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GENERAL ENGLISH · PRACTICAL ENGLISH · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

SELF-
DRIVING
CARS
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1 Warm up
Match the words and pictures.

driver’s licence accident mirror steering wheel

speed limit lanes hand brake seat

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

Answer the questions.

1. Do you drive?
2. How has driving changed over the last 10 years?
3. What changes to driving do you expect in the next 10 years?

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2 Reading

Read the article about self-driving cars and answer the questions.

1. How does the computer help the driver in the lowest level of self-driving cars?
2. What can the driver do in the highest level of self-driving cars?
3. Which level will be available soon?
4. What type of effect will self-driving cars have on the environment?
5. Which two types of people will find self-driving cars useful?

Work in A/B pairs. Read the article again and match the words/phrases in bold with their meanings
below. Then explain your words to your partner.

Student A:

1. things that happen because of another event

2. working quickly and without waste

3. guesses about what will happen in the future

4. new machines or computers that have been developed scientifically

Student B

1. makes a machine work (or a person behave) in a certain way

2. stop something happening

3. take the place of something so that it no longer exists

4. happen or exist because of another event

Which word in the first group is not a noun?

What type of words are all the items in the second group?

What was the most interesting or surprising information in the article?

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PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)
SELF-DRIVING CARS
Who’s behind the wheel?
The future of self-driving cars
1.
Is your drive to work a waste
of time? Maybe you hate
driving or don’t have a licence?
The solution: self-driving cars.
Carmakers have been talking
about these for years and have
made many predictions about
when the necessary computer
technology will be ready.
2.
There are six levels of technology
that can do some or all of the
driver’s work. At the lowest
levels, the driver controls the
car, and the computer helps with
parking or staying in a lane.
This technology is already in use.
At the higher levels, the driver
is free to work or sleep, and
the computer is fully in control
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although with a speed limit.
Some people predict that this
technology won’t be available for
many years. It’s the middle levels,
where a person and a computer
both drive the car, which we may
see on our roads soon.
3.
The question we all want to ask
is: are self-driving cars safe?
Actually, they might prevent
thousands of accidents, although
there is a danger that drivers
could become too confident
about the technology. Self-
driving cars will have other
effects. They will probably be
better for the environment, as
a computer drives a car more
efficiently than a person. Self-
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driving cars may replace taxis;
it will certainly be cheaper to
run a taxi service if there are
no drivers to pay. If self-driving
taxis become really popular, then
this might result in big changes
in the number of people who
want to own cars. The biggest
winners are likely to be some
disabled people who don’t have
a driving licence, or older people
who have lost confidence driving
on busy roads.
4.
The question isn’t IF we will see
self-driving cars on the roads, it’s
WHEN we will see them.
Sources: bbc.co.uk;
theguardian.com; vox.com
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3 Language point

We use a range of language to make predictions about the future. Study the sentences and answer
the questions.

• Carmakers have made many predictions about when the necessary computer technology
will be ready.
• Some people predict that this technology won’t be available for many years.

Answer these questions.

1. What verb form follows will/won’t?

2. When we use will/won’t, do we feel sure about our prediction?

• It’s the middle levels, where a person and a computer both drive the car, which we may
see on our roads soon.
• Actually, they might prevent thousands of accidents...
• ... there is a danger that drivers could become too confident about the technology.

Answer these questions.

1. We also use may/might/could + verb to make predictions. How is the meaning of these words
different from will?
2. Which two of these words have the same meaning in this context?
3. Which word shows that we feel there is only a small chance that something will happen?

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• They will probably be better for the environment...

• ... it will certainly be cheaper to run a taxi service if there are no drivers to pay.

Answer these questions.

1. What kind of words are in bold?

2. What other words like this could we use with will to show how sure we are about a prediction?
3. Where do the adverbs go in the sentence?

• If self-driving taxis become really popular, then this might result in big changes in the
number of people who want to own cars.

We can also use may/might/could in conditional sentences about the future, instead of will.

Answer this question.

Does this type of conditional sentence describe a real or unreal situation?

• The biggest winners are likely to be some disabled people who don’t have a driving
licence, or older people who have lost confidence driving on busy roads.

Answer these questions.

1. There are other structures that we can use to make predictions about the future. What verb form
follows are likely in this sentence?
2. Does be likely to + verb mean that we are certain or that we are guessing?
3. What is the opposite of likely?

