What does upper intermediate mean? English levels: from A1 to C2, from Beginner to Proficiency

Over the course of many years of practical lessons, you trained your English, during which you delved into working on vocabulary, mastering the basics of oral and written speech. And now you want to check if your English is up to par.

What is the Upper-Intermediate level?

In general, the result of your training should have been an adequate perception of the original, including spontaneous, emotionally charged, dialogic and monologue oral speech of a native English speaker, teacher or interlocutor in recordings or direct communication. Let us list in more detail the skills that indicate the Upper-Intermediate level below:

Proficiency in dialogical communication in situations of official and informal communication on various topics (will be indicated below);

Expressive speaking, demonstrative presentation of thoughts using a variety of grammar and vocabulary;

Ability to write oral communication, report, conduct interviews;

Discussion of original texts read and listened to (including journalistic ones);

Conducting a conversation or dialogue of a problematic nature using adequate speech formulas;

Active participation in discussion, conversation, confidently defending one’s point of view;

Evaluating other people's statements in terms of the correctness and content of the linguistic form.

The above skills can be achieved by studying, for example, using the textbook “New English File Upper-Intermediate”.

As for reading, your skills and abilities should be manifested in improving all (familiarization, studying, searching and viewing). And on their basis, you must extract from the material the emotional, ideological, aesthetic and semantic information contained in it on the basis of content and linguistic analysis.

You must also be punctuationally, spellingly and graphically correct in a variety of written works; express your ideas and thoughts in writing of various kinds (essay, letter, resume, abstract, literary review); explain and correct lexical, spelling, stylistic and grammatical errors in the written text presented to you.

When studying well-known publications, for example, "Opportunities Upper-Intermediate", your vocabulary should be at least 3000 units, close to the list below with the situational and thematic characteristics of the topics. The above includes the subject content of acceptable communication, various situations of a social nature, speech metalinguistic means and tasks for adequate speech, presented in the form of a monologue or dialogue.

List of topics studied

An approximate subject-thematic list mastered when studying the most famous methodological complexes, for example, “Headway Upper-Intermediate”.

Sphere of personal and social communication:

1. A person's appearance.

2. The person’s character, mood, manners, behavior. Psychological types of people, human character traits (positive and negative), types of human emotional state, manners, norms of good behavior.

3. Relationships. Love. Family life.

4. Phobias and manias. Faith and superstition. Ways to overcome fears.

5. Crime and punishment. Types of crimes. Reasons for the increase in crime. Prison as a punishment. Juvenile delinquency.

Sphere of everyday and social communication:

1. Our house. Home renovation. Buying a house. Homeless.

2. Health. Diseases. Medical assistance.

Sphere of social-cognitive communication:

1. Animal world. Problems of conservation of endangered animal species. Environment and civilization, sources of environmental pollution. Problems of environmental conservation.

Sphere of professional communication. Field of work:

1. Work. The right choice of profession. Representatives of atypical professions. The personality of the teacher, his human and professional qualities.

Sphere of political and social life:

1. News.

2. Politics. Pros and cons of a political career. Political parties. Personality of a politician.

3. Developing countries and their problems. Need, poverty. Charitable organizations.

Sphere of socio-cognitive and socio-cultural communication:

Sphere of socio-cultural communication:

1. Music. Music in our lives: classical, popular, folk, jazz. Youth and pop music.

English Upper-Intermediate, in turn, has its own classification. Let's look at the different stages associated with this level.

About speaking. Characteristics of superior skills

Let's start with the highest requirements that a student masters while studying any high-quality textbook at a given level (for example, New English File Upper-Intermediate).

Full and adequate implementation of communicative intentions within a wide range of different situations is required. Fluent, well-organized speech. Lack of a pronounced accent. Appropriate and correct use of vocabulary and grammatical structures.

Excellent level characteristics

The next level, Upper-Intermediate, is the full implementation of communicative intentions. Fluent speech with minor hesitational pauses and compositional deviations. Rich vocabulary. Correct use of various grammatical formulas. Rare and minor slips and errors that do not reduce the effectiveness of the speech. Emphasis on the minor.

Above average performance

Confident implementation of communicative intentions in the above situations. Good fluent speech with very minor hesitational pauses and compositional deviations, which are caused by difficulties in correctly forming the content of speech and/or choosing means of expression. The presence of reservations, errors in the use of grammatical structures and/or in word usage, which generally do not interfere with the achievement of communicative goals. Noticeable accent.

Characteristics of the middle level Upper-Intermediate: what is it

Quite adequate implementation of the communication process in the above situations. Satisfactory verbal fluency. Minor violations of the compositional structure of the text. Presence of hesitation pauses. The presence of noticeable reservations and errors in the use of grammatical structures and words. Violation of pronunciation norms, which may make understanding difficult.

Characteristics below average

Inability to fully realize communicative intent. Limited volume of utterance. Quite frequent compositional and logical breaks in the narrative. Insufficient fluency of speech and the presence of a large number of hesitational pauses. Frequently encountered errors and slips in the use of grammatical structures and vocabulary. Violation of pronunciation rules that make it difficult to understand.

About the letter. Excellent writing skills

Let's start with the highest Upper-Intermediate skills. What this level includes, its features and characteristics will be discussed below.

Rich idiomatic and phraseological vocabulary corresponding to the norms of modern English. There are no spelling errors. Absolutely appropriate and correct use of grammatical formulas. Exact compliance with the assigned communication tasks. An absolutely reasoned and complete narrative, description of events, objects or presentation of ideas, points of view. Consistent and logical development of plot and idea. Full compliance with the style and genre of the written work. Accurate and appropriate use of various artistic means of expression.

