CEFR Level B: English Level B1 and B2 Explained

All you need to Know About CEFR Level B If you belong to a language learning community, you must have heard people talking about language levels. What are those levels and why are they required?  Well, in Europe and other parts of the world, people travel to different places for employment and studies. In Europe (and now in other countries outside Europe) there is a framework to assess the language ability of a person for a specific language, which is called CEFR. CEFR stands for the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which is an international standard for describing language ability. Each level within the CEFR provides a detailed description of what a learner can do in the language at that level. It has three levels: A (Basic), B (Intermediate), and C (Advanced). But in today’s post, we will specifically talk about CEFR level B, what it is, its importance, and how you can achieve this level.

What’s CEFR Level B?

CEFR Level B, often referred to as “B level,” signifies an intermediate level of language proficiency. It is further divided into two sublevels:

1. B1 – Threshold level: At this level, learners can understand and use everyday expressions and basic phrases related to personal information, shopping, local geography, employment, and so on. They can handle simple interactions in familiar contexts and describe experiences, events, dreams, and ambitions, although with some hesitation or errors.
2. B2 – Vantage level: This level indicates that learners can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in their field of specialization. They can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. They can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue, providing advantages and disadvantages of various options.

In CEFR level B, candidates move one step further from the basic level, A1 and A2. The basic level A enables a person to understand the basic sentences or words in everyday life. However, B level makes you handle everyday situations more effectively at various places like restaurants, airports, stores, etc.  It is interesting to note that despite all that, a learner still struggles to speak fluently. While discussing various topics, even if you are familiar with them, you will still speak slowly and face difficulty in maintaining your fluency.  The learners move beyond the basics of a language but they are still not able to use it fluently (like natives) at the workplace or school. However, they can deal with everyday situations to a large extent. 

CEFR Level B1 (Independent user)

When you are at CEFR level B1, you are expected to have a vocabulary of 2500-3000 words. Not only this, but you should also be able to recall almost half of them quickly. To gain this level of proficiency, you require 350-400 hours of study. This includes self-study, taking classes and doing practice. 

What you can do?

At B1 level, you can:

• Understand and write on familiar matters that you encounter daily
• Describe your experiences, needs, ambitions, etc.
• Understand a movie with subtitles
• Give reasons or explanations
• Understand what’s going on in a story, play, drama or news

 

How to improve?

At this level, you already know the basics. To achieve an intermediate level, you need to put more effort into planning and learning your lessons. You need to show more commitment to your study routine. If you’re already dedicating 15 minutes to practicing the language, doubling this time will be far better. This way you will see the desired results quickly. Also, do not focus on the practice alone, learn from your previous mistakes. You are at the intermediate level now, so eradicating those mistakes is a must to learn quickly. Watch TV shows, speak with natives, and get help from a tutor.  Slowly but steadily build your vocabulary by regularly adding new words and revising the old ones.

CEFR Level B2 (Advanced independent user)

At this level, you must have built the confidence to understand a language to a large extent. You have greater control over all the areas: reading, writing listening, and speaking.  Though you are still not fluent, this level will make you able to communicate well enough at workplaces, schools, hotels, shopping places, etc. Learners can take part in discussions on a variety of topics and convey their points of view in a more understandable way. At this stage, your language feels more casual and relaxed compared to before.  Moreover, when you reach the B2 level you must have a vocabulary of around 4000 words. To pass this level, you need to complete almost 500-600 hours of study.

What you can do?

At this level, learners can:

• Actively participate in discussions on various familiar topics
• Communicate much more naturally than before
• Give arguments, and explanations, and share their thoughts
• Understand a normal discussion at a normal speed on known topics
• Comprehend the main idea behind an article, report, news or any piece of content.
• Write on various topics of interest or areas of expertise

 

How to improve?

When you reach this level, you need to expand your learning model. Practice is necessary but now you should break through barriers and take more risks to discover more. Write on topics you are not familiar with, listen to different podcasts or news, and speak about diverse topics. The idea is to expand your knowledge about the topics you want to learn, which are complex and most common around you. Try to speak like natives by participating in group discussions and practicing the sentences or words. Put simply, you need to pay more attention to learning a language by practicing more and learning from your mistakes.

The Bottom Line

As a language learner, you always seek ways to improve your language proficiency. If you are already preparing yourself for CEFR level B, that means you have covered the basics and are now one step ahead of it. CEFR level B allows you to handle daily life situations and express your opinions, thoughts or ideas with others on familiar topics.  You can challenge yourself to move away from basics and learn to read, speak, write and listen to complex topics. Practice leads to perfection, so do it regularly. Nothing happens overnight, so remind yourself of this, make a proper plan, and effectively utilize resources to speed up your progress. In summary, CEFR Level B represents an intermediate stage where language learners have progressed beyond basic proficiency but are not yet fluent or advanced.