Free for self-study and classrooms
Free ESL lesson plans, A1 to C2
After 22 years of teaching English, I still get the same email every few weeks: which lesson should I start with? Here are all my level lessons and podcast lessons in one place, sorted by CEFR level.
26 level lessons
6 podcast lessons
A1 to C2
Answer keys included
Every level lesson has five parts
The same simple structure every time, so you always know what to expect.
1
A reading
A text at the right level, built around an interesting topic.
2
Vocabulary
The words you need to understand and use the reading.
3
Example sentences
The target grammar at work, in context.
4
Grammar explanation
A short, clear explanation of the grammar point.
5
Comprehension questions
Check your understanding, with an answer key.
Here's the catch
These pages train reading, vocabulary and grammar. They do not give you speaking practice, so you will need a partner, a tutor or your own voice recorder for that. Even so, a well-chosen reading at the right level teaches new structures without a single textbook drill.
A1
A1 lessons: Beginner
Your first steps in English, with short readings about everyday life.
Meeting People From Around the World
Greetings, introductions and saying where you are from, with Maria and her new friends. Grammar: the verb “to be”.
A Visit to the Zoo
Mia and Jake meet lions, elephants and monkeys. Grammar: “there is / there are” with adjectives.
A Day at the Night Market
Leo and Zara decide what to eat. Grammar: “some” and “any” with count and uncount nouns.
My First Part-Time Job
Nora’s weekend job at a smoothie stand. Grammar: the simple present with adverbs of frequency.
A2
A2 lessons: Elementary
Simple stories and everyday situations, with the past tenses coming in.
Lost in a New City
Two exchange students get lost on their first day in Rome. Grammar: the simple past with prepositions of place.
The Mystery of the Missing Backpack
Sam and Ana follow the clues to find a missing bag. Grammar: the past continuous and simple past.
B1
B1 lessons: Intermediate
Real-world stories and history, with more complex grammar.
The Coffee Shop That Almost Closed
Elena fights back when a big chain opens nearby. Grammar: “used to” with the past simple.
The Invention of the Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray race to the patent office in 1876. Grammar: the past simple and past continuous together.
The Global Journey of Pad Thai
From a 1940s rice-shortage campaign to menus around the world. Grammar: the present perfect and past simple.
B2
B2 lessons: Upper-Intermediate
Psychology, society and history, with ideas worth debating.
Why We Fall for Optical Illusions
The checker shadow illusion and the mental shortcuts behind it. Grammar: the passive voice.
How Social Media Changed Friendship
The share of Americans with no close friends has quadrupled since 1990. Grammar: the present perfect and present perfect continuous.
The Psychology Behind Habits
The “21 days” myth and the habit loop, plus a bonus on modals of speculation.
C1
C1 lessons: Advanced
True stories, science and business, with academic-style language.
The Forger Who Fooled the Art World for Decades
Han van Meegeren sold a fake Vermeer to a Nazi official, then had to prove his own guilt in court. Grammar: the past perfect for flashbacks.
Why Sugar Pills Sometimes Work
Why patients who knew their pills were fake still got better. Grammar: the passive voice and academic hedging.
The Science of Memory and Forgetting
Ebbinghaus’s research, interference theory and why spaced review works.
C2
C2 lessons: Mastery
Big debates and big ideas, with the most sophisticated grammar.
Theft or Evolution? The Debate Over AI-Generated Art
Does it exploit artists’ unpaid work or continue a long tradition of influence? Grammar: cleft sentences and inversion for emphasis.
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Options Make Us Less Happy
The famous jam study against a 2010 meta-analysis of 50 studies. Grammar: nominalization and academic hedging.
The Fall of the Roman Empire
Over 200 competing explanations, and why historians reject a single cause.
The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
Algorithmic bias in facial recognition and who is accountable for it.
Pod
Podcast lessons for advanced learners
Each of these is a companion to an episode of the English On Topic podcast, aimed at C1 and C2 learners, with its own reading, vocabulary and grammar section.
The History of Coffee: How a Dancing Goat Started a Global Addiction
From Ethiopia through Yemen and the Ottoman Empire to Europe. Grammar: mixing the simple past, past continuous and past perfect.
The Odyssey: Masterpiece or Miscast?
Christopher Nolan’s 2026 film, the critical praise and the casting row.
New Coke: The Billion-Dollar Mistake That Saved Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola’s 1985 formula change and its rapid reversal. Grammar: the past perfect.
The Word That Conquered the World: The Contested Origins of “OK”
A joke in 1839 that conquered the world. Grammar: epistemic hedging.
Dystopian Hiking: The Long Walk and the Slow-Burn Economics of a Sleeper Hit
A 1979 novel, decades of failed adaptations and a second life on HBO Max. Grammar: reduced relative clauses.
The Y2K Bug: The Apocalypse That Never Came
A 1970s shortcut, a global fix and a midnight when nothing happened. Grammar: past modals of speculation.
Not sure which level you are?
Take the free English level test first. It takes about ten minutes, and then you'll know exactly where to start.
Take the English Level Test