Learning English at pre-intermediate level. Level of English A2 (Pre-Intermediate): what you need to know to achieve it. Pre-intermediate level vocabulary

Those prone to self-criticism like to repeat that they know nothing (although in fact they can speak the language at a level closer to average and continue to regularly enroll in English courses), and those prone to vanity assure during an interview that they speak English perfectly (when in fact, again, they may be “average”).

For the most impatient, who check their level after each cup of coffee, the buttons are located at the top. This is done for your convenience: no tedious text searches, click on health and get your certificates - we don’t mind.

And for the most assiduous, who are not used to guessing from the coffee grounds, we offer you to plunge into multi-level English. With feeling, sense, and arrangement, we will talk about how Elementary differs from Intermediate and whether Advanced is as scary as it is portrayed to be.

Basically it will evaluate the fundamental basis - i.e. grammar. However, the degree of proficiency in foreign speech depends on it. Because you can chat incessantly in English, but at the same time make so many mistakes that the interlocutor will hardly be able to guess what the conversation is all about. Or you can compose sentences slowly in oral speech, weighing each word, without making gross mistakes - and thus create the impression of a person who speaks English well.

Level 0 - Full beginner(or Full...beginner)

Just don’t say now that this is you. If you know the name of the letter “i” or even remember something from school like “teacher”, “book” - feel free to move on. Level zero is only for those who studied another language at school. Or maybe I didn’t study any at all.

Level 1 - Elementary(Elementary)

Holmes would have rejoiced at such a name. And most of those who graduated from regular high school- Same. Because this level, unfortunately, is the most common among those who learned English through the cracks and happily received a “C” on the final exam.
What characterizes Elementary: you can read many words quite well (especially without any gh, th, ough), your vocabulary includes mother, father, I am from Russia and other popular phrases, and you can sometimes catch something from a song - something familiar.

Level 2 - Upper-Elementary(Higher Elementary)

A good student at a regular school who studies English can boast of this level. And quite often, for some reason, those who studied the language on their own decide to stop at Upper-Elementary. Why? Because the illusion of knowing English arises: the vocabulary is already decent enough to support some basic topics of conversation (in any case, in a hotel abroad it will already be possible to express oneself without indecent gestures), reading usually goes quite well, and even American films in the original they become more or less understandable (by 25 percent).
However, such conclusions are misleading. Especially if you look at other levels in English.
You can jump from regular Elementary to Upper in about 80 hours if you work hard.

Level 3 - Pre-Intermediate(Lower Intermediate Level)

If you took the English language level test and got this result, congratulations. Because this is a very decent command of English. It occurs among excellent students of a regular school, good students of a specialized school, and the majority of those who combine English language courses with trips abroad.
What characterizes this level: in pronunciation there are no “f” or “t” instead of [θ] and in general the speech of such a student does not have a strong Russian accent, written speech is quite literate and completely understandable, you can communicate even on unfamiliar topics using simple sentences. In general, among the levels of the English language, Pre-Intermediate is most often found among serious learners.

Level 4 - Intermediate(Average level)

A very worthy result. Practically unattainable for schoolchildren in a regular school and quite realistic for those who did not slack in English lessons in a specialized school. Among self-learners of English, not everyone reaches this level. They usually take the previous exam, because you can achieve Intermediate in about six months of residential courses abroad, a year of good courses, or a year of classes with a tutor.
What characterizes this level of English: clear pronunciation, good vocabulary, ability to communicate different topics, the ability to compose complex written requests (even official documents), films in English with subtitles go with a bang.
With this level you can already take the international tests TOEFL and IELTS.

Level 5 - Upper-Intermediate(Upper middle level)

If you have passed the English language level test and received this result, then you can almost without cheating write in your resume for a position: “English - fluent.” College graduates in the Faculty of Foreign Languages ​​usually reach this level.
What is characterized by: skillful manipulation of different styles in one’s speech (business, conversational, etc.), almost flawless pronunciation, the ability to act as a simultaneous interpreter in an informal setting, fluent reading, understanding of the most complex style - the language of newspapers and magazines in English, deft composition of even particularly complex sentence structures.

