English B2 course: Upper intermediate

What you can do after B2

At B2 you talk with native speakers with some fluency, follow the main ideas of complex texts, and explain your view on a topic.

The level descriptions follow the CEFR global scale of the Council of Europe.

11 units in the English B2 course

1. Unit 1 Making the Case

   8 lessons

   • A Library After Work
   • What the Trial Didn't Tell Us
   • On Local Radio
   • A Street Without Cars
   • The Corner Store Has a Problem
   • Numbers and a Letter
   • Comparing Notes
   • Making the Case Twice

   Grammar in this unit

   • unless we find staff; provided they get paid; as long as it has funding
   • If we hadn't received that donation, we wouldn't have started

2. Unit 2 Where We Belong

   8 lessons

   • A Place for My Story
   • A Notebook at Home
   • An Invitation With Choices
   • Two Memories Beside a Picture
   • Permission for Each Use
   • An Answer That Leaves Room
   • What We Can Share
   • Names and Songs

   Grammar in this unit

   • Although I grew up here, I still feel close to those places
   • I wish everyone could join the walk
   • Having read both drafts, she made a suggestion

3. Unit 3 Art Worth Talking About

   8 lessons

   • After the Music
   • A Picture With a Question
   • The Past in a Novel
   • Two Readings of One Scene
   • A Film I Would Change
   • Before We Recommend It
   • Three Reviews on the Table
   • A Recommendation for Two Readers

   Grammar in this unit

   • The singer, who also played guitar, kept the beat
   • In spite of the rich detail; whereas the main character calls it a myth
   • Surprisingly, I found it amusing

4. Unit 4 Finding an Agreement

   8 lessons

   • One Room, Several Plans
   • The Conditions Behind the Price
   • A Fair Share of the Cost
   • What Belongs in the Room
   • When the Schedule Fails
   • The Agreement in Writing
   • The Words We Agreed On
   • Two Small Agreements

   Grammar in this unit

   • You could leave time; the afternoon might work
   • Could you tell me whether our group is responsible?

5. Unit 5 Experience for the Job

   8 lessons

   • An Opening That Fits
   • What the Experience Shows
   • A Year of Learning
   • Skills in a Different Job
   • Before the Problem Grew
   • The Offer and the Conditions
   • Two Accounts of Experience
   • Questions Before Saying Yes

   Grammar in this unit

   • I've been studying; I've completed two units
   • By the end of the year, I will have completed the training
   • I'd been working on the letters for about an hour

6. Unit 6 What It Really Costs

   8 lessons

   • The Same Food Costs More
   • Two Prices for the Same Work
   • The Cost After Today
   • What a Used Table Is Worth
   • A Promise of Easy Money
   • The Price of Keeping It Open
   • Three Ways to Read a Price
   • Before We Pay

   Grammar in this unit

   • rise sharply, a slight fall, twice as much
   • we'll have the chairs repaired
   • the chairs will be repaired; they can be picked up

7. Unit 7 Comparing the Accounts

   8 lessons

   • Two Headlines, One Meeting
   • A Quote Without Its Question
   • Who Has Actually Decided?
   • The Picture From Somewhere Else
   • What the Camera Missed
   • Putting the Full Story Back
   • Which Claim Can We Keep?
   • Two Stories to Check

   Grammar in this unit

   • It is said that …; the library is thought to be planning …
   • The article claims that the funding is approved

8. Unit 8 Making Technology Clear

   8 lessons

   • A Machine With a Clear Job
   • What the Test Can Tell Us
   • The File We Did Not Need
   • The Claim on the Science Card
   • One Demonstration, Several Limits
   • Enough to Use, Not Enough to Promise
   • Two Tests on the Same Page
   • Explaining Two New Devices

   Grammar in this unit

   • the device set up by the door; a motor driving a wheel
   • It must have missed one entry
   • you needn't have gone to all that trouble

9. Unit 9 Understanding the Risk

   8 lessons

   • How Much Can a Number Tell Us?
   • A Health Message With Limits
   • Words That Make It Hard to Ask
   • An Outdoor Plan in Dry Weather
   • Keeping the Route Clear
   • The Plan When Conditions Change
   • What We Know About the Risk
   • Two Plans With Another Option

   Grammar in this unit

   • The draft is likely to confuse readers
   • If you hadn't removed it, I'd feel anxious
   • We'll be checking the entrance while people are arriving

10. Unit 10 A Plan We Can Test

    8 lessons

    • A Question We Can Test
    • The Route on the Map
    • Who Has Not Been Asked?
    • The Limit on the Promise
    • The Sign That Sends Us the Wrong Way
    • The Plan People Will Receive
    • Before the First Saturday
    • Two Proposals Beyond the Center

    Grammar in this unit

    • I wish the entrance were easier to find; if only we had enough money
    • I'd rather we checked the route first; it's time we asked them

11. Unit 11 When the Evidence Changes

    8 lessons

    • The Result We Need to Explain
    • The Questions Behind the Decision
    • A Conclusion With a Reason
    • What Makes the Difference?
    • When New Evidence Changes the Plan
    • A Smaller Step We Can Defend
    • The Case After the Questions
    • Two Cases Still Open

    Grammar in this unit

    • It is ownership that we need to confirm
    • Furthermore, …; nevertheless, …; consequently, …

How a lesson works

• Read the scene line by line. A tap on a word shows its meaning in your own language.
• Grammar notes explain the new patterns of the unit.
• Record any line and see a score for each word. How speech scoring works.
• Use the new words in an AI conversation at your level.