مستويات اللغة الإنجليزية Intermediate | المهارات التي يجب اكتسابها

Learning English is a journey that goes through consecutive stages of discovery and development, starting from the basic understanding of words and structures, and reaching the confident ability to express and interact. In this journey, the Intermediate level appears as a pivotal stage in the progression process, forming the bridge between initial learning and true language independence. Once reaching this level, learners begin to use the language for communication with brevity and accuracy, and vocabulary and expressions become part of their daily lives, no longer just lessons to memorize.

In this article, we will review the concept of the Intermediate English level (B1), what distinguishes students at this stage in terms of language skills, comprehension, and fluency in speaking.

What is the Intermediate Level?

The Intermediate level in English refers to the stage where learners begin to rely on themselves for comprehension and communication. At this level, a person is able to express clear thoughts in daily life situations, even if they do not yet possess full fluency or high linguistic accuracy.

The Intermediate English level is determined through precise evaluation tests that measure listening and reading comprehension, as well as oral and written expression, within familiar contexts such as work, travel, and social relationships. These tests are used to classify learners within the Intermediate English level (B1) according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), where the learner at this level demonstrates a balanced ability to use the language for effective communication, understand the general meaning of conversations and texts, and express their opinions and experiences in understandable and clear language.

What is its Position in CEFR?

Within the CEFR, the Intermediate level in English is classified at level B1, which is at the midpoint of the language progression. This level comes after A1 (Beginner) and A2 (Elementary), and before B2 (Upper Intermediate), making it an important turning point towards independence in language use. Reaching the Intermediate level in English is a crucial step that allows learners to express their ideas clearly in daily situations, understand basic texts, and interact confidently in real conversations, paving the way for skill development towards higher levels of fluency and accuracy.

What Are the Characteristics of the Learner?

• Able to understand the main points in conversations or texts on familiar topics such as travel, work, and daily relationships.

• Can conduct natural dialogues about family, hobbies, and personal thoughts without constantly searching for words.

• Has the ability to write short and clear texts, such as letters or general descriptions of places and people.

• Can handle travel or work situations with a degree of spontaneity, even with some language mistakes.
  These characteristics show that the Intermediate level learner possesses a solid foundation that allows them to interact genuinely with the language, without being limited to memorized phrases or simple vocabulary.

How Does Daily Communication Look?

In daily life, communication at the Intermediate level in English is fairly flexible and clear. The learner can understand public announcements or simple instructions, engage in short conversations with English speakers, and read emails and understand their content without much difficulty. A person at the Intermediate level can express their opinions and feelings using fairly accurate structures, which allows them to interact effectively in social and professional daily situations.

What Are the Skills at the Intermediate Level?

At the Intermediate level in English, the student deals with a set of rules that enable them to express themselves more smoothly and understand common structures in the language. These rules include:

• Present simple and present continuous to talk about habits and current actions.

• Simple past and past continuous to describe past events clearly and set their context.

• Simple future to express upcoming plans or expectations.

• Simple conditional sentences to understand cause-and-effect relationships in daily life situations.

• Linking words like "because," "although," and "however" to coordinate sentences and create more connected texts.

• The passive voice to understand and construct sentences that focus on the action rather than the subject.

How Strong is Their Vocabulary?

A learner at this level possesses a vocabulary ranging from 3,250 to 3,750 words, which allows them to express themselves on various topics. This vocabulary includes areas such as daily life, family, work, hobbies, and travel, with an increasing ability to use common phrases that facilitate natural conversation.

They can also use vocabulary in different situations according to the context, whether talking about their emotions, describing their plans, or discussing general topics. Although they may sometimes need to search for alternative words, they can communicate their ideas clearly and understandably.

What Listening Level is Required?

The Intermediate level student is able to understand the main points in daily dialogues and conversations about familiar topics. They can also follow news or podcasts designed for this level without the need for continuous translation. Those at the Intermediate level show noticeable improvement in their listening and comprehension skills, as they can easily grasp the general idea and interact with the content naturally, which boosts their confidence in using the language in real-life situations.

Example: When listening to a discussion about travel or eating habits, they can catch the general meaning and identify the situations or opinions being discussed, even if they do not understand every single word.

How is the Conversation?

In conversation, the learner can talk about daily life, routine activities, and discuss their opinions or future plans. They can also ask and answer questions in clear sentences, with some hesitation or minor mistakes that do not hinder communication.

Example: They might say sentences like "I’m planning to visit my friend next weekend," using various structures to express their intentions or past experiences.

How Does the Student Write?

Students at this level are able to write short and organized texts, such as personal letters, emails, or product reviews. They describe their situations and experiences in a simple and clear style.

Example: They can write a letter to a friend describing their recent trip, using past and future tenses accurately with appropriate linking phrases.

What is Their Reading Ability?

At the Intermediate level, the student reads realistic texts or short stories and easily understands the main idea. They can also answer questions related to the content or summarize the key points in their own words.

Reading Tips:

• Read short articles from magazines or websites suited to this level.

• Focus on key words instead of translating every word.

• Try to predict the meaning of sentences from the overall context.

