6.2 Modals, Conditionals & Obligation

6.2 Modals, Conditionals & Obligation

Quick Answer: New at A2 Flyers are will, be going to, might, may, shall for suggestions, could as a suggestion, should, and zero-conditional if-clauses (If it's sunny, we go swimming). Must and have (got) to are still Movers. Shall I…? is a Movers offer; Shall we…? is the Flyers suggestion. Do not mark first or second conditionals as Flyers-new official items.

Read the lists as a stack, not a replacement

Flyers candidates need Starters can, Movers must / have to / shall I / could (past of can), and the Flyers-new row. Test writers keep to those lists in Listening Part 4 (a wide grammar sample), Reading and Writing Parts 2, 4 and 6 (functional replies, 3-option grammar cloze, open cloze), and Speaking Parts 2 and 4 (asking questions; personal going to).

Two pairs confuse markers and children equally.

Shall I versus Shall we. Shall I carry your rucksack, Harry? is a Movers offer (the speaker does the work). Shall we visit the castle? is a Flyers suggestion (the group does it). Reading and Writing Part 2 dialogues love this split: a child who answers Shall I? when the first speaker said Let's or Why don't we has the wrong function.

Could see versus could invite. From the hill Harry could see the stadium is Movers past ability. You could invite Robert to the football game is Flyers-new suggestion. The same word, two lists, two jobs. Teach them with different Flyers names so they do not collapse: William could see the swan; Emma says they could take a torch to the cave.

Will and be going to

Official Flyers examples stay small on purpose:

• It isn't going to rain today.
• Will you do your homework this evening?
• I won't buy her a CD because she doesn't like music.

At this exam, keep the classroom contrast equally small:

• Going to for a plan already in the child's head, or for weather evidence you can see: We're going to see the pyramids tomorrow. Look at those clouds — it's going to snow. Holly is going to join the chess club.
• Will / won't for a request, a refusal, or a next-line decision: Will you hold my torch? I won't buy that magazine because I don't like cartoons. The waiter will bring the menu.

Speaking Part 4 is where going to is named in the Handbook: children should answer what they are going to do at the weekend. A phrase or two short sentences is enough: I'm going to play volleyball with Michael. Then we're going to eat pizza. Do not build a B1 lecture about "predictions with evidence". The listed example is a weather sentence a child can copy.

Open cloze Part 6 often hides to after going: We are going ___ go and see the swans tomorrow. The missing word is to. Children who write will in that gap have the right meaning and the wrong structure. Part 4 three-option gaps may offer going / goes / gone or will / willing / well. Read the words after the gap (to rain, to visit) as well as the words before.

Might and may: possibility, not permission lessons

Official examples:

• Vicky might come to the party.
• The bus may not come today because there is a lot of snow.

Both mean "it is possible". Flyers does not add adult may I leave the room? as a new permission structure; permission can is already on Starters. Teach might/may as "perhaps":

• The camel might not be friendly.
• Emma may take her rucksack to the cave.
• It might snow on the hill.

In Part 2, a first speaker who is unsure (I'm not sure about the concert) often needs a might/may reply, not a must rule. Must is too strong: Vicky must come is obligation, which is a different Movers item.

Should, must, and have to

Should is the new Flyers advice word: Should we take a towel to the swimming pool? Soft, often a question, often we. Safe copies: Should we take a torch into the cave? You should wear a helmet on the bike. Helen should drink some water.

Must stays Movers obligation: He must do his homework. You mustn't give the rabbit cheese. Must I get up now? Have (got) to is the same family, including past had to: He had to draw a whale for homework. On a castle trip, Mr Park must keep the class together; the children had to walk because there was no road; a kind child says Should we wait for Paul?

Do not invent need to or ought to as Flyers-new. They are not on p. 77.

Part 2 functional language is the productive home of Shall we / Should we / You could. Part 4 and Part 6 are the receptive home of must, have to, going to, will, might.

