Level B2

Spoken Interaction

• I can take an active part in conversation, expressing clearly my points of view, ideas or feelings naturally with effective turn-taking.
• I can evaluate advantages & disadvantages, and participate in reaching a decision in formal or informal discussion.
• I can sustain my opinions in discussion by providing relevant explanations, arguments and comments.
• I can use the telephone to find out detailed information, provided the other person speaks clearly, and ask follow up questions to check that I have understood a point fully.

LISTENING

• I can understand the main ideas of complex speech on concrete and abstract topics delivered in a standard dialect, including technical discussions in my field of specialisation.
• I can understand in detail what is said to me in standard spoken language.
• I can with some effort catch much of what is said around me, but may find it difficult to understand a discussion between several speakers who do not modify their language in any way.
• I can follow TV drama and the majority of films in standard dialect.
• I can understand TV news, current affairs, documentaries, interviews, talk shows, etc.

WRITING

• I can write at length about topical issues, even though complex concepts may be oversimplified, and can correct many of my mistakes in the process.
• I can write clear, detailed descriptions on a variety of subjects related to my field of interest.
• I can express news, views and feelings in correspondence, and respond to those of the other person.
• I can write standard formal letters requesting or communicating relevant information, following a template.

Spoken PRODUCTION

• I can give clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects related to my fields of interest.
• I can develop a clear argument, linking my ideas logically and expanding and supporting my points with appropriate examples.
• I can present a topical issue in a critical manner and weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
• I can summarise information and arguments from a number of sources, such as articles or reports, discussions, interviews, presentations, etc.
• I can summarise orally the plot and sequence of events in a film or play.

READING

• I can read with a large degree of independence, using dictionaries and other reference sources selectively when necessary.
• I can understand articles, reports and reviews in which the writers express specific points of view (e.g., political commentary, critiques of exhibitions, plays, films, etc).
• I can rapidly grasp the content and the significance of news, articles and reports on topics connected with my interests or my job, and decide if a closer reading is worthwhile.
• I can understand the main points in formal and informal letters relating to my personal and professional interests, with occasional use of a dictionary.

STRATEGIES

• I can use standard phrases like “That’s a difficult question to answer” to gain time and keep the turn while formulating what to say.
• I can help a discussion along on familiar ground confirming comprehension, inviting others in, etc.
• I can generally correct slips and errors if I become aware of them or if they have led to misunderstandings.
• I can make a note of “favourite mistakes” and consciously monitor speech for them.

GRAMMAR

• Adjectives and adverbs
• Future continuous
• Future perfect
• Future perfect continuous
• Mixed conditionals
• Modals - can’t have, needn’t have
• Modals of deduction and speculation
• Narrative tenses
• Passives
• Past perfect
• Past perfect continuous
• Phrasal verbs, extended
• Relative clauses
• Reported speech
• Will and going to, for prediction
• Wish
• Would expressing habits, in the past

VOCABULARG

• Collocation
• Colloquial language