According to the common European scale of language competence CEFR, Intermediate refers to the average language proficiency and corresponds to the B1 level. The intermediate level offers great opportunities for the student - from educational to professional. Intermediate level will allow you to enter a university and pass an interview with an employer. This is an important threshold step that brings the student closer to proficiency in English.
Intermediate level - what is it?
So, what gives the owner of the Intermediate level. Translation into Russian sounds like "Intermediate level". This level allows the student to talk freely on a variety of topics - from professional to everyday. The fluent speech of native speakers no longer confuses the student, at the usual pace he understands almost everything. Employers often require employees to know at least Intermediate English, which means they expect employees to have a good level of language proficiency. So the coveted average level indicated in the resume will certainly add the applicant's chances to work in the company.
With this knowledge, you can pass international exams, for example, when applying to study in English-speaking countries. Proficiency in English at the Intermediate level and a special preparatory course for the exam will allow the student to score from 4.0 to 5.0 on IELTS, from 57 to 86 on TOEFL iBT and get good points on PET. Such results will allow you to enter a university, including a foreign one. However, most often in a foreign university, you will have to study for another year at preparatory courses, the so-called Foundation, before starting training in a specialized direction.
Readiness to study at the Intermediate level
Before starting to study at this level, you need to make sure that you have passed the previous levels of English. Intermediate is a big step forward, so there should be as few spaces as possible. Some signs that will help to understand that the student is ready to learn at the threshold level:
- completed the Pre-Intermediate study and the level test confirmed the required language proficiency;
- speaks fluently and supports conversation on personal and abstract topics, clearly expresses his thoughts and feelings;
- understands the speech of a native speaker, if the pace of speech is measured, and the interlocutor speaks clearly;
- knows basic English grammar and uses different tenses in speech;
- watches movies and TV shows with subtitles;
- has a good vocabulary and can always immediately remember the necessary word;
- studied Intermediate English in the past but forgot.
The course of study lasts on average from 6 to 9 months, but largely depends on the motivation and abilities of the student. Initial knowledge is very important, it ensures that in the course, lesson time is spent only on materials at a level not lower. Knowledge of English Intermediate means the final stage in the study of new materials. Further training will mainly be based on deepening the already existing knowledge.
Intermediate Topics
Since Intermediate is the final stage in the formation of the grammatical base, among the materials there will be not only many familiar topics, but also new grammatical constructions. Skills practice will take place on the following grammatical topics:
- four aspects of the present: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous;
- four aspects of the past tense: Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, Past Perfect Continuous;
- state verbs and action verbs (Action and state verbs);
- types of future tense: Future Simple, to be going to, Present Continuous;
- used to do and to be / get used to constructs;
- turnover to have something done (Cauzative);
- modal verbs: must, have to, should, may, might, can, could, to be able to;
- impersonal forms of the verb: gerund and infinitive (Gerund and Infinitive);
- the degree of comparison of adjectives (Degrees of Comparison);
- articles: a / an, the, no article
- any, some, few, a lot of, a piece of (Quantifiers)
- conditional clauses of three types and time clauses (Conditionals, Future time clauses);
- distributional and restrictive relative clauses (Relative clauses);
- indirect speech with statements, questions and orders (Reported Speech);
- passive Voice; Tag question;
- phrasal verbs (Phrasal verbs).
Intermediate expands vocabulary topics with interesting new areas. If the classes are held in a group, there will be plenty of topics for discussion:
- Family and Personality;
- Appearance and character;
- Professions, money and success (Jobs, Money and Success);
- Business (Business);
- Education;
- Modern manners;
- Moral Or Ethical Standards;
- Transport and travel (Transport and Traveling);
- Places to live;
- Nature and Environment (Nature and Environment);
- Climate and natural disasters (Climate and Natural disasters);
- Communication (Communication);
- Television and Media;
- Film industry and films (Cinema and Movies);
- Advanced technologies of the modern world (Cutting-Edge Technology);
- Art (Art);
- Shop and shopping (Shopping);
- Food and Restaurants;
- Lifestyle;
- Sports and training (Sport);
- Friendship;
- Dates and Romance;
- Problem and Success (Challenges and Success);
- Good and Bad Luck;
- Social Issues;
- Crime and Punishment.