Level 6 - Advanced(Advanced)

This is probably the pinnacle that English language learners can achieve in a country where it is not an official language. Those who manage to speak at the Advanced level are usually perceived by their interlocutors as people who have lived in the USA or another English-speaking country for several years.
In fact, you can achieve Advanced even at the foreign language department in college, not to mention at universities. And this proves that 5 years, during which 1-2 hours a day will be spread out to study English, is enough. And if you choose intensive courses, the result will be achieved even earlier.
What characterizes the Advanced level of English: by right, this is fluency in English. Pronunciation with almost no accent, conducting formal and informal conversations, working as a simultaneous translator, full understanding of films/books/songs in the original, no grammatical errors in writing and minimal presence of errors in spoken language, understanding of idioms and colloquial expressions. You can confidently plan a career abroad, as well as study at foreign universities.

Level 7 - Super-Advanced(Super advanced)

Are there any here? If so, then the computer most likely crashed on the English language level test.) Because language proficiency at this level is the lot of aborigines living in a country where state language English is accepted.
What characterizes the Super-Advanced level? Imagine... yourself speaking Russian. You will understand any speech, even if it is a conversation between two emo teenagers discussing topics unknown to you. You will even understand slang. But with all this, you yourself also master the art of words, deftly using terms and putting them into beautiful sentences, without errors (including stylistic ones). And now - the same thing in English. So how?

Dia friend! Do you already feel itchy fingers? Are your seat belts fastened? And are you still here?
Press the button and go! Don't forget to insert the paper into the printer to print out the certificate and proudly display it to everyone interested.

especially for

Make your choice and receive a certificate
	If you only know the Terminator phrase in English or decide to test the theory of probability “what if you answer at random” - don’t bother, get a “Full Beginner” certificate and rejoice.		And for all those who suffer, to test their knowledge and obtain documentary evidence of their successes - click the “determine your English level” button and take the test. Be honest with yourself! And may English be with you. Advanced.

Or during courses, you will definitely come across the concept of “levels of English” or “levels of English proficiency”, as well as such incomprehensible designations as A1, B2, and the more understandable Beginner, Intermediate and so on. From this article you will learn what these formulations mean and what levels of language proficiency are distinguished, as well as how to determine your level of English.

Levels of English were invented so that language learners could be divided into groups with approximately similar knowledge and skills in reading, writing, speaking and writing, as well as to simplify testing procedures, examinations, for various purposes related to emigration, study abroad and employment. This classification helps when recruiting students into a group and preparing teaching aids, methods, language teaching programs.

Of course, there is no clear boundary between the levels; this division is quite arbitrary, needed not so much by students as by teachers. In total, there are 6 levels of language proficiency, there are two types of division:

• Levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2,
• Levels Beginner, Elementary, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, Advanced, Proficiency.

Essentially these are just two different names for the same thing. These 6 levels are divided into three groups.

Table: English language proficiency levels

The classification was developed in the late eighties - early nineties of the last century, it is completely called the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (abbr. CERF).

English language levels: detailed description

Beginner level (A1)

At this level you can:

• Understand and use familiar everyday expressions and simple phrases aimed at solving specific problems.
• Introduce yourself, introduce other people, ask simple personal questions, for example, “Where do you live?”, “Where are you from?”, be able to answer such questions.
• Maintain a simple conversation if the other person speaks slowly, clearly and helps you.

Many who studied English at school speak the language at approximately the Beginner level. From the vocabulary only elementary mother, father, help me, my name is, London is the capital. You can understand well-known words and expressions by ear if they speak very clearly and without accent, as in the audio lessons for the textbook. You understand texts like the “Exit” sign, and in a conversation with the help of gestures, using individual words, you can express the simplest thoughts.

Level Elementary (A2)

At this level you can:

• Understand common expressions in common topics, such as: family, shopping, work, etc.
• Talk about simple everyday topics, expressing yourself in simple phrases.
• Talk about yourself in simple terms, describe simple situations.

