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ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR B1

Second Conditional ESL Lesson Plan (B1, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute B1 lesson on Second Conditional, built round the theme "What Would You Do?".

  • CEFR B1
  • 60 minutes
  • Teenagers and adults
  • Grammar
  • Conditionals
  • Second Conditional

About this lesson

Who it is for. Intermediate students who use the first conditional well. They talk about imaginary situations with will (If I win the lottery, I will buy a house) and use would in both clauses (If I would have money, I would travel).

Everything the lesson needs is on this page: the language analysis, the timed stages with the teacher's own words and instruction-checking questions, the differentiation, the printable handouts and the answer key.

At a glance

Level
CEFR B1 (Intermediate)
Learners
Teenagers and adults
Length
60 minutes. For 45 minutes, run "Freer practice" once through without the second round and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills
Speaking and writing
Language focus
Grammar: Second Conditional (If + past, would)
Framework
PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials
Handout 1 (magazine quiz), Handout 2 (discovery task), Handout 3 (practice), Handout 4 (dilemma cards).
Preparation
About 10 minutes: print Handouts 1 to 4, one per learner, and read the language analysis. The answer key is for you, not the class.

Aims

Main aim. To help students work out and use the second conditional (If + past simple, would / could + base verb) for imaginary or unlikely present and future situations, and to contrast it with the first conditional.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can discuss imaginary situations and dilemmas, e.g. If I found a wallet in the street, I'd take it to the police.

  • Subsidiary aim. To practise If I were you for advice.
  • Subsidiary aim. To develop fluency in discussing moral dilemmas.
  • Subsidiary aim. To practise contracted 'd.

Language analysis

What to know before the lesson: the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language, and the problems learners usually have with it.

Form

If clauseMain clause
If + past simplewould / could + base verb
If I won the lottery,I'd buy a house for my parents.
If I didn't have homework,I could go out tonight.
If I were you,I'd talk to the teacher.

Form: notes

  • Question: What would you do if you found a wallet?
  • were is used for all persons in formal English and in If I were you: If she were here, she'd help. (was is common in informal speech.)
  • 'd = would: I'd /aɪd/, she'd /ʃiːd/.

Meaning and use

First conditionalSecond conditional
Real, possible: If I pass the exam, I'll celebrate.Imaginary or unlikely: If I won a million rupees, I'd travel the world.
Speaker thinks it's likely.Speaker thinks it's unlikely or impossible.

Meaning and use: notes

  • Imaginary or unlikely situations in the present or future. The past form does not mean past time.
  • If I were you, I'd ... = advice.
  • Compare:

Pronunciation

  • Contracted 'd is short and easy to miss: I'd go /aɪd ɡəʊ/. Drill so students hear it.
  • wouldn't /ˈwʊdnt/.

Concept-checking questions

  • If I won the lottery, I'd buy a house. Have I won the lottery? (No.) · Do I think I will win? (No, probably not.) · Is won about the past? (No, it's about an imaginary present or future.)
  • If I were you, I'd talk to the teacher. Am I you? (No, it's impossible.) · What am I doing? (Giving advice.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

ProblemSolution
would in the if clause (If I would have money).Board the pattern; cross out would in the if clause.
Using will for imaginary situations.Contrast likely vs unlikely with a percentage line (80% vs 5%).
Thinking the past form means past time.CCQs; timeline showing NOW and FUTURE only.
If I was you in writing.Teach If I were you as a fixed phrase.

Board plan

Left: vocabularyCentre: rulesRight: pronunciation
find a wallet · win the lottery · be invisible · lie · borrow · the police · dilemma · honest · tell the truth
If + past simple, would / could + verb · If I won the lottery, I'd buy a house. · not: If I would ... ✗ · past form ≠ past time (imaginary NOW / FUTURE) · Advice: If I were you, I'd ... · FIRST: likely (80%) · SECOND: unlikely (5%)
I'd /aɪd/ · I'd go · wouldn't /ˈwʊdnt/ · What would you DO if ...?

CEFR B1 · 60 minutes · Teenagers and adults

Procedure: Second Conditional, step by step

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, then whole class

Aim: To introduce imaginary situations and engage students.