This can only be provided by high-quality educational materials (for example, "English File Upper-Intermediate").

Excellent writing skills

A rich idiomatic dictionary that is quite consistent with the norms of modern language. Less than one spelling, grammatical or per hundred word forms. Some deviations in the use of grammatical structures. Compliance with the assigned communicative task. A reasoned and complete narrative, description of events, objects, or presentation of one’s vision of any subject. Logical development of plot and idea. Compliance with the style and genre of the written work. Means of expression are used correctly.

Good writing skills

Good vocabulary, used appropriately, generally competent English. A good Upper-Intermediate level does not allow more than one spelling, grammatical or lexical error per 100 word forms. Some deviations are observed in the use of grammatical structures. The correspondences are quite accurate. Overall, a convincing and complete narrative, a description of events, objects, and an easy-to-understand presentation of one’s own thoughts and ideas. Some logical deviations and lack of consistency in plot development. Some moments of inconsistency with style and genre.

Average level of written language skills

In general, the vocabulary is satisfactory. However, the vocabulary is limited, and there are errors in choosing the appropriate word. No more than two grammatical, spelling or lexical errors per 100 word forms. Some cases of the use of grammatical structures make it difficult to understand the meaning of what is written. The letter corresponds to the communicative task. There are deviations from the sequence and plot and ideas. Limited selection Genre and style do not meet established standards.

Below-average written communication

This Upper-Intermediate level has a limited vocabulary. There are significant errors in the use and choice of words. No more than three spelling, grammatical or lexical errors per 100 word forms. Quite serious violations observed in the use of grammatical structures. The idea presented in the communicative task is reflected, but is not fully realized due to the lack of clarity of presentation and convincing arguments in favor of a particular point of view. There are inconsistencies in the sequence and logic of presentation, genres and styles are mixed.

Having achieved your goal, set yourself new, even more difficult tasks. The Advanced level is the next peak, which can be conquered only by those who are able to overcome themselves and venture into the endless expanses of language.

What does English grammar look like by level?

In this post we will discuss in detail what grammar is covered at different levels of learning English - from beginner to advanced. Let's see examples of this grammar and do a little test.

Just in case, let me remind you that grammar is just one aspect of language learning. Necessary, useful, yes. But far from the only one.

How nice it would be if I learned grammar and, consider myself, mastered English))

English grammar by level

You will see that the same grammar is often repeated at different levels. Read more about why this happens. In short:

not all grammatical structures are learned the first time (repetition is the mother of learning)))
at low levels phenomena are considered separately from each other, and at higher levels they are compared with each other
As the level of English improves, it turns out that each grammatical structure has nuances and subtleties, which insidious teachers are silent about for the time being, so as not to create confusion

English grammar by level - in different textbooks - looks approximately the same. Therefore, I will take as a basis one of the most popular textbooks - English File.

By the way, this English grammar by levels can be a kind of test. Look at any section and see if you understand sentences with grammar examples? But - more importantly - do you use such constructions in your speech? If not, it may not be your level yet. If yes, go to the next level and do the same.

English grammar by level - a short way to the desired section:

Beginner/Starter level grammar

The Beginner level covers the basics - the simplest constructions. At the same time, they are also the most important, because all the complex grammar of higher levels will be based on them.

At this level, a lot of attention is paid to forms - again, to achieve a certain automaticity in simple things, like I am, you are, he is. Grammatical constructions at the Beginner level are mainly treated separately from each other to avoid confusion of comparisons and nuances.

What grammar pass at the level Beginner/Starter	Grammar example

statements denial questions	I"m from Russia / You"re in class 2 / He"s 30 years old. I"m not from Moscow / You aren't late / He isn't French. Am I late? Are you from the UK? Is he French? How are you? Where is he from?
The only and plural number	a book - books a watch - watches an umbrella - umbrellas
this, these that, those	What's that? What are those?
Possessives pronouns	he - his / she - her / it - its
Possessive "s	Maria"s children, John"s birthday, my parents" car
Adjectives	It"s a fast car - This car is fast They"re expensive shoes - These shoes are expensive
statements denial questions	I have breakfast at home / She lives in a flat. I don"t go to work by bus / She doesn"t have a pet. Do you understand me? /Does she work here? Where do you live? / When does she start work?
Adverbs (adverbs of frequency)	always, usually often, sometimes, hardly ever, never
Questions with be and do	Where are you from? /Where do you live?
can, can"t	I can play the guitar / I can"t sing. / Can I park here?
like, love, hate with gerund	I like swimming / I love reading I hate doing housework
Present Continuous	I"m driving to the airport at the moment What are you doing?
There is / there are	There is a bar in this hotel but there aren't any restaurants.
Past Simple: was / were regular verbs (regular verbs) irregular verbs (irregular verbs)	I was born in 1988. Where were you at 7 o"clock last night? I arrived in Stockholm early in the morning. What time did you arrive? I bought some souvenirs. What did you buy?
Present Continuous for the future tense	I"m arriving in Venice on April 10. Where are you staying?

Elementary level grammar

The Elementary level is very similar to the previous level. I will say more, often instead of Beginner, my students and I take on Elementary right away, we just go through it a little more thoroughly.

The Elementary grammar is almost identical to the grammar of the previous level.