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4 Practice

Read the first sentences. Use the word in brackets to complete the second sentences so that they
have the same meaning.

original sentence changed to

1) I’m certain that taxi drivers will lose their jobs

their jobs if
if self-driving taxis become very popular. →
self-driving taxis become very popular.
(definitely)

2) If self-driving taxis become popular, people If self-driving taxis become popular,

will probably sell their cars. . (likely)

3) In the future, people are certain to share In the future, people

control of their car with a computer. . (will)

4) People are likely to use self-driving cars

self-driving cars
instead of taxis.
instead of taxis. (may)

5) It’s possible that we will see fully self-driving

fully self-driving
cars on the roads in the next 20 years.
cars on the roads in the next 20 years. (could)

6) Self-driving cars are very unlikely to cause Self-driving cars

many accidents. . (won’t)

7) Some people aren’t sure if they will feel safe Some people
in a self-driving car. . (might)

8) Not many people think that self-driving cars

completely replace
will completely replace normal cars.
normal cars. (unlikely)

9) We think that self-driving cars might be

be popular with
popular with some disabled and older drivers.
some disabled and older drivers. (probably)

10) I think there’s a small chance of self-driving

the most important
cars being the most important technology of
technology of the century. (possibly)
the century.

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5 Speaking

Work in A/B pairs. You are going to have a discussion about the future uses of drones and self-driving
cars. Read the information in your part of the table and think of a prediction about each item. Use as
many words as you can from the list below.

A drone is a flying vehicle that someone controls from the ground.

will / won’t / might / may / could / likely / unlikely / definitely / certainly / probably / possibly

self-driving cars drones

Student A taking children to and from watching traffic / planting

school / security problems trees in forests / making maps
from other people taking of historical places
control of the car (hacking)

Student B driving tests and driving finding rare animals in the wild
licences / how action films will / delivering take-away food
show car chases / space for orders
walking in cities

Take turns to explain your ideas to your partner, giving reasons and examples. Listen and discuss the
predictions.

1. What predictions do you both feel the most certain about?

2. What predictions do you disagree about?

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6 Extra practice/homework

Put these words in order to make predictions about drones.

certainly / drones / The police / to / traffic. / use / watch / will

1.

to deliver / drones / things / to people. / use / very large / We / won’t

2.

drones. / find / If we / in the wild, we / might / need to / rare animals / use

3.

to deliver / drones / Emergency workers / may / medicine / sick people. / to / use

4.

We could / drones / in the forest. / to find / places where / to plant trees / we need / use

5.

are / be useful / Drones / likely / make maps / of historical places. / to / when we

6.

are / be / completely / Drones / from hackers. / safe / to / unlikely

7.

deliver / Drones / order / online. / probably / that we / things / will

8.

be / break down. / could / dangerous / Drones / if they / possibly / to people

9.

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7 Optional extension

There are lots of expressions in English about driving. Read the mini dialogues out loud and explain
what each expression in bold means.

Dialogue 1

A: Slow down! There’s a red light. Watch out for that white car! Don’t you need to put your turn
signal on?
B: I really don’t need a back-seat driver. I know what I’m doing.

Dialogue 2

A: That music is driving me crazy! Can you turn it down, please?

B: OK, mum. Sorry.

Dialogue 3

A: I’m selling the car for £5000.

B: Would you take £4000?
A: No, the price is £5000.
B: Wow, you really drive a hard bargain.

Dialogue 4

A: So, I told him, "I’m the one who makes the decisions about the project."
B: Yeah, you’re in the driver’s seat! What are you going to do?

Dialogue 5

A: Do you want to come with us to see a movie?

B: Yeah, but aren’t all the cinemas closed because of the pandemic?
A: Only the indoor ones. We’re going to a drive-in.
B: Sure, that sounds like fun.

1. Check your answers and talk about the meanings. Do you have similar expressions in your language?
2. Think of some examples from your own experience where you could use these expressions?

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TEACHER MATERIALS · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

SELF-DRIVING CARS

Key

1. Warm up

5 mins.
Work with the class to match the words and pictures and check pronunciation. Give students a minute or so to
chat in pairs about the follow-up questions and elicit a range of brief answers around the class. Students may
mention self-driving cars – this is the topic of the reading that follows.
1. accident
2. hand brake
3. driver’s licence
4. lanes
5. mirror
6. seat
7. speed limit
8. steering wheel

2. Reading

10 mins.
Explain the context and go over the instructions for the first reading activity. Give students ~3 minutes to read
the article to find the answers and check these with the class. Then set up A/B pairs and ask students to return
to the article to match four words with their definitions. They should use the context to help them. A+B pairs can
then explain the words to each other before you check answers (and pronunciation). Finally pose the follow-up
questions and elicit some responses.
1. It helps with parking or staying in a lane.
2. Work or sleep.
3. Middle level - where a computer and a person both drive the car
4. A positive effect.
5. Some disabled drivers without a licence and older people who have lost confidence driving.

