CELTA lesson plan template
A free Word template with every section a CELTA tutor expects, what to write in each one, typical stage timings for the main lesson shapes, and a complete example plan you can compare yours with.
What goes in each section
| Section | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson details | Your name, date, level, number of learners, lesson length and the lesson's topic. | B1 · 14 adults · 60 minutes · Topic: childhood memories |
| Main aim | One sentence: what learners will be able to do better by the end, naming the language or skill and the context. | To clarify and practise used to for past habits and states in the context of childhood memories. |
| Subsidiary aims | One to three smaller aims that support the main aim (a sub-skill, pronunciation, fluency practice). | To give learners practice in reading for gist; to practise the weak form /ˈjuːstə/. |
| Personal aims | What you, the teacher, are working on, usually from your last feedback. | To give instructions before handing out the material. |
| Assumptions | What you expect learners already know or can do, so the plan starts at the right point. | Learners know the past simple of common verbs and can talk about their families. |
| Anticipated problems and solutions | Likely difficulties with meaning, form, pronunciation, the task and classroom management, each with a specific solution. | Meaning: learners may use used to for single past events → contrast one event with repeated habits on a timeline. |
| Language analysis | For each target item: meaning (with CCQs), form, pronunciation (stress, weak forms, phonemic script) and use or register. | Form: subject + used to + base verb. CCQ: Do I live there now? (No). |
| Materials and sources | Every handout, text, recording and image, with its source. | Reading text "Growing up in Fes" (own material); timeline on the board. |
| Timetable fit | How this lesson connects to the previous and the next one. | Last lesson: past simple. Next lesson: would for past habits. |
| Procedure (stage table) | Every stage with its aim, time, interaction pattern and what the teacher and learners do, including instructions and ICQs. | Lead-in · to engage learners with the topic · 5 min · T-S, S-S · Show a childhood photo, pairs guess where it was taken. |
CELTA lesson stages and timings (60 minutes)
Choose the shape that fits your aim. The minutes are typical shares, not rules: adjust them to your learners and keep the total right.
PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production)
Best for: Clear new grammar or functional language for lower levels.
| Stage | Stage aim | Time | Interaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead-in | To engage learners and set the context | 5 min | T-S, S-S |
| Presentation of the context | To show the target language in a meaningful context | 8 min | T-S |
| Clarification: meaning, form, pronunciation | To clarify the target language (CCQs, form on the board, drilling) | 12 min | T-S |
| Controlled practice | To give accuracy practice of the target language | 10 min | S, S-S |
| Freer practice (production) | To give fluency practice using the target language | 18 min | S-S, groups |
| Feedback and delayed error correction | To give feedback on content and language | 7 min | T-S |
Test–Teach–Test
Best for: Language learners may partly know (find the gaps first).
| Stage | Stage aim | Time | Interaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead-in | To engage learners with the topic | 4 min | T-S, S-S |
| Test 1 | To find out what learners already know about the target language | 9 min | S, S-S |
| Teach (clarification) | To clarify the problems Test 1 showed (meaning, form, pronunciation) | 15 min | T-S |
| Test 2 | To check and practise the clarified language | 10 min | S, S-S |
| Freer practice | To give fluency practice using the language | 15 min | S-S |
| Feedback | To give feedback on content and language | 7 min | T-S |
Task-Based Learning (Willis)
Best for: Fluency-focused lessons, higher levels, Business English.
| Stage | Stage aim | Time | Interaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-task | To introduce the topic and the task, activate useful language | 8 min | T-S |
| Task | To give fluency practice through a real communicative task | 12 min | S-S, groups |
| Planning | To prepare a report of the task outcome | 8 min | Groups |
| Report | To present the outcome to the class | 10 min | S-T, groups |
| Language focus: analysis | To notice useful language from the task or a model | 12 min | T-S, S-S |
| Language focus: practice | To practise the language analysed | 10 min | S-S |
Receptive skills (reading or listening)
Best for: A lesson built around a text or recording.
| Stage | Stage aim | Time | Interaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead-in | To engage learners and activate schema | 6 min | T-S, S-S |
| Pre-teach blocking vocabulary | To clarify the words needed to understand the text | 7 min | T-S |
| Gist task | To give practice in reading/listening for gist | 8 min | S, S-S |
| Detailed task | To give practice in reading/listening for detail | 14 min | S, S-S |
| Follow-up speaking | To give fluency practice responding to the text | 18 min | S-S, groups |
| Feedback | To give feedback on content and language | 7 min | T-S |
Productive skills (speaking or writing)
Best for: A lesson where the outcome is learners' own speaking or writing.
| Stage | Stage aim | Time | Interaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead-in | To engage learners with the topic | 5 min | T-S, S-S |
| Model and analysis | To show a model and notice its features (structure, useful language) | 12 min | S, S-S |
| Useful language | To clarify and practise the language learners will need | 10 min | T-S |
| Planning | To give learners time to plan what to say or write | 6 min | S, S-S |
| Speaking / writing task | To give fluency practice in a realistic task | 18 min | S-S or S |
| Feedback and correction | To give feedback on content and language | 9 min | T-S |
Skip the blank page
Tell GetLessonWise your topic, level and class, or upload a textbook page, and get this whole template filled in: aims, assumptions, anticipated problems, language analysis with CCQs, and every stage with timings, instructions and ICQs, plus the student handout. Your first 2 lessons are free.
Questions trainees ask
- What should a CELTA lesson plan include?
- Lesson details, a main aim and subsidiary aims, personal aims, assumptions, anticipated problems with solutions, a language analysis (meaning, form, pronunciation), materials, timetable fit, and a stage-by-stage procedure with stage aims, timings, interaction patterns, instructions and ICQs.
- What are the stages of a CELTA lesson?
- They depend on the lesson shape. A PPP grammar lesson: lead-in, context, clarification of meaning, form and pronunciation, controlled practice, freer practice, feedback. A reading lesson: lead-in, pre-teaching, gist task, detailed task, follow-up speaking, feedback.
- How long should each stage be?
- In a 60-minute lesson, clarification usually takes 10–15 minutes and freer practice 15–20; the lead-in stays short (about 5 minutes). The tables on this page give typical timings that add up to 60 minutes.