If you got a 4 or 5 in English at school, but after that you didn’t use English for some time, then most likely you speak the language at the Elementary level. TV programs in English will not be understandable, except for individual words, but the interlocutor, if he speaks clearly, in simple phrases of 2-3 words, will generally understand. You can also incoherently and with long pauses for reflection tell the simplest information about yourself, say that the sky is blue and the weather is clear, express a simple wish, place an order at McDonald's.

The Beginner – Elementary levels can be called a “survival level”, Survival English. It is enough to “survive” during a trip to a country where the main language is English.

Intermediate level (B1)

At this level you can:

• Understand the general meaning of clear speech on common, familiar topics related to everyday life (work, study, etc.)
• Cope with the most typical situations while traveling (at the airport, in a hotel, etc.)
• Compose simple, coherent text on general or personally familiar topics.
• Retell events, describe hopes, dreams, ambitions, be able to briefly talk about plans and explain your point of view.

Vocabulary and knowledge of grammar are enough to write simple essays about yourself, describe incidents from life, write a letter to a friend. But in most cases, oral speech lags behind written speech, you confuse tenses, think about a phrase, pause to find a preposition (to or for?), but you can communicate more or less, especially if there is no shyness or fear of making mistakes.

Understanding your interlocutor is much more difficult, and if it is a native speaker, and even with fast speech and a bizarre accent, then it is almost impossible. However, simple, clear speech is understandable well, provided the words and expressions are familiar. You generally understand if the text is not very complex, and with some difficulty you understand the general meaning without subtitles.

Upper Intermediate level (B2)

At this level you can:

• Understand the general meaning of a complex text into specific and abstract themes, including technical (specialized) topics related to your profile.
• Speak quickly enough so that communication with a native speaker occurs without long pauses.
• Compose clear, detailed text on various topics, explain points of view, give arguments for and against various points of view on the topic.

Upper Intermediate is already a good, solid, confident command of the language. If you are talking on a well-known topic with a person whose pronunciation you understand well, then the conversation will go quickly, easily, naturally. An outside observer will say that you speak English fluently. However, you may be confused by words and expressions related to topics that you do not understand well, all sorts of jokes, sarcasm, hints, slang.

You are asked to answer 36 questions to test your listening, writing, speaking and grammar skills.

It is noteworthy that to test listening comprehension, they do not use phrases recorded by the speaker like “London is the capital”, but short excerpts from films (Puzzle English specializes in learning English from films and TV series). In English-language films, the speech of the characters is close to the way people speak in real life, so the test may seem harsh.

Chandler from Friends doesn't have the best pronunciation.

To check a letter, you need to translate several phrases from English into Russian and from Russian into English. The program provides several translation options for each phrase. To test your knowledge of grammar, a completely ordinary test is used, where you need to choose one option from several proposed ones.

But you're probably wondering how the program can test a skill colloquial speech? Of course, an online English test will not test your speech like a human, but the test developers have come up with an original solution. In the task you need to listen to a phrase from the film and choose a line suitable for continuing the dialogue.

Talking is not enough, you also need to understand your interlocutor!

The ability to speak English consists of two skills: listening to the speech of your interlocutor and expressing your thoughts. This task, although in a simplified form, tests how you cope with both tasks.

At the end of the test you will be shown full list questions with correct answers, you will find out where you made mistakes. And of course, you will see a chart with an assessment of your level on a scale from Beginner to Upper Intermediate.

2. Test to determine the level of English with a teacher

To get a professional, “live” (and not automated, as in tests) assessment of the level of the English language, you need English teacher, which will test you with tasks and an interview in English.

This consultation can be done free of charge. Firstly, there may be a language school in your city that offers free language testing and even a trial lesson. This is now a common practice.

In short, I signed up for a trial lesson-test, got in touch on Skype at the appointed time, and teacher Alexandra and I had a lesson during which she “tortured” me in every possible way with various tasks. All communication was in English.