A/B pairs
A
1. effects 2. efficiently 3. predictions 4. technology

B
1. controls 2. prevent 3. replace 4. result in

Questions
1. adverb: efficiently 2. verbs

3. Language point

10 mins.
Go over the examples and questions in each of the five sections. Students will almost certainly have encountered
will for future predictions, but this concept is expanded here to include a wider range of language. You might want

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to point out to students that am/is/are likely to + verb uses a present form of to be but refers to the future. You
should conclude this stage by drilling all the example sentences.
Part 1
1. The base form, or infinitive without to. 2. Yes.

Part 2
1. We feel less sure about our 2. may and might 3. could
prediction.

Part 3
1. adverbs 2. definitely, possibly. 3. Between will and the verb.

Part 4
1. The situation in the if clause is real (a first conditional sentence), but if we use may/might/could, then we are
not sure about its relationship with the result in the second clause.

Part 5
1. Infinitive with to. 2. We are guessing. 3. Unlikely.

4. Practice

10 mins.
Go over the instructions and do the first one together as an example. Students can work alone while you monitor
and support, and check answers in pairs, and then with the whole class. Sentence transformation exercises like
these appear on Cambridge exams.
NOTE: If students are finding this difficult, skip the speaking stage and do the extra practice/homework exercises
in class for additional support.
1. Taxi drivers will definitely lose
2. people are likely to sell their cars
3. will (certainly) share control of their car with a computer
4. People may use
5. We could see
6. (probably) won’t cause many accidents
7. might not feel safe in a self-driving car
8. Self-driving cars are unlikely to
9. Self-driving cars will probably
10. Self-driving cars will possibly be

5. Speaking

13 mins.
Call attention to the picture and definition. Go over the instructions and set up A/B roles. Make sure students
know that they are going to practise making predictions about these two topics and they need to use a range of
language from the list.
Give students a few minutes to prepare their predictions. You may need to explain some of the items like hacking
(taking control of someone’s computer system without their permission) or rare animals (for example, pandas,
whales, tigers or gorillas). Students could work in A+A and B+B pairs to formulate ideas, or they could work alone.
It’s fine if they haven’t got time to do all five of their options or don’t have any ideas about some of them. They

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should aim to do three options and they can explore the others with their partner if they have time later. Monitor
and support as necessary.
Then students recombine into A+B pairs and take turns making predictions about their topics, giving reasons and
examples, and responding to each other’s ideas. Again, monitor and support as necessary and make a note of any
errors for feedback later. Early finishers can answer the follow-up questions.
Conclude this stage by checking some or all predictions, or by offering error correction and feedback.

6. Extra practice/homework

2 mins to explain.
These exercises can be assigned for homework or used instead of the speaking activity if the class needs more
support. If you use these for homework, make sure that you mark the exercises in a future class, or collect them
from students and mark them yourself outside class. If you prefer, you can make the answers available to students
and they can check their own answers.
1. The police will certainly use drones to watch traffic.
2. We won’t use drones to deliver very large things to people.
3. If we need to find rare animals in the wild, we might use drones.
4. Emergency workers may use drones to deliver medicine to sick people.
5. We could use drones to find places where we need to plant trees in the forest.
6. Drones are likely to be useful when we make maps of historical places.
7. Drones are unlikely to be completely safe from hackers.
8. Drones will probably deliver things that we order online.
9. Drones could possibly be dangerous to people if they break down.

7. Optional extension

10 mins.
This activity is intended as a filler or cooler if you have some extra time in your lesson. Students can work in pairs
to read the dialogues out loud and then decide what each expression in bold means from the context. Check
answers and pose the follow-up questions.
a back-seat driver - someone who gives lots of unwanted advice to another person in the car or in other situations.
is driving me crazy - making someone feel angry, annoyed or upset
drive a hard bargain - get a good business deal by refusing to change your mind
in the driver’s seat - in control of a situation
a drive-in - an outdoor cinema with a big screen where people sit in their cars to watch movies

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