What grammar pass at the level Elementary	Grammar Examples

to be: am / is / are statements denial questions	My name"s Anna / You"re early / My email address is... I"m not English / It isn"t far Where are you from? / What's your phone number? How old are you?
Possessives pronouns	I - my / you - your / we - our / they - their he - his / she - her / it - its
The only and plural number	a book - books / a watch - watches an umbrella - umbrellas a man - men, a woman - women, a person - people
this, these that, those	What's this? What are these? How much is this bag? What's that? What are those?
Adjectives	It"s an empty box- This box is empty. They"re cheap / quite cheap / really cheap
Imperative imperative Let's	Open the door / Sit down / Turn off your mobile. Let's take a break / Let's go to the cinema.
statements denial questions	I wear glasses / They drink tea / It rains a lot I don"t have children / They don"t live here / It doesn't work Do you live in a flat? / Does she speak German? What time does it open?
Possessive "s Whose	Justin Bieber's sister, George Clooney's father Whose bag is it?
Prepositions of time and places	at 7am, in the morning, at the weekend, in March on Monday, at school, in the park
Adverbs	always, usually, often, sometimes, hardly ever, never every day, twice a week, three times a year
can/can't	Where can I park? / I can't hear you.
Present Continuous	What's happening? What are you looking at?
Object pronouns	I - me / we - us / they - them he - him / she - her / it - it
like/love/enjoy don't mind hate with gerund	I like / love / enjoy reading in bed. I don't mind cooking. I hate getting up early.
	Are you a fan of any band? When do you usually listen to music?
Past Simple was / were regular verbs (regular verbs) irregular verbs (wrong verbs)	Where were you? I was at a party last weekend / They were angry They chatted and listened to music. What did they do? I wore a black dress. What did you wear?
there is / there are some/any	There's a dining room. There are three bedrooms. Are there any neighbors? There are some paintings.
there was / there were	Was there a mini-bar in your room? There were 3 other guests.
Countable and uncountable nouns	an apple, a banana some sugar, some rice We need some sugar / There isn't any milk.
How much / how many a lot of, some, none	How much free time do you have? How many friends do you have on Facebook?
Comparative adjectives	A proton is heavier than an electron. Mosquitoes are more dangerous than sharks. good - better / bad - worse / far - further
Excellent adjectives	It's the longest river in the world. It's the most popular art gallery in the world.
Going to for plans	I'm going to travel round Europe.
Going to for forecasts	You're going to like it.
Adverbs	speak fast, know him well, drive carefully
Verbs with infinitive	want to talk to you, would like to learn to cook need to stop
Articles	I"m a student / It"s the oldest university in Europe.
Present Perfect	I"ve seen Harry Potter but I haven"t read the book. Have you ever eaten sushi?

Pre-intermediate level grammar

At the Pre-intermediate level they are already beginning to compare different designs with each other and find out the nuances. Why is it better to say somewhere I study economics, and somewhere - I"m studying economics.

What grammar pass at the level Pre-intermediate	Grammar example

Word order in matters	Do you speak English? What languages do you speak? Did you go out last night? Where did you go?
Present Simple	She has a lot of hobbies. We don't get on very well.
Present Continuous	John is wearing a suit today! He usually wears jeans.
Past Simple	Where did you go on holiday last year? We went to Italy.
	When you called me, I was talking to my boss.
unions	although, but, so, because
Going to plans forecasts	What are you going to do when you leave school? We are going to be late for work!
Present Continuous for future agreements	I"m meeting Joe at 3 o"clock. When are you coming back?
Relative clauses	This is the restaurant where they make great pizza.
Present Perfect yet, just, already	I"ve just started a new job. I"ve already seen this film. / Have you finished yet?
Present Perfect and Past Simple	Have you ever been to Mexico? When did you go there?
something/anything nothing (where / one)	Did anyone phone? No, no one. Is there anywhere to park?
Comparative adjectives and adverbs	Driving is more dangerous than flying. I"m as tall as my brother. Can you speak more slowly, please?
Excellent adjectives	It's the best film I've seen this year. It's the worst meal I've ever eaten.
Quantifiers	how much / how many / too / enough
will / won't / shall forecasts, spontaneous decisions promises, etc.	Shall I open the window? You'll like it. I think I"ll go home now. I"ll always love you.
Use infinitive	Try not to talk about politics. I came to this school to learn English. Be careful not to drive too fast.
Using -ing form (gerund)	Waking up early in the morning makes me happy. He left without saying goodbye.
Modal verbs have to, don't have to must, mustn't	I have to get up at seven every day. I don't have to wear a uniform. You mustn't leave your bags here.
should	What do you think I should do? You should see a doctor.
First Conditional (first conditional)	If I miss the last train, I"ll get a taxi.
Possessives pronouns	mine, yours, theirs, ours his, hers, its
Second Conditional (second conditional)	I"d do more exercise if I had more time. What would you do if you won a million dollars?
Present Perfect for, since	How long have you lived here? I "ve known her for 15 years / since we were children.
Passive present and past	Nowadays a lot of toys are made in China. This morning I was woken up by the neighbor's dog.
used to	She used to wear glasses.
might	She might come with us, she"s not sure yet.
	into, out of, over, along, across, through
So do/am/did I Neither do / am / did I	I "m married. - So am I. I don't know him. - Neither do I.
Past Perfect	The show had already finished by the time I arrived.
Reported speech (indirect speech)	He said that he was hungry. She told me that her car had broken down.
Questions without auxiliary verbs	How many people came to the meeting? Who invented the radio?