• Summarize each paragraph to enhance long-term understanding and retention.

How to Improve Your Intermediate Level?

• Change your device language to English, which helps integrate vocabulary and expressions into your daily life, fostering thinking in English rather than translating continuously.

• Practice daily conversations with friends or through communication apps, offering practical training in pronunciation and sentence-building with confidence.

• Regularly solve grammar and vocabulary exercises to maintain consistency in learning and reinforce basic language concepts.

• Regular writing of texts and messages is an effective way to develop personal style and accurate expression in English.

• Listening to podcasts and programs suited to the Intermediate level helps improve auditory comprehension and familiarize oneself with different accents, using the language in realistic situations.

How to Measure Your Progress?

To measure progress at the Intermediate level, you can rely on practical and graduated tools.

The EF SET test is a reliable tool for determining the Intermediate level in English, offering a comprehensive evaluation of reading and listening abilities and providing an accurate result based on the CEFR scale. You can also use CEFR evaluation models to compare your performance with the standard Intermediate English levels. To get a realistic view of your level, these tools help identify areas that need improvement before advancing to a higher level such as Upper Intermediate (B2) with confidence and better preparation.

What Are the Challenges of the Intermediate Level?

At the Intermediate level of learning English, many learners notice recurring grammatical errors and the use of a limited range of vocabulary or structures. This is often due to a lack of practical training or fear of making mistakes while speaking. This hesitation leads to the reinforcement of errors over time rather than correcting them.

What Are the Difficulties in Understanding and Comprehension?

The biggest challenge for learners at the Intermediate level is understanding fast speech and informal situations. When native speakers use idiomatic expressions or different accents, the learner may struggle to follow the full meaning of sentences. This challenge increases in real-life situations, such as daily conversations or following foreign programs, where clear academic language is not always used.

Confusion often occurs because learners are more accustomed to written standard language than spoken language, which requires more time to understand tone, context, and accompanying vocal cues.

How to Overcome Hesitation?

• Practice intensive listening from various sources, such as podcasts or videos where speakers use natural and fast language.

• Engage in real conversations with native speakers or online to build confidence in everyday communication.

• Request immediate corrections from teachers or peers while speaking to reinforce proper rules and reduce recurring mistakes.

• Write down common mistakes in a dedicated notebook and gradually work on correcting them through practical sentences and examples.

Following these steps helps learners move past hesitation and boosts their sense of progress in using the language with more confidence.

How Does English Place Academy Help?

English Place Academy is one of the leading digital platforms that supports learners at the Intermediate English level, combining its extensive experience since 2009 with a modern approach to remote learning. The academy offers comprehensive programs that cover all language aspects, including grammar, speaking, reading, and writing.

Students benefit from live and recorded video lessons that allow them to learn flexibly within their own schedule, with close monitoring of their level and progress through weekly interactive tests. This system helps learners gradually solidify their skills and achieve a balance between theoretical and practical language use.

What Are the Benefits of Interactive Learning?

• Provides students with the opportunity to directly interact with teachers and peers in English, enhancing fluency and self-confidence.

• Enables real-time error correction, accelerating the learning process and preventing the accumulation of common mistakes.

• Encourages thinking in English rather than constant translation from Arabic, which is essential for progress at the Intermediate level.

• Provides an enjoyable and engaging learning experience through visual activities and methods that make learning more effective and sustainable.

How Do Teachers Help?

Arab teachers play a key role in enhancing the efficiency of students at the Intermediate English level. Teachers help simplify complex concepts and connect them to the learners’ culture, making it easier for them to understand and confidently use precise rules in real-life situations. They provide a real linguistic environment that allows students to practice pronunciation and listening naturally, while also acquiring communication skills across a wide range of contexts.

This focus makes the learning experience at English Place Academy a real-world experience that prepares students to transition smoothly from the Intermediate level to advanced stages of language proficiency.

Frequently Asked Questions about Intermediate English Levels

What does Intermediate level mean?
Intermediate level refers to a learner’s ability to communicate fairly easily in everyday situations, whether during travel, in work environments, or in social life. However, they may face some difficulty when topics become complex or specialized, especially in deep conversations or technical texts.

What does B1 mean in English?
B1 represents the real beginning of language independence; at this level, the learner can understand the basic ideas in clear texts about familiar topics such as family or work. They can conduct simple dialogues, write short texts describing experiences or future plans, but they may still have some weakness in specialized vocabulary or dealing with abstract or academic topics.

What does B2 mean in English?
B2 (Upper Intermediate) refers to the ability to interact fluently and discuss both concrete and abstract topics. The person is capable of expressing personal views and handling complex situations with a higher degree of accuracy and linguistic flexibility.

Conclusion

The Intermediate level (B1) in English is a pivotal stage that grants the learner independence in expressing themselves and interacting in daily life situations and work environments. At this stage, the learner can communicate fluently with native English speakers, understand general texts, and engage in conversations across various contexts with increasing confidence. Reaching the Intermediate level is a significant step toward fluency, as it represents the bridge from relying on memorized phrases to using the language naturally in real-life situations, enhancing their ability to think and express themselves in English more smoothly.