Flowexam.com teacher explains the future tense using 'will' with examples for TOEIC® preparation

The Future Continuous Tense in the TOEIC®: When to Use It and When to Avoid It

(Updated: January 20, 2025)

Flow Exam team

Future Continuous in the TOEIC®: When to Use It and When to Avoid It

The Future Continuous (will be + V-ing) expresses an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.

In the TOEIC®, it mainly appears in Parts 5 and 6 to describe future professional schedules or meetings.

  • "I'll be attending the conference next Monday"
    I will be attending the conference next Monday.

Many candidates confuse the Future Continuous with the Simple Future, even when the context clearly indicates an action in progress.

Formation and Structure of the Future Continuous

The construction is simple: will be + verb-ing for all persons. No exceptions, no variation based on the subject.

Unknown block type "table", specify a component for it in the `components.types` option

The contracted form "won't be" is very common in TOEIC® emails and dialogues. You will see it regularly in Part 7.

When to Use the Future Continuous in the TOEIC®?

The Future Continuous has three main uses in the test questions.

  • Action in progress at a specific future time:

"At 10 AM tomorrow, I'll be meeting with the client."
At 10 AM tomorrow, I will be meeting with the client.

The exact time or moment is often indicated. This is a strong clue in Part 5.

  • Planned action with duration:

"We'll be renovating the building for the next two months."
We will be renovating the building for the next two months.

Duration (for, all day, until) is a typical signal. Based on what we observe with candidates we prepare for the TOEIC®, many incorrectly choose the Simple Future here. However, duration requires the Future Continuous.

  • Polite question to ask if someone is available:

"Will you be joining us for lunch?"
Will you be joining us for lunch?

This phrasing is softer than "Will you join us?". It often appears in professional emails in Part 7.

Common Traps in Parts 5 and 6

Questions about the Future Continuous test your ability to spot contextual clues. This is where many candidates get tripped up.

Trap 1: Confusing Simple Future and Future Continuous

If the sentence mentions a specific moment when the action will be ongoing, use the Continuous. If it is just a future action without a sense of progression, use the Simple Future.

"She _____ the report at 4 PM." → will be writing (she will be in the middle of writing at 4 PM) "She _____ the report tomorrow." → will write (she will write tomorrow, simple action)

Trap 2: Forgetting "be" in the structure

The full form is will be + V-ing, never just "will + V-ing". This is a frequent mistake when trying to move too fast.

Trap 3: Using the Present Continuous instead

"I'm working on the proposal next week" is possible in everyday English.

But for the TOEIC®, if the context is clearly future with markers like "next week", the Future Continuous is often the expected answer in multiple-choice questions.

Unknown block type "table", specify a component for it in the `components.types` option

Clues Signaling Future Continuous

Certain words in the sentence point you directly toward the Future Continuous.

Markers for a Specific Moment:

  • at this time tomorrow
  • at 9 AM next Monday
  • by the time you arrive

"By the time you arrive, I'll be finishing the presentation."
By the time you arrive, I will be finishing the presentation.

Markers for Duration:

  • all day / all week / all month
  • for the next few hours
  • throughout the meeting

"The printer will be unavailable all morning."
The printer will be unavailable all morning.

Questions about Availability:

  • Will you be available...?
  • Will they be using...?

These phrases usually appear in Part 5 or in emails and memos in Part 7. Candidates who create a checklist of these clues will gain speed and accuracy on these questions.

Difference Between Future Continuous and Other Future Tenses

TOEIC® designers love to make you hesitate between different forms of the future. How do you choose?

Unknown block type "table", specify a component for it in the `components.types` option

According to statistics from our candidates, many make mistakes when they have to choose between the Simple Future and the Future Continuous.

The rule is simple: if you can mentally add "in the middle of" or "at the moment of" in your native language, the Future Continuous applies.

  • "Tomorrow at noon, I _____ lunch with a client." → will be having
    Tomorrow at noon, I will be having lunch with a client (I will be in the middle of lunch).
  • "I _____ you the files by Friday." → will send
    I will send you the files by Friday (punctual action).

How to Answer Quickly on Test Day

In Part 5, you have about 30 seconds per question. Quick method:

  • Step 1: Spot the time clues Look for markers (at, all day, by the time, throughout). If there is a specific moment or a duration, lean toward Future Continuous.
  • Step 2: Check the context Read the whole sentence. Are we talking about an action in progress or a single action?
  • Step 3: Eliminate incorrect forms If "will be" appears in the choices, check that it is followed by V-ing, not the infinitive.
  • Step 4: Mentally translate if necessary "In the middle of" = Continuous. If it works, that's a good sign.

Candidates who progress quickly stop thinking about the rule. They end up recognizing a pattern. With practice, your brain automatically identifies "at 3 PM tomorrow" → Future Continuous.

In Part 6, the Future Continuous often appears in emails to describe schedules or absences. Read the entire paragraph to understand the context before choosing.

In Part 7, you don't choose the tense, but you must understand when the action will take place. Look for "will be + V-ing" to identify future actions in progress, especially in timetables and absence notifications.

In the TOEIC®, the Future Tense Isn't Left to Chance

The Future Continuous is an important tense for this exam, especially in Part 5 where traps involving future tenses are frequent. To master this point and all other verb tenses, targeted practice makes all the difference.

With Flow Exam, you can practice directly on the Future Tenses topic in Part 5. And it’s exactly the same format as the real TOEIC®.

Some Superpowers of the Flow Exam Platform:

  • 150 truly exclusive tips based on the experience of over 500 candidates who scored +950 on the TOEIC®: clear, concrete, tested, and validated in the field.
  • Smart training system that adapts exercises to your profile and trains you directly on the topics where you make the most mistakes. Result → 3.46x faster progress compared to traditional platforms.
  • Ultra-personalized learning path: targeted training only on the questions and topics that cause you to lose points → continuously adjusted to adapt to your evolving level.
  • Personalized statistics on +200 precise topics (adverbs, pronouns, linking words, future tenses, future continuous…)
  • Real Conditions Mode exactly like Test Day (listening instructions, timer, etc.) → You can activate it whenever you want.
  • Flashcards automatically generated from your own mistakes, and optimized by the Spaced Repetition method (J-method) for lasting memory and zero forgetting.
  • +300 points guaranteed on the TOEIC®. Otherwise, free unlimited preparation.
Start My Review