Secondary English | Will vs Be Going to Lesson Guide (for tutors): decision gate, 3-act script, 4 common errors

2026-11-13

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary English

Students see the word tomorrow and fill in will, then freeze when asked whether the sentence was planned or decided on the spot. The gap is not memory; it is the lack of a three-second decision gate. This lesson builds one gate, two timelines and three everyday contexts.

Objectives — Students can: (1) choose between will and be going to in three seconds using one question – was there a plan before speaking; (2) state the three uses of will (instant decision, general prediction, promise) and the two uses of be going to (plan, prediction with evidence); (3) use the present tense instead of will after when and if; (4) write negatives and short answers with will and explain one pair of sentences where swapping the form changes the meaning.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Present forms of be	She ___ a student. (am / is / are)	All three forms correct without pause
Base form of the verb	Which of go / goes / went is the base form?	Says go and states that will takes the base form
Time words	Which two of tomorrow, yesterday, next Sunday point to the future?	Names tomorrow and next Sunday

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-3 min	Quick pre-check	Ask the three pre-check items and note who is not ready	Answer orally and write missed items in their notes
3-8 min	Opening contrast	Write two sentences from one scene, changing only the verb, and ask which one is an instant decision	Vote and give one reason
8-20 min	Act 1: the gate	Teach the question was there a plan, then run three contrast pairs through it	Answer the gate first, then the gap
20-32 min	Act 2: two predictions	Use dark clouds and a football match to separate evidence from belief	Build sentences orally and write them down
32-40 min	Act 3: time clauses and negatives	Show the present tense after when and if, then drill negatives and short answers	Correct three sentences and explain each change
40-45 min	Practice and exit check	Hand out three items, circulate and collect wrong patterns	Work independently and submit

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: One future, two forms

Write two sentences without explaining them: A. The phone is ringing. I will get it. B. I am going to visit my grandmother this Saturday.

Ask which sentence was not planned before speaking. Most students pick A. Then ask how they know. Shape their answer into one line: because A was decided at the moment the phone rang.

Add a third sentence: C. Look at those black clouds. It is going to rain.

Ask whether anyone planned the rain. That is the second key: predictions with visible evidence also take be going to.

This act builds one impression only: both forms talk about the future, and the difference is planning and evidence.

Scene 2: One gate, three seconds

Give students a fixed question to write at the top of their worksheet: Was there a plan in my head before I spoke?

Plan – use be going to. No plan, decided now – use will. Run three contrast pairs through the gate: helping someone carry a box, revising tomorrow because a schedule was made, and a team winning because of the scoreboard.

For every pair, students answer the gate first, then the gap, then give one reason. A correct answer without a reason is a guess.

Push for the reason out loud. The reason is the skill; the answer is only its shadow.

Scene 3: Two predictions and one time clause

Prediction from belief uses will: I think Hong Kong will be hotter next summer. Signal words are I think, probably and maybe.

Prediction from evidence uses be going to: She is going to fall – the floor is wet.

Then teach time clauses: When it rains, we stay home. Not will rain. The rule: after when and if, use the present tense even for future meaning. The main clause keeps will: If you finish early, we will go out.

Finish with negatives and short answers: She won’t come. Yes, I will. No, I won’t. Point out that won’t is the contraction of will not, and that willn’t is not a word.

Add the promise use of will when the box example appears: I will help you with that box. A promise is an instant decision.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Gate choice, gap fill	The phone is ringing. I ___ (get) it.	Read, ask the gate, no plan means will, then use the base form	will get
Prediction with evidence	Look at the sky! It ___ (rain).	Find the evidence, choose be going to, match be to the subject	is going to rain
Time clause correction	When he will arrive, we will start.	Circle when or if, put the clause in the present tense, keep will in the main clause	When he arrives, we will start.
Negative and short answer	___ she come tomorrow? – No, she ___.	Invert will for the question, answer with will or won’t, no do	Will she come tomorrow? – No, she won’t.

Sanity check (teach this): Sanity check to teach: add the phrase I had already planned it and read the sentence again. If it sounds sensible, the answer should be be going to. If it sounds absurd, as in I had already planned it to rain, you are looking at a prediction, so will or be going to both work depending on evidence.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
1. I have bought the tickets. We ___ (fly) to Tokyo on Friday.	are going to fly	Can they infer a plan from the tickets?
2. A: We need someone to carry this. B: I ___ (do) it.	will do	Do they recognise an instant decision?
3. If it ___ (be) sunny tomorrow, we will go hiking.	is	Do they keep the time clause in the present tense?

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Using will for everything	I will visit my grandmother this Saturday. (already arranged)	You have already arranged it, so there is a plan. Use be going to. Keep will for decisions made on the spot.
Adding -ed after be going to	She is going to visited her aunt.	After to, the verb never changes. It stays in the base form.
Copying will into a time clause	When it will rain, we stay home.	No will after when. The clause uses the present tense; will stays in the main clause.
Adding do to short answers	Yes, I do will.	The question starts with will, so the short answer is will or won’t. Do never appears.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Secondary English paper index (S1 to S6) — Choose a future-forms paper here and do questions 1 to 4
Present simple and continuous (questions 1 to 3) — Do questions 1 to 3 and note the time words, which prepare this lesson
Comparatives and superlatives (questions 1 to 2) — Do questions 1 to 2 to practise judgement sentences before prediction sentences

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
The bag looks heavy. I ___ (carry) it for you.	will carry	Instant decision means will; be going to needs a reason
Look out! You ___ (drop) the glass.	are going to drop	Visible evidence means be going to
I ___ (not / come) to school tomorrow. I have a fever.	am not going to come / won’t come	A plan to be absent takes be going to; will not is accepted with a reason

09 Tutor FAQ

Students treat will and be going to as exact synonyms. What works?

They are interchangeable often enough that one form feels sufficient. Give a pair that cannot swap: saying I am going to get it while the phone rings sounds as if the call was planned. Odd sentences build the boundary faster than rules do.

How do be going to and the present continuous differ for future plans?

Both describe arrangements. The present continuous usually carries a fixed time, place and other person, while be going to is an intention in the speaker’s head. At S1 level, students only need to know that a fixed time and place favours the continuous, and that either is accepted when both fit.

How far should the time-clause rule be pushed?

Limit it to six connectors: if, when, as soon as, until, before and after. Elsewhere will is normal. Tell students to circle the connector first, then decide, never by feel.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.