Intermediate grammar

At the Intermediate level, they also compare already familiar phenomena with each other and, of course, study new ones.

What grammar pass at the level Intermediate	Grammar example

action / non-action	I never cook vs What are you cooking? I have a dog vs I"m having lunch I think it "s a good idea vs I"m thinking about you
Future: will/won't going to Present Continuous	I"ll help you. Do you think it"ll rain? You"ll love this film! I"m going to buy a new car. Barcelona are going to win. They are getting married in October.
Present Perfect vs Past Simple	I"ve been to London before. He hasn"t found a new job yet. When did you go there? How did the interview go?
Present Perfect Pres. Perf. Continuous for, since	They"ve known each other for 5 years / since 2010. I"ve been studying English for 10 years. How long have you been waiting?
Degrees of comparison adjectives (comparative adj., superlative adj.)	My brother is a bit / much taller than me. This chair isn't as comfortable as that one. It's the most expensive city in the world. He"s the smartest person I"ve ever met.
Articles	I saw a nice house with a fancy porch. The porch was decorated with plants.
can, could, be able to	I can sing. I could swim when I was 4. I"ve never been able to dance. I"d like to be able to draw.
must / mustn't have to / don't have to should/shouldn't	You must wear a seatbelt / You mustn"t exceed the speed limit. Do I have to pay now? / You don't have to come. You should stop smoking / You shouldn't drink so much coffee.
Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect	When I got home, my family had dinnner. When I got home, my family were having dinner. When I got home, my family had dinner.
usually vs used to	I usually get up at 6am. I used to get up at 11 when I was unemployed.
The Passive (all times)	A lot of films are shot on location. The film is being shot. The film has been shot. The film will be shot on location.
might, must, can("t) for guesswork	She might like the idea. This must be difficult for you! You can't be serious!
First Conditional Future time clauses	The boss won't be happy if you are late for work again. As soon as you get your exam results, call me.
Second Conditional	What would you do if you met a celebrity? If I were you, I"d buy a new car.
Reported speech (indirect speech)	I asked him if he wanted to join us. She told me she had lost her wallet.
Gerund and infinitive (gerund and infinitive)	I"m not good at remembering names. I don"t mind getting up early. Shopping is my favorite pastime. I don't know what to do. My house is easy to find. Try not to make a noise.
Third Conditional	If I had known about the party, I would have gone.
Quantifiers	I eat a lot of chocolate. She earns a lot. We have plenty of time. There aren't enough parks. There's too much traffic.
Relative clauses	That's the house where I was born.
Question tags	They live in New York, don't they? You aren't angry, are you?

Upper-intermediate grammar

By the advanced Upper-intermediate level, enlightenment usually sets in; the basics have already been covered. All that remains is to repeat them a little and move on to the interesting and subtleties of grammar.

What grammar pass at the level Upper-intermediate	Grammar Examples

Question formation (word order in questions)	Are you talking about me? What are you talking about? What time does it open? Do you know what time it opens?
Auxiliary verbs (auxiliary gverbs)	I like dogs, but my wife doesn't. - I loved the film! - So did I. - I've finished. - Have you?
the...the... comparatives	The sooner, the better. The longer you wait, the worse it gets.
Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous	She has been writing novels since she was a student. She"s written 30 novels.
Adjectives as nouns Adjective order (adjectives as nouns, adjective order)	The Chinese invented paper. The poor are getting poorer. They need to create more jobs for the unemployed. I bought a beautiful Italian leather bag.
Narrative tenses: Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous	We had been flying for about two hours when suddenly the captain told us to fasten our seat belts because we were flying into a thunderstorm. When this happened, passengers most hadn't finished their meals yet.
so... that such...that	There was so much traffic that we nearly missed the flight. It was such a great show that I want to see it again.
Position of adverbs and adverbial phrases (adverbs)	He walks slowly. I've almost finished. Ideally, we should leave at 8.
Future Perfect Future Continuous	They will have finished painting the house by Monday. Don't phone between 6 and 7, we'll be having dinner then.
Zero and First Conditionals Future time clauses	If you haven"t been to Paris, you haven"t lived. If we are lucky, we"ll have sold the house by Christmas. I"ll call you as soon as I"ve talked to the boss.
Unreal conditions	If you exercised more, you"d be much healthier. He would have died, if he hadn't been wearing a helmet.
Constructions with wish	I wish I was 20 years younger! I wish I hadn't bought this car! / If only I hadn't bought ... I wish you would stop calling me at night.
Gerunds and infinitives (gerund and infinitive)	Remember to lock the door VS I remember locking the door. I stopped to smoke VS I stopped smoking.
Used to, be used to, get used to	I used to live in the countryside. I was used to the peace and quiet. I can"t get used to the noise of the city.
must have been/done might have been/done can"t have been/done	It must have been difficult for you. They might have left. I can't have lost it.
Verbs of the senses (verbs of perception)	It smells good. It feels comfortable. You look tired. Sounds interesting.
(passive voice) + it is said that... + have something done	My car has been stolen. You can be fined for making noise. The church was being renovated when I last saw it. The criminals are believed to have fled the country. I need to have my car fixed.
Reporting verbs	He persuaded me to quit my job. She apologized for not being on time.
Clauses of contrast and purpose (subordinate clauses oppositions and goals)	I went to work even though I wasn't feeling well. Although I was tired, I didn't want to go to bed. In spite of / Despite the fact that she"s 85, she"s very active. I went to the bank in order to speak to my bank manager. I wrote it down so as not to forget.
whatever, whenever whoever	Have a seat wherever you like. Whatever happens, stay calm.
Uncountable and plural nouns (uncountable nouns and noun in multitudes. number)	I need some advice. I"ll give you two pieces of advice. It"s made of glass. Can I have a glass of water? The hotel staff is very friendly / The hotel staff are very friendly. The police are canvassing the area.
Quantifiers	All fruit contains sugar VS All the animals in this zoo look sad. She wanted to study either physics or mathematics.
Articles	My father is in hospital. They"re building a new hospital.

