Unit 1 (School day)

How do you talk about school subjects and a timetable?

PE means physical education. Maths is the common British form; math is common in American English. Write English with a capital because it is a language name. The examples use a simplified practice timetable, so they do not prescribe your school’s actual subjects or hours.

When do you use the present simple?

How do you spell the third-person form?

The verb be has its own forms and makes questions directly: Is he late? He isn’t late. Do not apply do or does to be: Does he is late is incorrect. To ask about an ordinary action, use do or does: Does he arrive early?

How do you ask about another pupil’s routine?

A question word goes first, then do/does, then the subject and base verb: What time does Sami leave? A short answer repeats the auxiliary: Yes, he does. A full answer gives the useful information: He leaves at half past seven.

Where do always, usually, sometimes and never go?

The usual position is before an ordinary main verb: She usually walks. With be, put the adverb after be: She is usually early. Sometimes can also start or end a sentence: Sometimes I read at break. I read at break sometimes. These words describe frequency; they do not have fixed numerical percentages.

How do you tell the time and use at, on and in?

Past counts minutes after the hour. To counts minutes before the next hour, so 08:45 is quarter to nine. Digital forms are also useful: eight fifteen, eight thirty and eight forty-five. Say at eight o’clock, on Monday and in the morning. School and timetable hours here are examples, not a national school schedule.

What is the difference between present simple and present continuous?

For the continuous, add ing to most verbs: read → reading. Drop a final silent e: write → writing. In short stressed consonant-vowel-consonant verbs, double the final consonant: sit → sitting, run → running. Keep the final y: study → studying. Learn spelling with the example rather than adding letters automatically.

Some familiar verbs such as like and know usually stay in the simple form for these meanings: I like English. I know the answer. A word such as now is a clue, but it does not replace thinking about the meaning: I know the answer now is still natural.

Reading: Salma’s usual Tuesday and today

On Tuesdays, Salma leaves home at quarter past seven. She usually walks with her cousin. They arrive at school at half past seven. English starts at nine. Salma likes English because she enjoys speaking with a partner. At break, she sometimes reads in the library. Today her cousin is absent, so Salma is walking with Ines. It is break time now. Salma and Ines are drawing a poster for the reading club. They aren’t reading a book at the moment.

Listen, compare and write about a school day

Ask a partner to read this script slowly while you look away: I’m Hamza. I start school at eight. I have maths on Wednesday. I usually walk, but today I’m taking the bus. Write the start time, subject, day and change in transport. Listen again and check the script together. This is a partner-read listening task; no audio file is required.

For speaking, ask a classmate three routine questions and one question about now. For writing, produce 60–80 words with four routine sentences and two sentences about today. Use one frequency adverb, one at/on time expression and because to give a reason. You may invent a timetable if you prefer.

Self-check: can your reader tell what usually happens and what is happening today? Check does + base verb, be + ing, time prepositions and punctuation. A useful paragraph gives a clear picture of a pupil’s day rather than a list of unrelated verb forms.