My trial lesson on SkyEng. We check your knowledge of grammar.

At the end of the lesson, the teacher explained to me in detail in which direction I should develop my English, what problems I have, and a little later she sent me a letter with detailed description level of language skills (with ratings on a 5-point scale) and methodological recommendations.

This method took some time: three days passed from submitting the application to the lesson, and the lesson itself lasted about 40 minutes. But this is much more interesting than any online test.

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This is what the entire grammar for the Pre-Intermediate course looks like. As you can see, grammatical nuances also include the use of colloquial expressions, comparative designs, conditional and subordinate clauses. Thus, along with improved grammar, your vocabulary will be replenished with phrases like, when, is, as, too, either-neither, no more, so and many others.

Reading

Next, we’ll touch on what you need to know at the Pre-Intermediate level in reading skills. First of all, of course, you must have fully developed English reading rules. You should strictly distinguish between open and closed syllables, know correct reading frequently used exception words, it is good to navigate the English transcription. Of course, as you progress through the course, your skills will improve, but it is better to learn English reading as fully as possible at the Elementary level.

In addition, the Pre-Intermediate level often means that your knowledge of vocabulary is sufficient to instantly understand the text. This is especially true for “repeated” topics. Ideally, you should read such topics and at the same time understand what they are talking about. Yes, some words may be unfamiliar and incomprehensible, but the general idea of ​​the text is obvious. Thus, detailed written translation in Pre-Intermediate begins to gradually lose its relevance, because students learn to immediately understand the meaning of statements in English.

And finally, let’s note how reading skills are developed in the Pre-Intermediate course. For the most part, of course, topics and educational texts are used here, but they also conduct classes with additional material. As a rule, these are adapted newspaper articles, excerpts from online forums, magazine publications, etc. Reading the adaptations is also highly recommended fiction for level A2 (Pre-Intermediate). By the way, books will help develop a number of related English skills: grammar, vocabulary, listening comprehension ( audio versions). As a result, by the end of the course, students not only easily read and understand the content of the texts, but are also quite able to express their own opinions about what they read.

Listening to speech (listening)

In our conversation about reading, we noted that Pre-Intermediate does not favor Russian translation, since it teaches students to understand English immediately. And it is listening that further contributes to the development of this skill.

At the pre-secondary threshold of knowledge, a lot of classes are conducted on listening comprehension of English. Educational dialogues are listened to, students receive questions about the topics they have studied in audio format, special classes with interactive materials are introduced ( presentations, videos, audiobooks). All this means that the Pre-Intermediate language level places strict demands on knowledge of the phonetic system of the English language and vocabulary. Students must clearly distinguish one sound from another, and also know the pronunciation of words already learned.

We can say that the work of listening will be difficult, but still the habit will do its job. Yes, in the first lessons it will be extremely difficult to understand someone else’s speech, much less understand its meaning. But after just a couple of lessons, you will feel that it is becoming easier to understand English by ear, since the brain is already getting used to this format of work and quickly focuses on familiar words. So by the end of the Pre-Intermediate course you will be able to not only read, but also listen. Of course, for now only adapted dialogues, books and films will be available, but for an elementary level this is already a very big step.

Written works

Improves the level of Pre-Intermediate knowledge of the English language and literacy in writing. At this point, you will not only thoroughly work on grammar in written exercises, but also learn to express your thoughts in English. After all, from the Pre-Intermediate level they begin to introduce essays and compositions into classes. At a minimum, as students progress through the course, they will write the following papers:

• A story about yourself (your family);
• Essay about hobbies;
• A letter to a friend;
• Description of the characteristics of the country/city;
• Travel story.

This is a sample list of topics that may vary depending on the specific curriculum plan.

Note that the first written works are small in volume ( 10-15 offers), but over time the requirements are getting higher and higher. So, by the end of the course, your Pre-Intermediate written English will improve significantly. However, and not only it, because they study for writing speech clichés and phrases, and also make vocabulary and grammar more diverse. Consequently, several skills are again developed in parallel.

