Recent research on learning strategies has yielded conflicting findings and generated limited success in learner training. These problems may be rooted in inadequate knowledge of the actual strategies used by unsuccessful learners in contrast to what they report doing. The present study combines methods to probe the strategies of two nsuccessful learners—both Saudi Arabian women enrolled in an academically oriented intensive English program (IEP)—as they completed four activities (an interview, a verb exercise, a cloze passage, and a composition). After task requirements were determined, learner strategies were ascertained by analyzing think-aloud protocols and task products. These combined analyses offer a detailed and insightful picture of learner strategies, providing counterevidence for the claim that unsuccessful learners are inactive. When viewed through the task-demand model proposed here, these unsuccessful learners emerged as active strategy users, though they sometimes applied strategies inappropriately. The model also revealed fundamental differences in the approaches to problem solving used by learners who appear similar on the basis of simple strategy counts. This research provides evidence of the importance of case studies in verifying critical assumptions about second language learning.