Intermediate English is an opportunity to communicate with native speakers on a wide range of topics - from your favorite movie to acute social problems.
Intermediate learning outcomes
After a few months of training, the student will significantly increase his knowledge. Progress will be seen in all four skills - Listening (listening), Reading (reading), Writing (writing), Speaking (speaking). To fully reflect the results, two more criteria can be distinguished - Vocabulary (vocabulary) and Grammar (grammar).
Listening
This level involves more difficult tasks and listening texts, so problems may arise with them at first. But as a result, the student will be able to listen to long recordings without pauses, to understand not only the general meaning, but also the details. The student will be easily given adapted recordings, so watching TV shows in English will be a good training, the student can watch TV shows with simple vocabulary without subtitles. Knowledge in English at the Intermediate level includes different accents so that the student can understand people for whom English is not native.
The complexity of the texts for reading is already an order of magnitude higher, although this is still literature adapted for the Intermedia level. The student will be able to express his opinion about the text, analyze it, tell about the characters. Some works in the original will already be within the power of the student, so you can arm yourself with a dictionary and study the works of the classics. The student will also be able to read magazines or articles on the Internet.
In this step, the various types of letters will be examined in detail. The student will be able to write not only informal, but also official letters. It will not be a problem to fill out a questionnaire, declaration, postcard, review. He will be able to compose his resume, write an article or tell in writing any story from life - a strong grammatical foundation and an extensive vocabulary guarantee this. Having mastered the level of English Intermediate, the student will easily be able to correspond with native speakers.
Speaking
This is a turning point in language learning, which involves independent language proficiency. In other words, the student really speaks, quite fluently and competently. The student correctly combines sentences, phrases, uses phrasal verbs and idioms. He will be able to conduct a conversation in almost any situation, argue his point of view.
Vocabulary
The level of English Intermedia increases the vocabulary to 2000-3000 words. These are not only common phrases and expressions that the student memorizes directly in context, but also basic business vocabulary, the knowledge of which will certainly affect the conversation with the future employer.
Grammar is perhaps the broadest range for determining a threshold level. Intermediate grammar assumes that the student:
- Knows all tenses of the English language: Present, Past and Future Simple; Present, Past and Future Continuous; Present, Past and Future Perfect; Present, Past and Future Perfect Continuous.
- Knows how to understand used to and to be used to sentences, for example: I used to eat much and I’m used to getting up late.
- Understands the difference between the types of future tense: I’m going to meet Sarah; I'm meeting Sarah tomorrow at 7 p.m .; I'll meet Sarah next week.
- Knows the difference between modal verbs and their equivalents: He mustn "t go away and He doesn’t have to go away.
- Understands the difference between words that denote quantity. For example, little and few.
- Understands the difference between a gerund and an infinitive: I stopped to eat fast food and I stopped eating fast food.
- Knows how to use adjectives: easy - easier - the easiest.
- Knows how the types of conditional sentences differ: If you stay there, we won’t go either, If you stayed there, we wouldn’t go either and If you had stayed there, we wouldn’t have gone either.
- Knows in which situations the causative turn can be applied: I want to have my hair cut.
- Knows how to ask a follow-up question: She has never been there, has she?
- Can translate different types of sentences of direct speech into indirect: He asked Sarah: “Where are you going?” - He asked Sarah where she was going.
Someone promises that you will learn English in a month, and someone shows a training program for a year and a half or two. Who determines how long it takes to learn a language? Since September 2016, our training center has added new level - Intermedia +. Who needs it and why - read this article.
Plus or minus?
In recent years, in many language training centers, after completing the Intermediate level, students are offered to move to not Upper-Intermediate, but Intermediate +. The question arises - where did the "+" come from and whether it is necessary to spend time on it, is it not a trick to get additional profit?