Communication

And finally, the main goal of mastering the English language is “live” speech. Unlike the basic Elementary level, the Pre-Intermediate language level is already actively developing the ability to speak and express one’s thoughts in English. True, for this, students must know a lot at the level, because communication combines all of the above skills. But don’t be alarmed, you will learn to speak English gradually.

Conversation tasks appear at the Pre-Intermediate level from the very first topics. At first, these are just responses to the teacher’s leading questions or simple dialogues with a partner. As a rule, both are accompanied by great anxiety, since beginners are afraid of misunderstanding something or making a mistake in speech. But over time, the student is asked to express his opinion more and more, talk about himself, give examples from own life. As a result, students become more relaxed and finally stop being afraid to speak English.

Just the principle of overcoming the language barrier ( fear of speaking) is the most important thing you need to know about communication at the Pre-Intermediate level. It is clear that with basic knowledge The speech of a foreigner will by no means be smooth and ideal. But you shouldn’t be ashamed of your illiteracy or incorrect pronunciation. On the contrary, you need to speak as much as possible and achieve ease of speech. Therefore, the Pre-Intermediate course involves practicing speaking skills in almost every lesson. But upon completion of the course, students can already communicate on everyday topics, ask questions and express their point of view.

So, here we have looked in detail at what the Pre-Intermediate level of English is. At first glance, the program seems voluminous and difficult, but in the process of training a different view of things is already being developed. Knowledge accumulates, and work becomes easier and easier. In addition, the course is designed so that the development of skills is carried out gradually and mostly in parallel, that is, speech perception together with reading and vocabulary, writing together with grammar, vocabulary, etc. This approach allows us to achieve minimal complexity of tasks, while maintaining students’ interest in learning English.

Approximate duration of training

Finally, let's talk a little about training time. Many beginners are interested in how long the Pre-Intermediate level devotes to complete walkthrough programs. It is difficult to answer exactly here, since the time to master the course depends on the number of classes, the features of the program, and the individual qualities of the student. On average, it takes about 6-9 months of classes to complete the Pre-Intermediate level. But again, you have the power to reduce this period, or, if necessary, increase it. The main thing is to maintain regularity of classes, not to lose interest in English and continue to achieve your goals. Our portal will be happy to help you with this, providing training materials and practical exercises on various topics. And we analyze particularly complex cases separately and in detail, so you always have someone to turn to for clarification of difficult questions.

Good luck in your endeavors and see you again!

In this article we will take a closer look at the Pre-Intermediate level.

1. What Intermediate Should Know
   1. Reading
   2. Writing (letter)
   3. Vocabulary (vocabulary)
   4. Grammar
   5. Listening
   6. Speaking
2. Level test
3. Examples of Pre-Intermediate level words and expressions

The Pre-Intermediate level of English is a preparatory, “almost intermediate” level, which in the CEFR system is designated by code A2. In Russian it is often called pre-threshold, or “below average level”. By switching to it, you can already speak with foreigners on everyday topics, understand simple texts and understand the basics of grammar. At level A2, you will expand your vocabulary, become familiar with previously unknown grammatical structures, and gain new knowledge and skills in writing, listening, reading and speaking.

What Pre-Intermediate Should Know

Proficiency in English at the Pre-Intermediate level involves expanding the existing knowledge base. Many themes from the Elementary level are repeated here, but they become more complex and enriched with new nuances. Let's take a closer look at what a Pre-Intermediate student needs to know.

Reading

Reading texts are becoming more complex and interesting: now you can read simple non-adapted literature, articles in newspapers and magazines. At the pre-threshold stage, you read without a dictionary and learn to understand the meaning of unfamiliar words from context.

Writing (letter)

You can write a personal letter or essay on a free topic, describe the image. You can easily fill out personal information in any form and correspond with native speakers.