Write on the board: a million rupees · invisible for a day · any job in the world.

Say: "Imagine! Tell your partner what you'd do." Students talk for 2 minutes. Don't correct.

Take two or three answers and board one sentence exactly as a student says it.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To present the second conditional in context and help students work out its form and meaning.

Part A: Reading (6 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Do the magazine quiz. Choose a, b or c for each question. Then read your result." (4 minutes.)

ICQs: "Do you choose one answer or two?" (One.)

Pairs compare answers and results. Ask: "Are you an angel, a realist or a rebel?"

Part B: Finding the rules (7 minutes)

Give out Handout 2. Say: "Look at the sentences from the quiz. Answer the questions with your partner."

ICQs: "Alone or with a partner?" (With a partner.)

Monitor. Ask stuck pairs: "Have you found a wallet? Is it real or imaginary?"

Part C: Clarification (7 minutes)

Elicit the answers. Build the form in the centre of the board: If + past simple, would / could + base verb.

Ask the CCQs from the Language analysis. Draw a timeline with NOW and FUTURE; write won under it to show it isn't past time.

First vs second. Board If I pass the exam, I'll celebrate and If I won a million rupees, I'd travel the world. Ask: "Which one is likely?" Draw a line from 0% to 100% and place each sentence.

If I were you. Board it and ask: "Is this advice or a story?" (Advice.)

Pronunciation. Drill I'd and question intonation: What would you do if you found a wallet? I'd take it to the police.

Controlled practice10 minutes · Individual, then pairs, then whole class

Aim: To practise the form and the contrast accurately.

Give out Handout 3. Say: "Exercise A: complete the sentences. Exercise B: first or second conditional? Seven minutes."

Pairs compare and justify: "It's unlikely, so second."

Check as a class.

Freer practice18 minutes · Groups of four, then whole class

Aim: To use the second conditional fluently in a discussion of dilemmas.

Give each group a set of dilemma cards (Handout 4). Model with one card: "If my best friend copied my homework, I'd ... because ..."

Students take turns to read a card. Each person says what they would do and why. The group decides on the best answer (12 minutes).

ICQs: "Does everyone answer each card?" (Yes.) "Do you give a reason?" (Yes.)

Each group reports the dilemma they disagreed about most (4 minutes).

Monitor and note errors.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Return to the sentence you boarded in Stage 1. Ask: "Is it correct now?" Students correct it if necessary.

Board four sentences from Stage 4 (two with errors). Students correct them.

Set the homework.

Homework Write a paragraph (120 words): If I could change one thing about my town, I would ... Use at least five second conditional sentences.

PPP (presentation, practice, production). Stage times add up to 60 minutes.

Differentiation

Support
Give weaker students sentence starters on the dilemma cards: If this happened to me, I'd ... · I wouldn't ... Let them answer with the main clause only at first.
Stretch
Stronger students ask follow-up questions: What would you do if your friend got angry? They use might and could in the main clause to show different degrees of certainty.

Adapting the lesson

ForWhat to change
A large class (40 or more)Keep the pairwork in "Freer practice" in fixed pairs rather than a mingle, and take feedback from four or five pairs instead of the whole room. Monitor one half of the room during "Controlled practice" and the other half during "Freer practice".
A class with no photocopierPut the exercises from Handout 3: Practice on the board for learners to copy into their notebooks, and read any text aloud twice instead of printing it. Handout 4: Dilemma Cards (cut up) works read out from the front: learners note what they need rather than holding a card. The board plan above is this lesson's minimum - with that on the board, it runs on no paper at all.
An online classSend Handouts 1 to 4 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for the pairwork in "Freer practice" and visit each room once. Have learners type the controlled answers in the chat, so you see every answer at once instead of nominating.
A different age groupWith teenagers, shorten the analysis and get to the task sooner. With adults in a work context, keep the forms exactly as they are and swap the lesson's theme for one from their own field.

Checking learning

In the discussion, students use the past simple after if and would in the main clause. 9 out of 11 or better on Handout 3, Exercise A. Students correctly choose first or second conditional in 4 of 5 items in Exercise B.

Teacher's reflection

Did students understand that the past form doesn't mean past time? Were the dilemmas engaging? Did students give reasons?

