B1 English - Intermediate
The threshold. You can hold an opinion, tell a story that lasts more than one sentence, and be understood.
- Levels
- 15
- Grammar points
- 240
- Active vocabulary
- ≈2,000 words
- Certified by
- Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) · IELTS 4.0–5.0
Where B1 counts. The level asked for British citizenship and indefinite leave to remain, and the usual bar for skilled-worker visas.
What you can do at B1
- Follow the main points of clear standard English on familiar matters.
- Deal with most situations that come up while travelling.
- Produce connected text on topics you know, and explain a point of view.
- Describe experiences, plans and ambitions, and give reasons for them.
Story length
250–350 words · 9–10 pages
Typical study time
350–400 guided hours
English you meet here
however · manage to · would have
Study-time figures are the guided-hour ranges commonly published by English language schools, counted cumulatively from zero. They describe a classroom average, not a promise.
Why B1 is the level it is
B1 is the threshold the CEFR is named after - the point where English becomes a language you use rather than a subject you study. It is also where the grammar shifts from describing to positioning: conditionals for hypotheses and politeness, reported speech for repeating what someone else claimed, the passive for moving the important thing to the front, and a modal system that carries meanings nothing else in the language expresses.
The modals are the real work of B1. English has almost no subjunctive, so the entire load of probability, obligation, permission, regret and deduction sits on a dozen small words that never change form. He must be tired is not obligation, it is deduction. You should have called is not advice, it is a complaint about the past. None of them map one-for-one onto any other language, and they are everywhere in real speech.
B1 is also the level with the most weight attached to it outside the classroom. It is what the UK asks for for settlement and citizenship, it is where employers start treating English as a working skill rather than a line on a CV, and it is the point at which you can finally read something written for native speakers and finish it. That last one changes the game: from B1 on, the language starts teaching itself, provided you keep reading.
The B1 curriculum, unit by unit
15 levels and 240 grammar points, in the order Leo teaches them. Each unit lists its must-know forms with a real example - the supporting points are covered inside the stories.
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B1.1 The past before the past: setting up a flashback
past perfect simple — affirmative
When she got home, her brother had already left.
had + past participle (had gone, had seen)
past perfect simple — negative and questions
He hadn't finished his homework. Had you seen him before?
hadn't + past participle | Had you + past participle ?
past perfect — earlier time in a narrative
The house was empty. Everyone had gone to the beach.
had + past participle for the earliest event
ordering the events of a past narrative
He opened the door, walked in and turned on the light.
past simple in sequence + sequence connectors
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B1.2 What is still going on: the present perfect continuous
present perfect continuous — affirmative
I've been waiting since eight o'clock.
have / has been + verb-ing
present perfect continuous with for / since
They've been building that house since March. He's been reading for hours.
have been + -ing + for + duration | since + starting point
present perfect vs past simple — the contrast
I've lost my keys. (I still don't have them) — I lost my keys yesterday.
present perfect = link to now | past simple = finished, dated moment
ever / never / yet / still in context negative
He still hasn't called. I've never been there.
hardly ever / never / not ... yet / still ... not
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B1.3 What is no longer: past habits and states
used to — affirmative
I used to play the piano when I was young.
used to + base form
used to — negative and questions
She didn't use to like coffee. Did you use to live here?
didn't use to + base | Did you use to ... ?
past continuous with always — irritation
He was always losing his keys.
was / were always + verb-ing
another / the other / the others
Can I have another cup? The other door was locked. The others had already left.
another + singular | the other + singular or plural | the others (pronoun)
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B1.4 Deducing: must, can't, might, could
must — deduction
The lights are on — they must be home.
must + base form (it must be, you must be)
can't — negative deduction
That can't be true. He can't be at school, it's Sunday.
can't + base form
might / may — possibility
She might be late. We may go to the beach tomorrow.
might / may (+ not) + base form
could — possibility
It could be dangerous. You could be right.
could + base form
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B1.5 Regret and reproach: past modals
might have / may have + past participle
He might have missed the bus.
might have + pp
should have + past participle — regret
I should have listened to you.
should have + pp
would have + past participle
I would have helped you.
would have / wouldn't have + pp
was / were able to — one-off success
The door was locked, but he was able to open the window.
was / were able to + base form
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B1.6 Obligation, permission, preference
need to / needn't / don't need to
You needn't come early. We don't need to book a table.
need to + base | needn't + base | don't need to + base
must vs have to — obligation
I must finish this tonight. — I have to wear a uniform at school.
must = internal pressure | have to = external constraint
mustn't vs don't have to
You mustn't touch that. — You don't have to come if you're tired.
mustn't = prohibition | don't have to = not required
would — the polite request
Would you mind closing the window?
Would you mind + -ing ? | Would you + base form ?
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B1.7 Linking: relative clauses
defining relative — who / that object
The man (who) we met yesterday is a teacher.
noun + (who / that) + subject + verb
relative with where — place
That's the house where I grew up.
place noun + where + clause
relative with whose — possession
She has a friend whose father is a pilot.
noun + whose + noun + verb
non-defining relative — set off by commas
My uncle, who lives in Kyoto, is coming to visit.
noun, who / which + clause, ...
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B1.8 Explaining, contrasting, connecting
clause of reason — as / since / because
Since it was late, we decided to go home.
as / since / because + clause
clause of purpose — so that / to / in order to
She left early so that she wouldn't miss the train.
so (that) + clause | to + base form
clause of contrast — although / even though / though
Although he was tired, he kept walking.
although / even though / though + clause
connectors of cause and consequence
The road was closed because of the snow. That's why we were late.
so / because of / due to / that's why / as a result
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B1.9 Conditions: what can still happen
first conditional — if + present simple, will
If it rains, we'll stay inside.
