Given that individual learning agendas determine what is "learnt" in the language classroom, it is generally recognized that students need to be fully involved in what happens there. Task-based learning satisfies this need, involving the learners at every level of the educational process as they pass through comprehension, decision-making, implementation, preparation, rehearsal, performance and reflection. If carried out in the target language, these stages have obvious advantages in terms of authenticity and meaning, but task-based work can also be beneficial in encouraging learners to address their learning needs, to assess themselves, and to become self-directed (Finch, 1999, p.179).