Zero conditionals: the only official Flyers if

The Handbook heading is precise: If clauses (in zero conditionals). The example is If it's sunny, we go swimming. Both parts use a present form. The meaning is a habit, a rule, or something that is generally true, not a one-off plan for tomorrow.

Flyers-wordlist copies:

• If it snows, we make a snowman.
• If Harry is hungry, he eats a biscuit.
• If the castle is closed, we visit the museum.
• If you mix blue and yellow, you get green.

That last colour rule is useful in Listening Part 5 teaching even though the child is colouring, not writing if: the structure is a general truth.

Comma use: when if comes first, a comma is normal (If it's sunny, we go swimming). When the result comes first, the comma usually drops (We go swimming if it's sunny). Markers of Part 6 and Part 7 care more about the verb forms than about the comma, but the present + present pair is the syllabus point.

First and second conditionals: useful extra, not Flyers-new

Teachers often add If it's sunny tomorrow, we'll go swimming (first conditional: present + will) because it is a natural next step after going to and will. That sentence is not listed as new at Flyers. The official if is zero. If you teach first conditional, label it useful extra, not Handbook p. 77.

Second conditional (If I were an astronaut, I would fly to the moon) is also not a Flyers-new official item. Do not write it into Part 7 stories as if Cambridge required it. A Part 7 astronaut picture is still The astronaut arrived or The astronaut is arriving, not If he were on a planet he would talk to an alien.

A child who writes If it will rain, we will stay in the hotel has invented a pattern that is neither zero nor standard first. On this exam, repair it to If it rains, we stay in the hotel (zero, habit of this holiday) or, as extra, If it rains, we will stay in the hotel — and know which one you are teaching.

Where these forms appear in the papers

Reading and Writing Part 2 (5 marks): continuous dialogue, choose A–H. This part tests functional language. Expect Shall we…?, Should we…?, You could…, I won't because…, I'm going to…, and short yes/no replies. Read all eight options. Two are unused. A grammatically fine Shall I help you? is wrong if the first speaker asked about a group plan.

Part 4 (10 marks): factual 3-option cloze, grammatical focus. Typical traps: must / may / may be; going / go / gone; will / well / willing; if / when / because. The seasons-style factual text may need a present habit, not a will.

Part 6 (5 marks): diary or email, one word, no box. Collocations the Handbook wants practised include do some homework (which pairs with will you do your homework this evening?). Gaps after going are often to. Gaps before an adjective of feeling may be so (next section) rather than a modal.

Speaking Part 2: the child must ask as well as answer. Question-word, yes/no, and alternative questions (cheap or expensive?) sit here. What time…? is a Flyers-new question frame (section 6.4). Are they going to open at midday? is a fair yes/no using Flyers-new going to.

Speaking Part 4: going to and present perfect are named. What are you going to do on Saturday? What did you do yesterday? Have you ever been to a stadium?

Listening Part 4: five short dialogues, 3-option pictures. The Handbook says this part covers a wide range of the grammar and vocabulary on the syllabus, and the answer may come at any point, not only at the end. A speaker may say they might take the bus, then choose the taxi. Do not grab the first modal you hear.

A sorting drill that prevents list-mixing

Put eight Flyers sentences on cards and sort them into obligation, suggestion, possibility, future plan:

• You must wear a helmet. (Movers obligation)
• We've got to walk up the hill. (Movers necessity)
• Shall we have a picnic in the park? (Flyers suggestion)
• You could invite Robert. (Flyers suggestion)
• Should we take a towel? (Flyers advice)
• Vicky might come. (Flyers possibility)
• The bus may not come. (Flyers possibility)
• We're going to see the pyramids. (Flyers future plan)

If a card uses could see the birds, it does not go in suggestion; it is Movers past ability. If a card uses Shall I wash the car?, it is a Movers offer, not Shall we. That sorting is the exam skill: same small words, different lists, different Part 2 letters.