B2 – Past Simple vs. Present Perfect

Description

A B2-level ESL lesson on Past Simple vs Present Perfect.

Students explore the difference between Past Simple and Present Perfect through communicative tasks and guided grammar analysis. Learners identify tense usage, practise forming contrastive questions, and share personal experiences in pairs and groups. Includes teacher-led clarification, modelled examples, and a final reflective speaking task to consolidate learning. Ideal for reviewing past tenses in a meaningful, engaging way.

Warmer: Find Someone Who…

In this class, we start with a group exercise called Find someone who… During this activity, students interview each other and write the names of their classmates next to the statements that are true for them. Depending on the class size, this task can be approached in two different ways. For larger groups, students can mingle and find people who match the descriptions. In the case of smaller groups or individual students, they can think of someone they know who matches the descriptions.

Grammar Review: Analysing Past Tenses

Review the sentences by asking students to analyse the tenses and structures used in each one. The sentences use only two tenses – Present Perfect and Past Simple. Since this class is at a B2 level, students should be familiar with both tenses. Regardless of their familiarity, review the rules of the tenses for speaking about past experiences. Emphasise that Present Perfect is used for unspecified time in the past, while Past Simple is used to talk about actions that happened at specific moments in the past.

Controlled Practice: Forming Questions

Practise using both the Present Perfect and the Past Simple tenses to form questions about past experiences. Demonstrate this by completing the first question with the students. Afterwards, check the students’ answers and address any issues that arise.

Example: Have you ever travelled to a foreign country? Which country did you visit?

After reviewing all the answers, divide the students into pairs and have them respond to the questions they created in the previous task.

Extension: A Significant Event

If you end up with too much time remaining at the end of the class, consider prompting students to reflect on a significant event in their lives. You can demonstrate this activity yourself or use my example to illustrate the usage of Present Perfect and Past Simple when discussing past events. You can use my description of a short trip to Japan, as an example.