Handout 1: Magazine Quiz

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

ANGEL, REALIST OR REBEL? Do our quiz and find out!

1. If you found a wallet with 20,000 rupees in the street, what would you do? a. I'd take it to the police. b. I'd look for the owner's ID and call them. c. I'd keep the money. Finders keepers!

2. If your friend gave you a horrible birthday present, what would you say? a. I'd say, "Thank you! I love it!" b. I'd say thank you, but I wouldn't use it. c. I'd tell them the truth.

3. If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do? a. I'd help people secretly. b. I'd go to a concert without a ticket. c. I'd listen to my teachers' conversations!

4. If a shop assistant gave you too much change, what would you do? a. I'd give it back immediately. b. I'd give it back if it was a lot of money. c. I wouldn't say anything.

Results: Mostly a: You're an angel! · Mostly b: You're a realist. · Mostly c: You're a rebel!

Handout 2: Language Focus

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Look at these sentences from the quiz.

Answer the questions with your partner.

  • If you found a wallet, what would you do?
  • If you could be invisible, what would you do?
  • I'd take it to the police.
  • I wouldn't say anything.
  • In sentence 1, have you found a wallet? Is the situation real or imaginary? ______________
  • found is a past form. Is the sentence about the past? ______________
  • What tense comes after if? ______________________________
  • What comes in the other part of the sentence? ______________ + base verb
  • What does 'd mean in sentence 3? ______________
  • Look at these two sentences. Which one is more likely? Why?
  • If I pass the exam, I'll celebrate.
  • If I won the lottery, I'd buy a house.

Handout 3: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Complete with the correct form of the verbs.

B. First or second conditional? Complete the sentences.

  • If I ______________ (have) a car, I ______________ (drive) to school.
  • If she ______________ (live) near the beach, she ______________ (swim) every day.
  • What ______________ you ______________ (do) if you ______________ (see) a snake in your room?
  • If I ______________ (be) you, I ______________ (apologise).
  • They ______________ (not / be) so tired if they ______________ (go) to bed earlier.
  • If it ______________ (rain) tomorrow, we ______________ (stay) at home. (It's quite possible.)
  • If I ______________ (meet) the President, I ______________ (ask) him for a selfie. (Very unlikely!)
  • If you ______________ (hurry), you ______________ (catch) the bus. (It's possible.)
  • If humans ______________ (have) wings, we ______________ (not / need) cars. (Impossible.)
  • If my mum ______________ (find out), she ______________ (be) angry. (She probably will!)

Handout 4: Dilemma Cards (cut up)

Useful language: If this happened to me, I'd ... · I wouldn't ... because ... · I think I'd probably ... · I might ... · If I were him / her, I'd ...

Your best friend wants to copy your homework.You see a classmate cheating in an exam.
You break your neighbour's window with a cricket ball. Nobody sees you.You find your sister's diary on the table.
A shop gives you a free phone by mistake.Your friend's new haircut looks terrible. He asks your opinion.
You win a holiday for two. You can take only one friend.You see a famous actor in the supermarket.

Answer Key

Handout 2

Handout 3, Exercise A

Handout 3, Exercise B

Common errors to watch for

  • No; imaginary · 2. No, it's about an imaginary present or future · 3. Past simple · 4. would / could · 5. would · 6. The first: passing the exam is possible; winning the lottery is very unlikely.
  • had ... would drive · 2. lived ... would swim · 3. would ... do ... saw · 4. were ... would apologise · 5. wouldn't be ... went
  • rains ... will stay · 2. met ... would ask · 3. hurry ... will catch · 4. had ... wouldn't need · 5. finds out ... will be
ErrorCorrection
If I would have money, I would travel.If I had money, I would travel.
If I win the lottery, I will buy a castle. (imaginary)If I won the lottery, I would buy a castle.
If I was you, I'd go. (formal writing)If I were you, I'd go.
If I had a car, I drive to school.If I had a car, I would drive to school.

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About this lesson plan

Written by RCF English to the RCF English international standard: levelled by the CEFR, original throughout, and suitable for classrooms in any country. Last reviewed 22 September 2026.

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