Advanced Grammar

What grammar pass at the level Advanced	Grammar Examples
Have - auxiliary or main verb (have like auxiliary and main verb)	Do you have any money on you? Have you got any cousins? I haven't a clue. Do I have to pay now? I need to have my eyes tested.
Discourse markers and linkers (conjunctions and connectives)	Despite / In spite of her age, she"s still very active. Despite / In spite of the fact that she"s 85, she"s very active. I keep checking my email in case there"s an urgent message.
Pronouns (pronouns)	They say it's never too late to change your life. We decorated the house ourselves.
Past events: habitual or specific Habitual and single events in the past	I"d wanted to buy a new car for a long time. I"d been saving up for 2 years and when I finally bought it, I was over the moon. I used to have a car but I don"t anymore. Every night my mom would tell me a bedtime story.
Get Values and use	Let"s get a taxi. / It"s getting dark. / He might get sacked. I need to get my passport renewed. Get Jane to call me.
Discourse markers: adverbial expressions	As a matter of fact, I don't like football. On the whole, I believe women are better drivers than men. As far as the price is concerned...
Speculation and deduction Guess and assumptions	I must have forgotten to lock the door. You might have been injured. It can't have been easy. It ought to have arrived by now.
Inversion (change order words in a sentence)	Never have I heard such a ridiculous argument. Not only is he attractive, (but) he"s also smart. Little did I know.
Distancing	It appears that the situation is going to get worse. There seems to be a mistake in the bill. There is thought to be some tension between them.
Unreal uses of past tenses	If only you hadn't forgotten the map! I"d rather you left the dog outside. It's time we stopped arguing.
Verb + object + infinitive/gerund	We expect the bus to arrive at 7. I want Real Madrid to win.
Conditional sentences + mixed conditions	They won't get a table unless they've booked it in advance. Provided the bank lends us the money, we"re going to buy it. If I"d listened to your advice, I wouldn"t be in trouble now.
Permission, obligation necessity	You don"t need to take a jacket VS You needn"t lock the car. You aren't supposed to park here.
Verbs of the senses	You seem to have made a mistake. I saw him cross the street VS I saw him crossing the street.
Complex gerunds and infinitives	She thanked him for having helped her. By the time I"m 30, I hope to have started a family.
Future plans and arrangements	My brother is due to arrive at 8. I am about to get promoted. The Prime Minister is to visit India next week.
Ellipsis	- You must see his latest film. - I already have. He did it even though I told him not to. - It wasn't my fault. - Well, if you say so...
Nouns -s" of compound nouns	I borrowed my mother's car / She's at the hairdresser's. She "s got ten years" experience. Can you remember the name of the film? I opened the car door, got in and fastened the seat belt.
Adding emphasis (gain) Cleft sentences	What I need is some rest. What happened was we left our umbrellas in the taxi. The reason why I bought it was because it was cheap.
Relative clauses	My brother who lives in Australia is a programmer. VS My brother, who lives in Australia, is a programmer. I haven't seen him for 2 weeks, which is a bit worrying.

That's all English grammar by levels.

Does English grammar really end after the Advanced level? No, of course)) If you look at the levels, there is also the Proficiency level, but the line of conversation courses really ends at the Advanced level.

Perhaps this is because:

even an ambitious user of English rarely needs a level higher than Advanced (not to mention the average learner who stays in the Intermediate area)
at high levels, people already know how to find the necessary authentic materials on their own and independently organize their training
at high levels, many people think about a more practical and targeted use of English - for example, preparation for international exams (IELTS, TOEFL and others) or specialized courses in the profession

And there are still a lot of subtleties left even after the Advanced level!

How do you like English grammar by levels?

Did you manage to determine your level with its help? Share in the comments!

Those prone to self-criticism like to repeat that they don’t know anything (although in fact they can speak the language at a level closer to average and continue to regularly enroll in English courses), and those prone to vanity assure during an interview that they speak English perfectly (when in fact, again, they may be “average”).

For the most impatient, who check their level after each cup of coffee, the buttons are located at the top. This is done for your convenience: no tedious text searches, click on health and get your certificates - we don’t mind.

And for the most assiduous, who are not used to guessing from coffee grounds, we offer you to plunge into multi-level English. With feeling, sense, and arrangement, we will talk about how Elementary differs from Intermediate and whether Advanced is as scary as it is portrayed to be.

Basically it will evaluate the fundamental basis - i.e. grammar. However, the degree of proficiency in foreign speech depends on it. Because you can chat incessantly in English, but at the same time make so many mistakes that the interlocutor will hardly be able to guess what the conversation is all about. Or you can compose sentences slowly in oral speech, weighing each word, without making gross mistakes - and thus create the impression of a person who speaks English well.

Level 0 - Full beginner(or Full...beginner)

Just don’t say now that this is you. If you know the name of the letter “i” or even remember something from school like “teacher”, “book” - feel free to move on. Level zero is only for those who studied another language at school. Or maybe I didn’t study any at all.

