates and discussions, problem-solving tasks, and project-based tasks.