For decades, we have been taught that the training centers use a classification of 6 levels of the English language: Beginner, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate and Advance. Why did you suddenly develop the 7th? And after all, it is not offered everywhere, someone continues to teach according to the 6-level system. Should your training center be considered a scam if it has 7 levels?
Where do the legs grow from?
But in reality it turns out the following. Intermediate + was introduced by the British themselves, or rather, the organization that originally developed its 6-level system, wrote the program and published textbooks - Oxford University Press (most of all educational centers teach exactly according to the methodology and with the help of Oxford textbooks).
The main reason is the large gap between knowledge after the completed Intermediate level and the expected level at the beginning of the Upper-Intermediate study. That is, a student who has passed the test well and confirmed his Intermedia at Upper feels like a poor student, because the tasks of the new level are very difficult for him. For this reason, many do not live up to Advance at all.
Why only now?
Textbooks for the "new" level have been published since 2012, when they gained particular popularity. Many employers began to demand not only for admission to foreign universities working according to the British education system, many employers became interested in the international certificate, in Kazakhstan you can not take the English exam for admission to the magistracy if you have a valid Ailts certificate (with at least 6 points) ...
In some English-speaking countries, Ailts is required to obtain a work / student visa or to move there for permanent residence. In general, IELTS forever!
And everyone knows that they take to prepare for the Ailts only with the completed Intermedia level. But not all students with the Intermedia level are then given the power of Ailts, sometimes it seems to people that they did not seem to have learned the language. The result is stress, low scores and wasted money.
Also, one cannot dismiss the fact that our country is increasingly integrating into the international space and more and more people have an incentive or even a need to learn English.
The number of language centers and their graduates, the number of people who do not learn English "for themselves" or do not consider this process as a fashion or a hobby is increasing (such students, after mastering Elementari, leave to learn the next language), but purposefully strive to master the language at a good level.
And this is where the inconsistency is revealed - why is there such a big difference between the closed level of Intermedia and the base, which is assumed for those students who came to study at the next Upper level.
What were you hoping for?
Did the Oxford methodologists initially have a mistake in creating the classification and textbooks, or are local educational centers and language courses somehow incomplete or do they teach the language incorrectly?
In fact, just a different mentality and understanding of learning. Our post-Soviet teaching methodology that is still in effect in Kazakhstan, primarily at school, presupposes the following scheme: what the teacher gave in the lesson, he will ask later. Accordingly, no one else does anything - to fulfill the ceiling homework.
The Western system sees the teacher not as a mentor or one hundred percent authority, but only as a coordinator who gives direction and helps in case of difficulties. A student at the same British school is used to looking for materials on the topic himself, performing additional tasks for homework, be independently responsible for their knowledge.
Therefore, the Oxford methodologists assumed that at the Intermedia level, foreign students would develop and improve the language themselves, read additional literature, do not only homework, but also exercise similar tasks, expand their horizons and the list of topics, and therefore vocabulary. Do everything that the British themselves do when they learn a foreign language. Sorry, it is not accepted to study like this here. 🙂
Intermediate + is ...
What does the level of English Intermediate mean? You can already speak fluently on everyday topics, read and write at a good level, have a good grammar, but you still have many mistakes and have problems understanding spoken language. Welcome to the Intermediate Plus (B1 +) course!
In-depth study of previously covered material with analysis of idioms, improvement of pronunciation and improvement of conversational vocabulary. Intermediate + eliminates existing defects in grammar and vocabulary.
This course is specifically designed as a smooth transition from Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate. This course is suitable for you if:
- You have successfully passed the Intermediate level, but you still feel insecure in applying the acquired knowledge.
- You are starting to learn English after a long break.
- You need practice to develop all four types of speech activities - listening, speaking, reading and writing.
- Want to continue learning English and pass all the levels well.
- You are about to start preparing for the IELTS / TOEFL program.
- In fact, Intermediate + is for those who still want to stay in the "strictly according to recipe" mode or are not sure that his self-study will give a guaranteed result.