Level 1 - Elementary(Elementary)

Holmes would have rejoiced at such a name. And the majority of those who graduated from regular high school do the same. Because this level, unfortunately, is the most common among those who learned English through the cracks and happily received a “C” on the final exam.
What characterizes Elementary: you can read many words quite well (especially without any gh, th, ough), your vocabulary includes mother, father, I am from Russia and other popular phrases, and you can sometimes catch something from a song - something familiar.

Level 2 - Upper-Elementary(Higher Elementary)

A good student at a regular school who studies English can boast of this level. And quite often, for some reason, those who studied the language on their own decide to stop at Upper-Elementary. Why? Because the illusion of knowing English arises: the vocabulary is already decent enough to support some basic topics of conversation (in any case, in a hotel abroad it will already be possible to express oneself without indecent gestures), reading usually goes quite well, and even American films in the original they become more or less understandable (by 25 percent).
However, such conclusions are misleading. Especially if you look at other levels of English.
You can jump from regular Elementary to Upper in about 80 hours if you work hard.

Level 3 - Pre-Intermediate(Lower Intermediate Level)

If you took the English language level test and got this result, congratulations. Because this is a very decent command of English. It occurs among excellent students of a regular school, good students of a specialized school, and the majority of those who combine English language courses with trips abroad.
What characterizes this level: in pronunciation there are no “f” or “t” instead of [θ] and in general the speech of such a student does not have a strong Russian accent, written speech is quite literate and completely understandable, one can communicate even on unfamiliar topics using simple sentences. In general, among the levels of the English language, Pre-Intermediate is most often found among serious learners.

Level 4 - Intermediate(Mid level)

A very worthy result. Practically unattainable for schoolchildren in a regular school and quite realistic for those who did not slack in English lessons in a specialized school. Among self-learners of English, not everyone reaches this level. They usually take the previous exam, because you can achieve Intermediate in about six months of residential courses abroad, a year of good courses, or a year of classes with a tutor.
What characterizes this level of English: clear pronunciation, good vocabulary, the ability to communicate on various topics, the ability to compose complex written requests (even official documents), films in English with subtitles go with a bang.
With this level you can already take the international tests TOEFL and IELTS.

Level 5 - Upper-Intermediate(Upper middle level)

If you have passed the English language level test and received this result, then you can almost without cheating write in your resume for a position: “English - fluent.” College graduates in the Faculty of Foreign Languages usually reach this level.
What is characterized by: skillful manipulation of different styles in one’s speech (business, conversational, etc.), almost flawless pronunciation, the ability to act as a simultaneous interpreter in an informal setting, fluent reading, understanding of the most complex style - the language of newspapers and magazines in English, deft composition of even particularly complex sentence structures.

Level 6 - Advanced(Advanced)

This is probably the pinnacle that English language learners can achieve in a country where it is not an official language. Those who manage to speak at the Advanced level are usually perceived by their interlocutors as people who have lived in the USA or another English-speaking country for several years.
In fact, you can achieve Advanced even at the foreign language department in college, not to mention at universities. And this proves that 5 years, during which 1-2 hours a day will be spread out to study English, is enough. And if you choose intensive courses, the result will be achieved even earlier.
What characterizes the Advanced level of English: by right, this is fluency in English. Pronunciation with almost no accent, conducting formal and informal conversations, working as a simultaneous interpreter, full understanding of films/books/songs in the original, absence of grammatical errors in written speech and minimal presence of errors in spoken speech, understanding of idioms and colloquial expressions. You can confidently plan a career abroad, as well as study at foreign universities.

Level 7 - Super-Advanced(Super advanced)

Are there any here? If so, then the computer most likely malfunctioned on the English language level test.) Because language proficiency at this level is the lot of aborigines living in a country where English is the official language.
What characterizes the Super-Advanced level? Imagine... yourself speaking Russian. You will understand any speech, even if it is a conversation between two emo teenagers discussing topics unknown to you. You will even understand slang. But with all this, you yourself also master the art of words, deftly using terms and putting them into beautiful sentences, without errors (including stylistic ones). And now - the same thing in English. So how?

Dia friend! Do you already feel itchy fingers? Are your seat belts fastened? And are you still here?
Press the button and go! Don't forget to insert the paper into the printer to print out the certificate and proudly display it to everyone interested.

especially for

Make your choice and receive a certificate

If you only know the Terminator phrase in English or decide to test the theory of probability “what if you answer at random” - don’t bother, get a “Full Beginner” certificate and rejoice.

And for all those who suffer, to test their knowledge and obtain documentary evidence of their successes - click the “determine your English level” button and take the test. Be honest with yourself!

And may English be with you. Advanced.

Intermediate defines the average depth of knowledge. It includes a fairly wide range of skills.

This level is preceded by another, which is called Pre-Intermediate and assumes intermediate language proficiency. They switch to Intermediate when they want to learn how to talk not only about ordinary topics, but also be able to discuss professional situations. The Intermediate level provides an understanding of the normal rate of spoken speech by native speakers. The ability to read both fiction and business literature also contributes to this. There are many other skills that characterize the English Intermediate level.

Perhaps the most important factor is that language proficiency at the Intermediate level is required for admission to language universities. Many employers indicate that they need employees who speak English at an Intermediate level. So mastering this level is very important.

Language levels

Many English textbooks are signed as for intermediate students. This means that they are intended for mastering intermediate levels of English. Students graduating from non-linguistic universities speak this level of language. But where did this name come from?