If + present simple, will + base form
unless — the negative condition
We won't go unless the weather gets better.
unless + present simple
second conditional — if + past simple, would
If I had more money, I would travel around the world.
If + past simple, would + base form
If I were you, I'd ...
If I were you, I'd apologize.
If I were you, I would / I'd + base form
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B1.10 The unreal past: regret
third conditional — if + past perfect, would have + past participle
If I had known, I would have come earlier.
If + past perfect, would have + past participle
wish + past simple — present regret
I wish I had more time. She wishes she could come.
wish (that) + past simple
not + to + infinitive
He decided not to say anything. I promised not to tell.
verb + not to + base form
verb + object + to + infinitive
She asked me to wait. His parents didn't allow him to go.
ask / tell / want / allow / expect / remind + object + to + base form
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B1.11 Reporting speech and thought
reported speech — say / tell + that + backshift
She said (that) she was tired. He told me he had already eaten.
said (that) + past | told + object + (that) + past
say vs tell
He said he was busy. He told me he was busy.
say (+ to somebody) + clause | tell + somebody + clause
reported questions with yes / no — ask if / whether
She asked if I wanted to come.
asked + (object) + if / whether + subject + verb
reported questions with wh-
He asked me where I lived.
asked + (object) + wh- + subject + verb
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B1.12 The passive: an action without its agent
passive present simple — affirmative
The bread is baked every morning.
am / is / are + past participle
passive past simple
The letter was written in 1920. The windows were broken.
was / were + past participle
passive + by — the agent
The painting was stolen by two men.
be + past participle + by + agent
get + past participle
They got married last spring. He got hurt playing soccer.
get lost / get hurt / get married / get caught
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B1.13 Fine-grained comparison
as ... as / not as ... as
He isn't as tall as his brother. She runs as fast as I do.
(not) as + adjective or adverb + as
intensified comparative — much / far / a lot / even / a bit
This one is much better. It's a bit colder today.
much / far / a lot / even / a bit + comparative
too + adjective + to + infinitive
He was too tired to walk any further.
too + adjective + to + base form
enough — adjective + enough / enough + noun
She isn't old enough to drive. We don't have enough time.
adjective + enough + (to) | enough + noun
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B1.14 Questioning, qualifying, building
negative question
Didn't you see the sign? Isn't it beautiful?
Didn't you ... ? | Isn't it ... ? | Can't you ... ?
question tags — full range
You've finished, haven't you? He hasn't come home yet, has he?
affirmative + tag negative | negative + tag affirmative (be, do, have, modals)
alternative question — or / or not
Do you want tea or coffee? Are you coming or not?
X or Y ? | ... or not ?
questions with wh- subject, without auxiliary
Who broke the window? What happened?
Who / What + finite verb
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B1.15 Refining: shades of modality, exclamations, complex comparisons
than + full clause
It was harder than I expected. He got there later than we had planned.
comparative + than + subject + verb
exclamations with How + adjective
How strange! How lucky you are! How kind of you to come.
How + adjective ! | How + adjective + subject + verb !
wouldn't — refusal in the past
The car wouldn't start. He wouldn't listen to me. The door wouldn't open.
wouldn't + base form
modal + modal adverb
She'll definitely be there. It might possibly rain. He could easily win. That may well be true.
modal + definitely / probably / possibly / certainly / well
The app
Leo teaches B1 by reading
The roadmap on this page is not a chart we drew for the article - it is the syllabus the app is built on. Leo takes you from your first sentence to reading the press without a dictionary, one story at a time.
Stories, not drills
Every level is taught through illustrated stories written at that level - short at A1, full pages of natural prose by C1. You learn English the way you learned to read: by reading something you want to finish.
Tap any word
Translation, pronunciation and the grammar behind the form, on the word itself. No dictionary in another tab, no losing the thread of the sentence to look something up.
A real curriculum underneath
63 levels and 970 grammar points from A1 to C1 - 317 of them flagged must-know - in the order they build on each other. The stories are ordered by that curriculum, so a form is always introduced before it is used again.
Be told the day it lands
The app is in development. One e-mail, on launch day - that is the whole deal.
One e-mail, on launch day. No newsletter, no drip campaign.
How to actually get through B1
Read whole texts, not extracts
At B1 you have enough grammar that the bottleneck is stamina, not comprehension. Finishing a long piece teaches you how English holds an argument together across paragraphs - exactly what B2 will test, and what no exercise book can drill.
Treat the modals as vocabulary
Do not try to fit must, might and should into a table of equivalents from your own language; there is no clean mapping. Learn each one from the situations it shows up in, the way you learned a noun.
Write something every week
A hundred words is plenty. Writing is where you find out which structures you actually control, because you cannot dodge a tense in writing the way you can in speech by rephrasing until something comes out.
Start noticing register
Get against obtain, start against commence. English keeps a plain Germanic word and a formal Latin one for the same idea, and choosing wrongly is what makes otherwise good learner English sound stiff or, occasionally, rude.
B1 English - frequently asked questions
How long does it take to go from A2 to B1?
Do I need B1 English for UK citizenship?
Which exam certifies B1?
Can I read real books at B1?
What is the difference between B1 and B2?
The whole roadmap: 63 levels, 970 grammar points
Leo teaches B1 through illustrated stories written at B1. The app is in development - we will write once, on launch day.
One e-mail, on launch day. No newsletter, no drip campaign.