Summary
Intermedia + also consists of 60 hours (not academic, but full) and lasts about 5 months, just like Intermedia. Intermedia + does not replace the Upper level, it allows you to deepen and consolidate the knowledge gained on Intermedia. If at the end of Intermedia on Ailts, for example, you would receive 4-5 points on the exam, then with Intermedia + it is already 5-5.5 points without special training.
Intermedia + will not be needed for those students who have passed final tests by almost 100% on Intermedia, they continue to study a lot on their own, or if a person got the opportunity, by closing Intermedia, to constantly communicate with native speakers (living in an English-speaking country, working in an English-speaking company, etc.). Provided that after that and before the student decided to improve his knowledge of the language, there was not a long period of time.
In any case, remember, now there are many sites on the Internet where you can check your language level for free and online.
Also, before starting to study the Upper-Intermediate level in a group or individually, you can take a free trial lesson in almost any training center and evaluate your strengths and capabilities.
If you can afford to switch from Intermediate directly to Upper-Intermediate, do so. If you feel that Upper is too tough for you yet, it is better not to rush, otherwise you can lose both time and money.
Learn English as you like and have fun! We will be waiting for you at Rocket Stud!
Every person studying English, sooner or later came across the concept of "levels of the English language" and their letter designations. An unprepared person has many questions: why is such a division necessary and how to relate oneself to the right group?
English proficiency levels
There are only six levels in the English language, and they were invented in order to easily and accurately divide the learners into groups depending on their knowledge and skills in writing, listening, reading and speaking. Also, this system helps in testing and exam procedures that involve different goals of learning a language: work, study, travel, immigration, etc.
So, in order to determine your level of English proficiency, you need to know your approximate amount of knowledge and skills in several aspects of the language. Below we provide brief descriptions of all six levels of English, after reading which it will be easier for you to understand this issue.
A1 - Beginner
Basic language proficiency with a vocabulary of less than 1500 words. You must understand short phrases and expressions in English that express everyday needs, read short inscriptions, supported by illustrations. The level of speaking is limited by the ability to introduce oneself and introduce others, ask elementary everyday questions and answer them. You perceive speech only very slow and clear, the interlocutor should help you in dialogue.
A2 - Elementary
Elementary level of language proficiency with a vocabulary of 1500-2500 words. At this level, you need to be able to express yourself in various everyday situations, be able to tell about yourself and your hobbies, talk about your needs, understand expressions in various topicsthat we meet in everyday life and read elementary letters.
B1 - Intermediate
This is an intermediate level of language proficiency, assuming you have a vocabulary of 2750-3250 words. This level is suitable for you if you know how to explain various situations that happen to you abroad, watch films in English, but you are prompted by images on the screen, you can read brochures, simple short documents, advertising messages, and also if you are able to write a short essay or letter in English.
B2 - Upper intermediate
Intermediate advanced with a vocabulary of 3250-3750 words. You should be able to discuss in a detailed form your field of activity, understand complex texts on various topics, and also communicate freely with native speakers without difficulty, speak out on a wide range of topics, analyze problems and find ways to solve them. You can easily write a letter and essay on a topic unfamiliar to you, as well as freely watch various types of English-language TV programs.
C1 - Advanced
Advanced level of language proficiency. The vocabulary should be around 3750-4500 words. Those with such a level easily understand complex and voluminous texts, sees hidden meanings in them. You must be able to express yourself freely and even spontaneously, without experiencing difficulties in choosing the right words. You should use the English language without any problems in any of the spheres of life: both in scientific and professional and everyday life. It is not difficult for you to conduct dialogue and correspondence on any of the topics.
C2 - Proficiency
This level implies perfect knowledge of English at a native speaker level. It is not difficult for the owner of this level to think freely and spontaneously speak on any topic, understand everything read and heard in English, formulate his opinion and reasoning on any issues.
The correct name for this classification is the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages \u200b\u200b(CEFR). It was created by the Council of Europe in 1989-1996 and provides educational advice for learners of various languages, including Russian.