The General English Language Proficiency Scale was created by the ALTE Association. They identified six possible levels of language acquisition:

Beginner - initial. This is the level of those who are just starting to learn English. A person at this level learns the alphabet, phonetics, grammar, vocabulary, starting with the simplest sentences and questions.
Pre-Intermediate - below average. A person with this level of knowledge already knows how to construct sentences and can briefly talk about a common topic.
Intermediate - average. A level that allows you to travel and learn new things. The vocabulary increases significantly, a person can already carry on a conversation, express his own thoughts, talk with a native speaker, and travel freely around the world.
Upper-Intermediate - above average. This level is designed for the practical application of communication skills. It is most in demand in the fields of education and business. With language knowledge at this level, you can even enter a foreign university.
Advanced 1 - advanced. It is necessary for specialists. This level is also studied by people who want to speak, read and write fluently in English. With this level you can get a prestigious job in another country.
Advanced 2 - super advanced. This is the level of native speakers. It is simply impossible to learn a language better than they themselves.

All exams in Cambridge are tied to this scale. Publishers rely on it when producing dictionaries for English language learners. Each reference book, collection of exercises, book for learning a language must indicate the level of knowledge of which allows you to use this publication.

Proficiency at the Intermediate level allows a person to conduct conversations on everyday topics. He can read and write well in English, speaks well, and knows the grammar of the language well.

Knowledge of English at the Intermediate level allows schoolchildren to enter language universities and even try themselves in Western educational institutions.

Requirements for students at the Intermediate level

What can a student with an average level of language knowledge do? He can ask the opinion of his interlocutor, he can clearly talk about what he feels, and express his own ideas. Such students know how to show that they did not understand their interlocutor and may ask them to repeat what was said.

What does Intermediate level mean? Others, even foreigners, can understand the pronunciation of a person who speaks this level. A person is able to use correct intonation and place emphasis in words. The vocabulary is quite wide.

Intermediate level also means that a person understands the tasks of the exercises. He can tell by pronunciation whether his interlocutor is native to English.

The Intermediate level is the ability to write letters, both personal and official, and correctly fill out questionnaires and declarations. A person who speaks at the Intermediate level can express his thoughts grammatically and correctly.

How do you know if your language proficiency is intermediate?

Many people study the language, but not everyone knows such a thing as the Intermediate level, what it means and what their own knowledge is. People can evaluate their knowledge by talking to a teacher. But there is also the possibility of independently determining your level.

Conversation skills

How well do you know English? The Intermediate level, which means “average,” makes the following requirements for speaking skills:

The ability to correctly form familiar words into sentences, use the right intonations, express emotions and determine the emotions of your interlocutor.
The ability to express one’s thoughts clearly and correctly without having problems with pronunciation.
If any point in the conversation turns out to be incomprehensible, a person at the Intermediate level can report his problem to the interlocutor and ask him to repeat the last words.
Easily and quickly select synonyms for words, understand verbiage, and determine their meaning in context.

Reading Skills

The Intermediate level allows a person to understand the main essence of the text, even if individual words remain unknown. He can analyze the text he read and express his own opinion about what he read. The exception is highly specialized texts that are replete with terminology.

A person with an Intermediate level, having read the text, understands the style of its writing. He can understand the meaning of popular phraseological units, as well as stable phrases that are used in the text.

Writing skills

Knowledge of the language at the Intermediate level allows you to write personal and official letters, fill out business papers. A person can present short stories in writing and grammatically correct manner in the style required for storytelling.

These are the basic skills of a person who has an Intermediate level. What does this mean in general? The ability to write texts grammatically correctly, using a large vocabulary, both in written and spoken versions.

Intermediate level courses

Many educational institutions offer to improve language skills to an intermediate level. In this case, the person who has completed the course will be able to:

Freely communicate on everyday topics.
Correctly formulate your emotions, explain your attitude to events around you.
Conduct constructive dialogues with your interlocutor, ask his opinion and even argue in language.
Correctly place stress and intonation in words, be able to determine in which cases one or another intonation is used. This will allow him to emphasize his emotional state.
Improve your pronunciation.
Learn to understand speech by ear.
Understand your interlocutor not only by his words, but also by his intonations.
Identify native speakers and those who simply speak it well.
Provide grammatically correct information about yourself, in writing or orally, and support informal conversation.
The Intermediate level also allows you to come up with fictional stories on your own.

Proficiency in the language at the Intermediate level will allow a person to confidently travel around developed countries without translators and without fear of getting into an awkward situation.

Conclusion

Knowledge of English at the Intermediate level allows a person to feel confident in many situations. He can read books, communicate with native speakers and even write business letters. With this knowledge you can get a good position. Intermediate - average level of language proficiency, which is enough to feel confident when traveling to

Or during courses, you will definitely come across the concept of “levels of English” or “levels of English proficiency”, as well as such incomprehensible designations as A1, B2, and the more understandable Beginner, Intermediate and so on. From this article you will learn what these formulations mean and what levels of language proficiency are distinguished, as well as how to determine your level of English.

Levels of the English language were invented so that language learners could be divided into groups with approximately similar knowledge and skills in reading, writing, speaking and writing, as well as to simplify testing procedures, examinations, for various purposes related to emigration, study abroad and employment. This classification helps in recruiting students into a group and preparing teaching aids, methods, and language teaching programs.

Of course, there is no clear boundary between the levels; this division is quite arbitrary, needed not so much by students as by teachers. In total, there are 6 levels of language proficiency, there are two types of division:

Levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2,
Levels Beginner, Elementary, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, Advanced, Proficiency.

