B1 Preliminary English:
grammar, vocabulary,
language skills

You may also like: A2 basic English and B2 intermediate English

What does B1 English mean?

"B1" is one of six  levels on the scale of foreign language proficiency set up by the Council of Europe. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, or CEFR, was established in 2001, after several years of discussion among language teaching experts from different countries. It is now generally accepted as the international yardstick for assessing a learner's level in a second or additional language.
   A B1 level in English is also referred to as "intermediate" or "preliminary" English. It shows that a learner can use English in everyday situations, at work, in school, or when traveling. It may not be sufficient to gain entry into some universities and companies, for which B2 level may be required, but B1 is already a good step for many general purposes..

What kind of texts are B1?

B1 reading texts are medium-length texts that are not too difficult. They usually use or cover:

• Simple or clear grammar
• Everyday vocabulary
• Familiar topics

Texts at this level may be in the form of  short news articles, stories, or descriptions of people or places. Sometimes B1 texts are divided into B1.1 (lower intermediate) and B1.2 (upper intermediate), depending on how hard they are.

According to the Council of Europe

Learners who achieve B1 intermediate level have acquired the skills needed to....

• Understand the main points of clear speech or writing about familiar topics (work, school, everyday life, leisure, etc.).
• Deal with most normal situations when in an English-speaking country.
• Write simple connected text on topics they know about.
• Describe experiences, objects, situations and basic ideas, and give brief reasons for opinions and plans.

So in concrete terms, what does that mean?

It means that learners must acquire the essential grammar and vocabulary of a language that will allow them to master these skills.  The CEFR does not lay down a list of grammar and vocabulary for each language; it supposes that teachers and course-writers will know what is needed in order to achieve these goals.

B1 = PET  (Cambridge Preliminary English Test)

It is generally accepted that for English, the B1 level can be certified by achieving at least a grade C score on the Cambridge Preliminary English tests, commonly called PET.
Other B1 certifications include:
  ► Grade 5 or 6 on the Trinity GESE tests,
  ► At least 4.0 on the IELTS scale. 
  ► A TOEFL score of between 57 and 86.

The B1 examination requires students to be able to understand and use essential English grammar, so here are the principal points of grammar that teachers need to teach, and students need to learn. Essentially, these points of grammar are the same as for B2 level, though should be presented in simpler contexts.

Verbs

• Present tenses: Simple present,  present continuous.
• Past tenses: Simple past, past continuous , present perfect, past perfect, used to / would for habits 
• Future forms: will / shall, going to, use of present tenses to express future time.
• Conditional clauses (if and unless).
• Gerunds
• Passive forms
• Interrogative forms (questions)
• Simple conditional structures (first and second conditionals)

Nouns and determiners

• Count and non-count nouns, formation of nouns, plural nouns, determiners (articles, demonstratives, etc.)

Adjectives and adverbs

• Adjective order, comparatives and superlatives, gradation of adjectives,  use of general adverbs, adverbs of degree

Sentences

• Main clauses and dependent clauses; relative clauses. Coordination and subordination

All of these grammar topics are clearly explained in Rossiter's Descriptive Grammar of English, recommended by LInguapress and available through Amazon, Blackwells of Oxford (worldwide delivery)  Waterstones (UK), Barnes & Noble (USA) and other good bookstores in many countries.

How to achieve B1 level in English?

There is no magic answer to this question, but there are a number of pathways to success.
    Reading is the key pathway to success, as through reading, learners also develop their writing and speaking skills. When reading texts are accompanied by audio, then all language skills can be developed.
    While some students will want to learn, and some teachers to teach, long lists of vocabulary and grammar rules to be learned by rote, this is not generally the best way to learn a language.  It is often part of the mix, and some students are happy learning words and grammar in this way; but others struggle.
    As far as vocabulary is concerned, achieving B1 level in English normally requires an active vocabulary of between 1,500 and  2,500 words.
    Languages are learned in a much deeper and more permanent way when they are acquired in context and by example; this means reading in English, which is the best way to acquire vocabulary, listening and talking which familiarise the learner with common expressions, collocations and different aspects of communication, and guided or unguided writing, which allows, or sometimes forces, students to use language creatively.

Find B1 resources on Linguapress.com : B1 texts can be found in the intermediate texts CEFR index. For easier texts see the elementary index.