Demand for Intermediate level
The most popular level of English proficiency can be called B1 or Intermediate (from English "intermediate"). In another way, it is also called the threshold, because it is he who separates base levels knowledge of the language from the advanced. Potential employers require it when applying for a job, educational institutions (both Russian and foreign) for successful admission, and the level is also perfect for traveling and even moving abroad.
With B1, you will be able to speak English fairly fluently, discussing various topics, both everyday and professional. You can perceive foreign speech at an average pace and understand almost everything said by ear.
Who should start learning a language at B1 level?
The most obvious is, of course, what a person must know or take a course of study at the previous levels, which can be called Pre-Intermediate. Intermediate is also recommended for those who have already started learning English from this level, but have forgotten a lot and there is a need to refresh all the information in their memory.
This also includes people who have fluency skills, who can support the conversation, but often “slow down” on the selection of the correct and necessary words.
People who are able to understand English, but only at a slow pace and pronounced very clearly, can also learn B1.
The vocabulary of such students is quite complete and good, but from time to time it is still necessary to turn to dictionaries and translators.
It is also important to understand the basics of English grammar, tenses and vocabulary, but knowledge is not enough on more complex issues.
How to determine if you have knowledge of English at the Intermediate level?
There are several skills and areas of knowledge of the language that can be used to conclude how well you know English: grammar, vocabulary, speaking, reading, listening and writing. Each of the categories has its own standards and requirements, and if you own them, then you can safely consider yourself a medium B1 level!
Grammar
The level assumes that you understand:
- in all times of the English language and their intricacies:Present, Pastand Future simple; Present, Pastand Future continuous; Present, Pastand Future perfect; Present, Pastand Future perfect continuous;
- in constructions used to do and to be used to doing, their use and the essence of sentences with them;
- using the future tense, you understand the difference between the designto be going to, Present continuous for future action andFuture simple;
- you know what modal verbs are and understand the differences between them (for example,You mustn "t and You don "t have);
- know how to correctly shoot the gerund and the infinitive after the verb (for example,I stopped to rest and I stopped resting);
- you are easy to handle and use comparative degrees adjectives without making mistakes (for example,big - bigger - the biggest);
- know about the words denoting the amount of something in English, know how to shoot them correctly, depending on a specific case (for example,little / few and a little / a few);
- conditional sentences and their types (of which there are three) are not a problem for you, you see the difference between them and use them in your daily life;
- you can easily convert a person's direct speech into indirect speech (for example,She said, "I am hungry!" - She said, "I'm hungry!"She said that he was hungry - She said she was hungry);
- you know how to ask separation questions when you need to clarify something (for example,He studies English, doesn "t he? ).
Vocabular
You must have a vocabulary of at least 2500 words and phrases. Knowledge of a small number of idioms, phrasal verbs and the use of complex structures typenor, in addition to, as well as, apart from, due to, because of... You know business vocabulary, but only in its basic form. In general, you are able to conduct a conversation with business partners, but without much delving into terms.
Speaking
Speaking at the B1 level assumes good and clear pronunciation so that people around you can easily understand you. You know about intonations and logical pauses, about where and how to use them correctly. You speak fluently, without resorting to long pauses and reflections in the middle of a sentence. In speech, you are able to use not only simple words, but also some idioms, as well as phrasal verbs and complex grammatical structures, including the use of the passive voice, indirect speech, all English times, conditional sentences of all types.
The topics on which you can reason and communicate with other people can be very different. At this level, their list is extensive and includes a description of their appearance, talks about school and work, and much more.
Reading
You can easily cope with the literature, which is adapted to the level B1 Intermediate. Although sometimes you come across unfamiliar English vocabulary, you read articles on the Internet and in various print publications well and without difficulty. At this level, people manage to start reading simple English literature in its original language - although sometimes unfamiliar words and phrases are encountered, the meaning of what is written is quite easy to grasp.
Listening
Records adapted to this level of language proficiency are easy for you to understand without any problems. Even those audio recordings where the speaker has an accent, and some words remain incomprehensible - they are no longer adapted for B1, but still lend themselves to your understanding, become subject to you. By listening to different accents, you can distinguish native speakers from non-native speakers. You are watching movies, TV series and other video files in English, but using subtitles. Audiobooks in a foreign language are also part of your daily life - only they are still simple and most often adapted to your level of language.
