Class Timer — Free Classroom Countdown Timer

A clean, full-screen countdown timer built for classroom projection. Set any duration, press start, and every student in the room knows exactly how much time is left. Simple by design — because a timer that needs explaining defeats the purpose. One of the tools in the ESLeCollege Teacher Hub, the Class Timer works for any timed classroom activity, ESL or otherwise.

Two modes: Simple Timer and Lesson Sequence

The Class Timer now offers two modes, selectable from the tabs at the top.

Simple Timer works exactly as before — choose a preset (1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes), set a custom time, and press Start. A sound plays when time expires, the display turns red in the final ten seconds, and keyboard shortcuts keep your hands free. Add an activity label so students always know what they are supposed to be doing.

Lesson Sequence is a multi-stage timer that runs an entire lesson plan automatically. Build a sequence of named stages — Read, Plan, Write, Check, Peer feedback — each with its own duration. Press Start and the timer moves through each stage on its own, playing a chime between stages and displaying the current stage name prominently on screen. A progress bar across the top shows how far through the lesson the class is, and stage pills show completed, current, and upcoming stages at a glance.

Quick templates

Four ready-made lesson sequence templates get you started immediately:

• Writing task — Plan (2 min) → Write (10 min) → Check (2 min) → Peer feedback (3 min)
• Discussion — Read the prompt → Think alone → Discuss in pairs → Class feedback
• Exam practice — Read questions → Writing time → Check your work
• Reading — Skim read → Answer questions → Compare answers

Edit any template — rename stages, adjust durations, add or remove stages — before running. Skip a stage mid-sequence or pause and resume at any point.

Full-screen mode

Click Full screen to expand the timer to fill the entire projector or monitor. The display switches to a dark background with large digits and the stage name visible from the back of the room. Stage pills and the progress bar remain visible in Lesson Sequence mode. Press Escape or click Exit to return to the normal view. The timer keeps running throughout.

How to use it

Set the time using the controls — in minutes and seconds — then press Start. The timer counts down in large, clear digits. A gentle chime plays when time runs out. Press Reset to return to your set time and start again.

• Set any duration from 10 seconds to 60 minutes
• Large clear display designed for classroom projection
• Audio alert when time expires — audible without headphones
• Colour changes to amber at 30 seconds, red at 10 seconds
• Soft tick in the final 10 seconds to signal students to finish
• Reset instantly to run the same time again
• Works on any device — phone, tablet, laptop or desktop

Keyboard shortcuts

• Space — Start / Pause
• R — Reset
• 1–8 — Select preset duration

Classroom uses

A visible countdown timer changes student behaviour in a simple and powerful way — it creates focus, reduces off-task conversation and makes abstract time limits concrete. Use it for timed writing tasks, pair and group discussions, vocabulary games, exam practice under timed conditions, settling activities, reading tasks, peer feedback sessions or any activity that benefits from a clear deadline.

For exam classes in particular, regular use of a visible timer builds the time awareness students need to manage their own time in the actual examination. Students who have practised writing to a visible countdown are measurably better at pacing their exam answers than those who have not.

For teachers

Keep the Class Timer open in a browser tab alongside your lesson materials. It takes three seconds to set and start — less time than writing a time on the board. The Lesson Sequence mode is particularly useful for structured writing lessons: set it up at the start of class and it manages the pace of the entire activity without any further input from you.

It pairs naturally with any of the vocabulary games for timed challenges, with Spot the Mistake or Gap Fill for timed grammar practice, or with the other Teacher Hub tools for structured classroom activities.

Looking for more classroom tools? The full Teacher Hub includes Team Picker, Vocabulary Bingo, Hot Seat, Spin the Wheel and more — all free for approved teacher accounts.