ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR B1

Present Perfect Continuous ESL Lesson Plan (B1, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute B1 lesson on Present Perfect Continuous, built round the theme "Clubs and Hobbies".

CEFR B1
60 minutes
Teenagers and adults
Grammar
Perfect Tenses
Present Perfect Continuous

About this lesson

Who it is for. Intermediate students who use the present perfect simple for experiences and news, but say I am learning English since six years and don't use the present perfect continuous.

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: Writing
Language focus: Grammar: Present Perfect Continuous (for and since)
Framework: PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials: Handout 1 (club interviews), Handout 2 (discovery task), Handout 3 (practice), Handout 4 (interview sheet).
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 discover and use the present perfect continuous for duration (with for / since) and recent activity, and to contrast it with the present perfect simple for results and quantities.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can interview a partner about hobbies, work and studies and write a short profile using both perfect forms and for / since.

Subsidiary aim. To read interviews for specific information.
Subsidiary aim. To develop fluency in interviewing and writing a profile.

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

	Present perfect continuous	Present perfect simple
Positive	I've been running for five years.	I've run three marathons.
Negative	She hasn't been sleeping well.	She hasn't slept at all.
Question	How long have you been learning English?	How many books have you read?

Form: notes

have / has + been + verb-ing

Meaning and use

Present perfect continuous	Present perfect simple
Duration of an activity up to now: I've been learning English for six years.	Result or quantity: I've learned 500 words.
Recent activity with visible evidence: I've been painting (that's why I'm dirty).	Completed action: I've painted the room (it's finished).
Question: How long ...?	Question: How many / How much ...?
Not with state verbs: I've known her for years (not been knowing).

for and since

for + a period of time: for three years, for two hours, for ages.
since + a point in time: since 2019, since Monday, since I was ten.

Pronunciation

Weak been: /bɪn/. I've been running /aɪv bɪn ˈrʌnɪŋ/.
How long have you been ...? is said as one unit, stress on long and the main verb.

Concept-checking questions

I've been learning English for six years. Did I start in the past? (Yes, six years ago.) · Am I still learning? (Yes.) · Are we talking about how long or how many? (How long.)
I've run three marathons. Are the marathons finished? (Yes.) · Is the focus on how long or how many? (How many.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

Problem	Solution
Present simple / continuous for duration (I am living here since 2018).	Contrast with the timeline from past to now; CCQs.
for / since confusion.	Card sort; rule: period vs point.
Continuous with quantities (I've been writing five emails).	How long vs how many contrast.
State verbs in the continuous (I've been knowing her).	Remind of state verbs from earlier lessons.

Board plan

Left: for / since	Centre: rules	Right: pronunciation
FOR: five years · two hours · ages · a long time · SINCE: 2019 · Monday · I was ten · last summer
Timeline: started in the past → continuing now. How long? → have been + -ing: I've been running for five years. · How many? → have + pp: I've run three marathons. · Evidence: I've been painting (dirty hands). · States: I've known her for years.
I've been /aɪv bɪn/ · How LONG have you been RUNning?

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, then whole class

Aim: To personalise the topic and create interest.

Say: "Tell your partner about a hobby or sport you do. When did you start?" Model: "I play badminton. I started when I was twelve."

Students talk for 2 minutes. Take two examples without correcting.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To present the present perfect continuous in context and help students work out its form and use, contrasted with the present perfect simple.

Part A: Reading (6 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read about three club members. Who has been a member the longest? Three minutes."

Pairs compare. Students answer the three questions. Check as a class.

Part B: Finding the rules (7 minutes)

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

ICQs: "Alone or in pairs?" (Pairs.) "Where are the sentences from?" (The interviews.)

Monitor. Ask stuck pairs: "Is Amal still running? Did he start in the past?"

Part C: Clarification (7 minutes)

Elicit the answers. Draw the timeline: a line from a point in the past to NOW, with an arrow. Ask the CCQs from the Language analysis.

Contrast: How long have you been running? vs How many marathons have you run?

for / since: students call out time expressions; the class decides for or since. Board them on the left.

Pronunciation: drill How long have you been learning English? I've been learning it for six years. Focus on weak been.

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: for or since. Exercise B: simple or continuous. Seven minutes."

Pairs compare and justify: "How long, so continuous."

Check as a class.

Freer practice18 minutes · Pairs, then individual, then whole class

Aim: To use both forms fluently in a personalised interview and writing task.

Give out Handout 4. Model one question with a strong student: "How long have you been living in your house?" "Since 2015." "How many times have you moved?"

Pairs interview each other and take notes (9 minutes).

ICQs: "Do you write full sentences or notes?" (Notes.)

Students write a short profile of their partner (5 sentences) using both forms (6 minutes).

Two or three students read their profiles aloud (3 minutes).

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Board errors and good sentences from monitoring. Students correct them.

Quick check: say a time expression; students say for or since.

Set the homework.

Homework Write a 120-word profile of someone you admire, including how long they have been doing their job or hobby and what they have achieved.