Letter
You know how to construct sentences competently from the point of view of grammatical norms. With the help of your knowledge, you write small, uncomplicated letters: both official and unofficial. Some simple documents requiring completion in English are also easy for you. If you have a B1 level, you will be able to state the essence of the matter in writing, comment or describe anything.
How do English skills develop in the B1 course?
One of the most striking distinguishing features of this level of language proficiency is that it is on it that you begin to speak this foreign language - speaking skills, finally, are moving from a dead center and now you are already able to support some, albeit the simplest, conversations ... At this level, you can pay as much attention to development as possible.Speaking skills .
Vocabulary begins to be replenished not only with general words that everyone uses in everyday life, but also with business vocabulary, albeit the simplest one. Here you will learn many new phrases, idioms, fixed expressions and turns of speech. You will learn to explain the meaning of words in English, select synonyms and antonyms for them, use suffixes and prefixes.
Listening is a difficult part of learning English for most students. At this level, audio recordings and texts become longer, but are divided into parts, each of which offers its own tasks. Texts on everyday topics like work and study are easily understood: factual information and general meaning are captured, it becomes possible to listen to speakers with an accent.
Reading it becomes more and more difficult: now you understand rather complex texts that will not always be adapted to your level. You will be able not only to read and retell what you read, but also to give a small analysis of the texts: express your opinion, evaluate, and so on. Texts at this level serve as a kind of “fixer” of all grammar and vocabulary that you study on B1.
When you prepare at the Intermediate level, you will pay a lot of attention to the skill calledWriting ... You will learn how to write not just conversational letters to loved ones, which are not very difficult, but also official messages using a business style in communication.
Proficiency in an English level such as intermediate or B1 will give you the opportunity to use it in the most different situations and feel much more confident in any foreign environment. From this level, you can begin preparing for serious English exams, get a job, apply to foreign universities, travel and communicate with native speakers without difficulty.
Intermediate English is the equator of language acquisition. Have you covered half the way, have successfully mastered the initial knowledge and significantly improved all your linguistic skills? Now it's time to move on to a new level - the threshold, which will help you learn to speak fluently on everyday and even professional topics. Let's see for whom this threshold stage is suitable and what are the features of its training course.
Who is Intermediate for?
It is recommended to start or continue training from the middle stage if you:
- know the basic grammar rules and know how to use English tenses in speech, but do not operate with complex grammar;
- you perceive the speech of speakers by ear, but on condition that the interlocutor speaks at a moderate pace and clearly;
- you have a large vocabulary, but you are not confident in using it, so you often refer to the dictionary;
- - you can have a conversation with a native speaker, but not freely, but choosing words;
And, of course, an important condition - you have fully mastered the knowledge of the pre intermediate level, which you can learn more about.
What the course includes
learning threshold?
Speaking. This is a key skill at the intermediate level and receives special attention. After completing the course, the student must fully speak without turning to the reference book for every word. To do this, you need to do two things. The first is an increase in the lexical stock not only due to general colloquial words, but also to general business constructions, which are most often found in professional spheres. Your task is 3000 words. At the same time, it is important to memorize not only individual words, but also whole expressions, idioms, turns of speech in context. And the second direction is constant practice. There is no place for fear or embarrassment at the intermediate stage - do not be afraid to reason, be the first to enter into a conversation with a native speaker, express your opinion. You yourself will not notice how such a practice will make you more relaxed in communication.
Listening. The intermediate level assumes that the student must understand not only adapted, but also original audio recordings and audiobooks of corresponding complexity. Films in the original language are also an important teaching tool. Practice gradually turning off subtitles and only accepting foreign speech. It is important to learn to easily understand the general meaning of audio information about everyday life, study, work.
Letter. At the intermediate level, the student must master the basics of the formal style. In particular, it is necessary to dwell on the following tasks: business correspondence, drawing up applications, resumes, work letters and declarations.