Essentially they are just two different names for the same thing. These 6 levels are divided into three groups.

Table: English language proficiency levels

The classification was developed in the late eighties - early nineties of the last century, it is completely called the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (abbr. CERF).

English language levels: detailed description

Beginner level (A1)

At this level you can:

Understand and use familiar everyday expressions and simple phrases aimed at solving specific problems.
Introduce yourself, introduce other people, ask simple personal questions, for example, “Where do you live?”, “Where are you from?”, be able to answer such questions.
Maintain a simple conversation if the other person speaks slowly, clearly and helps you.

Many who studied English at school speak the language at approximately the Beginner level. From the vocabulary only elementary mother, father, help me, my name is, London is the capital. You can understand well-known words and expressions by ear if they speak very clearly and without accent, as in the audio lessons for the textbook. You understand texts like the “Exit” sign, and in a conversation with the help of gestures, using individual words, you can express the simplest thoughts.

Level Elementary (A2)

At this level you can:

Understand common expressions on general topics such as family, shopping, work, etc.
Talk about simple everyday topics using simple phrases.
Talk about yourself in simple terms, describe simple situations.

If you got a 4 or 5 in English at school, but after that you didn’t use English for some time, then most likely you speak the language at the Elementary level. TV programs in English will not be understandable, except for individual words, but the interlocutor, if he speaks clearly, in simple phrases of 2-3 words, will generally understand. You can also incoherently and with long pauses for reflection tell the simplest information about yourself, say that the sky is blue and the weather is clear, express a simple wish, place an order at McDonald's.

The Beginner – Elementary levels can be called a “survival level”, Survival English. It is enough to “survive” during a trip to a country where the main language is English.

Intermediate level (B1)

At this level you can:

Understand the general meaning of clear speech on common, familiar topics related to everyday life (work, study, etc.)
Cope with the most typical situations while traveling (at the airport, in a hotel, etc.)
Compose simple, coherent text on general or personally familiar topics.
Retell events, describe hopes, dreams, ambitions, be able to briefly talk about plans and explain your point of view.

Vocabulary and knowledge of grammar are enough to write simple essays about yourself, describe incidents from life, write a letter to a friend. But in most cases, oral speech lags behind written speech, you confuse tenses, think about a phrase, pause to find a pretext (to or for?), but you can communicate more or less, especially if you are not shy or afraid of making mistakes.

Understanding your interlocutor is much more difficult, and if it is a native speaker, and even with fast speech and a bizarre accent, then it is almost impossible. However, simple, clear speech is understandable well, provided the words and expressions are familiar. You generally understand if the text is not very complex, and with some difficulty you understand the general meaning without subtitles.

Upper Intermediate level (B2)

At this level you can:

Understand the general meaning of complex text on concrete and abstract topics, including technical (specialized) topics in your profile.
Speak quickly enough so that communication with a native speaker occurs without long pauses.
Compose clear, detailed text on various topics, explain points of view, give arguments for and against various points of view on the topic.

Upper Intermediate is already a good, solid, confident command of the language. If you are talking on a well-known topic with a person whose pronunciation you understand well, then the conversation will go quickly, easily, naturally. An outside observer will say that you are fluent in English. However, you may be confused by words and expressions related to topics that you do not understand well, all sorts of jokes, sarcasm, hints, slang.

You are asked to answer 36 questions to test your listening, writing, speaking and grammar skills.

It is noteworthy that to test listening comprehension, they do not use phrases like “London is the capital” recorded by the announcer, but short excerpts from films (Puzzle English specializes in learning English from films and TV series). In English-language films, the characters' speech is close to how people speak in real life, so the test can seem harsh.

Chandler from Friends doesn't have the best pronunciation.

To check a letter, you need to translate several phrases from English into Russian and from Russian into English. The program provides several translation options for each phrase. To test your knowledge of grammar, a completely ordinary test is used, where you need to choose one option from several offered.

But you're probably wondering how the program can test your speaking skills? Of course, an online English test will not test your speech like a human, but the test developers have come up with an original solution. In the task you need to listen to a phrase from the film and choose a line suitable for continuing the dialogue.

Talking is not enough, you also need to understand your interlocutor!

The ability to speak English consists of two skills: listening to the speech of your interlocutor and expressing your thoughts. This task, although in a simplified form, tests how you cope with both tasks.

At the end of the test, you will be shown a complete list of questions with the correct answers, and you will find out where you made mistakes. And of course, you will see a chart with an assessment of your level on a scale from Beginner to Upper Intermediate.

2. Test to determine the level of English with a teacher

To get a professional, “live” (and not automated, as in tests) assessment of the level of the English language, you need English teacher, which will test you with tasks and an interview in English.

This consultation can be done free of charge. Firstly, there may be a language school in your city that offers free language testing and even a trial lesson. This is now a common practice.

In short, I signed up for a trial lesson-test, got in touch on Skype at the appointed time, and teacher Alexandra and I had a lesson during which she “tortured” me in every possible way with various tasks. All communication was in English.

My trial lesson on SkyEng. We check your knowledge of grammar.

At the end of the lesson, the teacher explained to me in detail in which direction I should develop my English, what problems I have, and a little later she sent me a letter with a detailed description of the level of language skills (with ratings on a 5-point scale) and methodological recommendations.

This method took some time: three days passed from submitting the application to the lesson, and the lesson itself lasted about 40 minutes. But this is much more interesting than any online test.

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