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

Differentiation

Support: Provide question starters on the board. Let weaker students write profile sentences using a frame: ___ has been ___ing for / since ___. He/She has ___ (number) ___.
Stretch: Stronger students include both forms in one answer: I've been training for a year and I've run two races. They add a sentence with visible evidence: You look tired. Have you been studying all night?

Adapting the lesson

For	What 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 photocopier	Put 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. The board plan above is this lesson's minimum - with that on the board, it runs on no paper at all.
An online class	Send 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 group	With 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

Students choose for / since correctly in 7 of 8 items. In the profiles, students use both forms appropriately. Students avoid the present simple for duration up to now.

Teacher's reflection

Did students find the rules from the examples? Were for / since still a problem in the interviews?

Handout 1: Club Members

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Read about three club members. Who has been a member the longest?

The Running Club: Amal, 34 "I've been running for five years. I started because my doctor told me to lose weight! I've run three marathons and I've lost 15 kilos. Recently I've been training for the Colombo Marathon. That's why I look so tired!"

The Chess Club: Sanduni, 17 "I've been playing chess since I was eight. My grandfather taught me. I've been a member of this club for four years and I've won two national competitions. I've been practising online every evening this month."

The Choir: Mrs Perera, 61 "I've been singing in this choir since 1995, so that's a long time! We've performed in Kandy, Galle and even in Chennai. I've known some of the members for thirty years. They're like my family."

Answer the questions.

How long has Amal been running? ______________________________
How many competitions has Sanduni won? ______________________________
How long has Mrs Perera known some of the members? ______________________________

Handout 2: Language Focus

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Look at these sentences from the interviews.

Answer the questions with your partner.

I've been running for five years.
I've run three marathons.
I've been playing chess since I was eight.
I've won two national competitions.
I've been training for the marathon. That's why I look so tired!
I've known some of the members for thirty years.
In sentence 1, did Amal start running in the past? Is he still running? ______________
Which sentences tell us how long? ______________
Which sentences tell us how many? ______________
What is the form of the verb in sentences 1, 3 and 5? have / has + ______ + ______
In sentence 5, what can we see now that shows the activity? ______________
Why is sentence 6 not I've been knowing? ______________________________
Look at for five years and since I was eight. Which word goes with a period of time? Which goes with a point in time? ______________________________

Handout 3: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Write for or since.

B. Use the present perfect simple or continuous.

______ three weeks · 2. ______ 2019 · 3. ______ Monday · 4. ______ two hours · 5. ______ I was a child · 6. ______ ages · 7. ______ last summer · 8. ______ a long time
I ______________________ (wait) here for 40 minutes!
She ______________________ (read) four books this month.
How long ______ you ______________________ (live) in Colombo?
They ______________________ (play) football since 3 o'clock.
Your hands are dirty. What ______ you ______________________ (do)?
I ______________________ (know) my best friend since primary school.
How many cups of tea ______ you ______________________ (drink) today?
He ______________________ (study) for his exams all week. He's exhausted.

Handout 4: Interview Your Partner

Name: ______________________________ Partner: ______________________________

Ask the questions. Write short notes.

Write a profile of your partner (5 sentences).

..........................................................................................

Question	Notes
How long have you been living in your house / town?
How many times have you moved house?
How long have you been learning English?
How many English books or films have you finished this year?
What hobby have you been doing for the longest time?
How long have you known your best friend?
What have you been doing a lot recently?

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2

Handout 3, Exercise A

Handout 3, Exercise B

Common errors to watch for

For five years · 2. Two · 3. For thirty years Longest member: Mrs Perera (since 1995).
Yes; yes · 2. Sentences 1, 3, 6 · 3. Sentences 2, 4 · 4. been + verb-ing · 5. He looks tired · 6. know is a state verb · 7. for = period; since = point
for · 2. since · 3. since · 4. for · 5. since · 6. for · 7. since · 8. for
have been waiting · 2. has read · 3. have ... been living (have ... lived) · 4. have been playing · 5. have ... been doing · 6. have known · 7. have ... drunk · 8. has been studying

Error	Correction
I am living here since 2018.	I have been living here since 2018.
I've been knowing her for years.	I've known her for years.
I have been writing five emails.	I have written five emails.
I've been studying since three years.	I've been studying for three years.

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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.

Present Perfect Continuous ESL Lesson Plan (B1, 60 Minutes)

About this lesson

At a glance

Aims

Language analysis

Form

Form: notes

Meaning and use

for and since

Pronunciation

Concept-checking questions

Anticipated problems and solutions

Board plan

Procedure: Present Perfect Continuous, step by step

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, then whole class

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

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

Freer practice18 minutes · Pairs, then individual, then whole class

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Differentiation

Adapting the lesson

Checking learning

Teacher's reflection

Handout 1: Club Members

Handout 2: Language Focus

Handout 3: Practice

Handout 4: Interview Your Partner

Answer Key

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