Grammar. At the intermediate stage, attention must be paid to such points: the distinctive features of all 12 tenses, subordinate clauses, the compilation of interrogative and negative constructions of all tenses, the paraphrasing of direct speech into indirect speech, the difference in the use of modal verbs. You also need to get acquainted with the main ways of word formation, including the conversion, which we write about in the corresponding article "". This will help you make your speech more accurate and literate.
Intermediate - the requirement of all prestigious employers and reputable universities, so that, having successfully passed this level, you will discover a lot of new opportunities. Don't miss this chance!
| A - Elementary proficiency | B - Self-ownership | C - Fluency | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 | C2 |
| Survival level | Pre-threshold level | Threshold level | Threshold advanced level | Professional level | Media level proficiency |
| , | Intermediate | ||||
Do you want to know if your knowledge corresponds to the Intermediate level? Go through ours and get recommendations to help you improve your English language skills.
Intermediate is the level required by most employers
Intermediate - what level is it? How to determine if your knowledge is appropriate for a given level?
The Intermediate level of English, which is labeled B1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, comes next after Pre-Intermediate. The name of this stage comes from the word intermediate, the translation of which is "average". So, Intermediate is the so-called "intermediate" level of language proficiency, which allows one to speak English fluently enough, to discuss many professional and everyday topics, and to understand by ear practically everything said in English at a normal pace. The B1 level of language proficiency allows you to take entrance examinations to Russian universities and preparatory courses abroad. However, the most important thing is that virtually all employers require their potential or actual employees to know English at a level not lower than Intermediate.
We recommend that you start learning English at the Intermediate level if you:
- speak fluently, are able to maintain a conversation, but choose the words, so you want to "talk";
- you have a good vocabulary, but you cannot always operate it easily, you often have to check the dictionary;
- you correctly understand the questions of the foreign interlocutor and the English speech in the recording, but only if the speaker speaks intelligibly and measuredly;
- understand basic English grammar and operate with different tenses of English, but feel insecure in more complex grammar;
- studied English at this level for a long time, remember a lot and now want to refresh your knowledge;
- recently completed an English course at the Pre-Intermediate level.
Material that should be owned by people with knowledge of English at the Intermediate level
How do you know if you know English at the B1 level? The table indicates what knowledge a person with an Intermediate level should have.
| Skill | Your knowledge |
|---|---|
| Grammar (Grammar) | You know all tenses of English: Present, Past and Future Simple; Present, Past and Future Continuous; Present, Past and Future Perfect; Present, Past and Future Perfect Continuous. You know what is the essence of the sentences I used to play football and I’m used to playing football (the constructions used to do and to be used to doing). When you talk about the future tense, you understand the difference between: I'm going to visit John (construction to be going to), I'm visiting John tomorrow at 5 o'clock (Present Continuous for future action) and I'll visit John next month (Future Simple). You understand the difference between You mustn "t do exercises and You don" t have to do exercises (modal verbs). You see, what is the difference between: I stopped to rest and I stopped resting (the use of a gerund and an infinitive after the verb). You know the comparative degrees of adjectives (hot-hotter-hottest). Understand in what cases the words little / few and a little / a few are used (words denoting quantity in English). You can see the difference between: If you come home, we’ll go shopping, If you came home, we would go shopping, and If you had come home, we would have gone shopping (the first, second and third type of conditional sentences). Can you correctly paraphrase direct speech She asked: “What are you doing?” indirectly She asked what I was doing. You easily ask questions to clarify something: You don’t like coffee, do you? (Question tags) |
| Lexicon (Vocabulary) | Your vocabulary is between 2,000 and 3,000 words and phrases. You are familiar with some idioms and phrasal verbs. You can communicate with business partners without delving into special business terminology (you know basic business vocabulary). Actively use neither ... nor, in addition to, as well as, apart from, due to, because of constructions in speech. |
| Speaking (Speaking) | You speak clearly, have a good pronunciation, and others understand your speech. You understand where to make logical pauses in sentences, in which part of the sentence to raise or lower your voice. You speak quite fluently, do not take long pauses during the conversation. You can describe your appearance, talk about your education and work experience, express your opinion on various issues, you can talk on almost any topic. You use phrasal verbs and some idioms in your speech. You do not simplify speech, you use rather complex grammatical structures: different types of conditional sentences, passive voice, different tenses, indirect speech. |
| Reading (Reading) | You understand well adapted literature at your level. You understand general articles on the Internet, newspapers and magazines, although you come across unfamiliar vocabulary. |
| Listening (Listening) | You perfectly understand the audio recordings adapted to your level. You understand the meaning of unadapted audio, even if you don't know some words, and the speaker speaks with an accent. You distinguish the accent of native speakers from the accent of non-English speakers. You watch movies and TV series in their original language with subtitles. You can listen to uncomplicated original or adapted audiobooks for your level. |
| Letter (Writing) | You are grammatically correct in your sentences. You can write an informal letter or a small formal letter. If necessary, you can fill out official papers in English. You can give a written description of any places, events, people, comment on the proposed text. |
If you are not sure that you have all the knowledge required at this stage, we recommend that you check if you have a level of knowledge of English.
The Intermediate level program involves the study of such topics in the curriculum
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How your language skills will develop on the Intermediate course
The Intermediate level is a kind of key stage at which the student really starts to "get under way" in speaking skills (Speaking skills). At this stage, you become a “speaking” student. If you want to speak fluently, try to speak as much as possible in class. Do not be afraid to reason and express your point of view, try to use complex colloquial cliches.
Concerning vocabulary (Vocabulary), in addition to general colloquial vocabulary, at the Intermediate level you study the so-called "general business" English - widespread words that are associated with communication in the business sphere. In addition, the "intermediate" level is rich in different phrases, idioms, turns of speech and fixed expressions. You memorize not just words, but whole phrases in context, learn to build new words using prefixes and suffixes. Much attention is paid to the ability to explain the meaning of a word in English, to name its synonyms and antonyms.
Listening(Listening) is still a problem for many students starting at the Intermediate level. Audio texts of this level are much longer than texts for the Pre-Intermediate level, however, long tracks are divided into parts for which different types assignments. An Intermediate learner can understand factual information related to work, study and daily life, distinguishing both general meaning and individual details; while speech can be with a slight accent.
Concerning reading(Reading), the Intermediate level allows you to understand rather complex, although still adapted texts, however, you can try to read unadapted literature. At the B1 level, a simple retelling of the read text is already not enough, you need to be able to give your assessment, express your opinion for or against, imagine yourself in the place of heroes, etc. All texts for reading the Intermediate level are a kind of "context" for consolidating and automating the use of the studied vocabulary and grammar.
Another aspect that gets a lot of attention is letter (Writing). You will learn how to make up english sentences not only colloquial, but also formal. Level B1 usually includes the following written assignments:
- Describing a person
- Telling a story
- An informal letter
- Describing a house or flat
- Formal letter and CV
- A film review
- An article for a magazine
Upon completion of the Intermediate level, the student will be able to quite successfully use English in a variety of standard situations, and clearly express their opinion. In addition, he will learn how to write letters, fill out declarations, questionnaires and other documents that require providing basic information about himself, take part in negotiations, make presentations and correspond with native speakers. Knowledge of English at the Intermediate level is a good achievement and provides a variety of opportunities, for example, an advantage in hiring. From this level you can start preparing for exams and.
Training period at the Intermediate level
The term for studying English at the Intermediate level may vary, it depends on the initial knowledge and personal characteristics of the student. On average, the term of study is 6-9 months. It is the Intermediate level that is considered a strong base, the final stage in the formation of vocabulary and grammatical knowledge. Further levels are deepening and expanding the active and passive vocabulary, immersion in the subtleties and shades of the language.
To make sure that this course is right for you, we recommend taking our course, which tests basic English skills. And if you want not only to know exactly your level of knowledge of the English language, but also to improve it, we suggest signing up for our school. The teacher will determine your level, strengths and weaknesses and help improve your knowledge.