Vocabulary (vocabulary)

The lexical minimum of the Pre-Intermediate stage covers the following topics:

• Family and friends
• Appearance, character traits and personality
• Work, profession and jobs
• Events
• Houseware
• Hobbies, recreation
• Habits and lifestyle
• Nutrition
• Sport and health
• Living in an urban environment
• Transport
• Clothing and fashion
• Shopping and shopping
• Climate and weather
• Education
• Fears
• Animals
• World News

The vocabulary of a Pre-Intermediate student is 1500-2000 words. You can use context to understand what an unfamiliar word means and explain it.

Grammar

The pre-threshold level means the complication of familiar grammar and its deeper study. The required level of knowledge includes the following topics:

• Present and past tense (Present and Past Simple, Continuous, Perfect)
• Future Simple and other constructions for expressing the future tense
• Types of questions and word order
• Comparative and superlative adjective comparisons
• Infinitive and gerund, their differences and features of use
• Modal verbs, their meanings and use
• Types of Conditional Sentences
• Prepositions of place and time
• Passive (passive) voice
• Direct and indirect speech

At Pre-Intermediate, you know how to talk about the present, past and future, you understand in which cases the infinitive is used and in which the gerund is used, you know the peculiarities of using modal verbs, you can translate direct speech into indirect speech and construct sentences in the passive voice.

Listening

Knowledge of English at the Pre-Intermediate level opens up new opportunities for you. You are already able to watch movies, series or TV shows in the original with English subtitles. Do you understand the basic idea of ​​everyday English speech, even if you don’t know the translation of individual words.

Speaking

You can freely talk with a native speaker on familiar topics, express your opinion, agreement or disagreement with something, likes and dislikes. Your speech becomes more complex and enriched with new grammatical structures and phrasal verbs. If you don't know or don't remember some words, you can explain their meaning or find a synonym.

Determine your level

If you are not sure of your level of English, we recommend taking a short test. It will help you identify your weaknesses and strengths and determine at what level to study.

Examples of grammatical structures at Pre-Intermediate level

• Used to + Infinitive construction:

I used to smoke a lot, but I quit five years ago.

My sister used to have long hair but she cut it all off a month ago.

I didn’t use to like books but now I do.

• Construction to be going to + Infinitive:

I'm going to move to the US.

Edward is going to be a writer.

My wife is going to visit her parents.

I"m not going to buy a new coat.

Are you going to stay?

• The to be used to construction:

I am used to getting up early.

We are used to living in a big house.

Are you used to staying up late?

They aren't used to the hot weather here.

Are you used to cold weather?

• Active and Passive Voice:

I clean my flat every day. — My flat is cleaned every day.

They must turn off the lights. — The lights must be turned off.

The police caught the criminals. — The criminals were caught by the police.

• Reported Speech:

She said, "I play the piano." - She said she played the piano.

He said, "I like baseball." — He said he liked baseball.

"I enjoy skiing." — He told me he enjoyed skiing.

"I"ve read that book." — He said he had read that book.

Sooner or later, any person learning English wonders what his level of proficiency in this language is. Knowing why such a division is generally accepted and how the different groups are designated is quite important - with their help it will be much easier to understand whether the result intended in the study has been achieved or not.

English levels

We know of only six levels of English proficiency. With their help, you can easily divide students into different groups and categories, taking into account knowledge and skills in different areas of the language: speaking, reading, listening and writing. There is also a list of international exams that use this grading system; people take them to prepare for travel, immigration, business trips and admission to educational institutions.

If you want to independently determine which level of English knowledge you are at, then try to correctly assess the volume of your skills and acquired information in several aspects. Below you will find a list of the features of each of the six levels, based on which it will be easier for you to make your choice.

Elementary

This level is the very first in training and is otherwise designated as A1. Here, at this level of “survival,” your vocabulary does not exceed 1,500 words, and short phrases and sentences about simple things, for example, everyday needs, are easy to understand. You speak a little English: you can introduce yourself and others, ask the simplest questions and give basic answers. Speaking about listening, it is worth noting that by ear you understand only slow and clearly spoken speech, in which the interlocutor will, as it were, help you understand the meaning of what you heard.

Pre-Intermediate

The so-called pre-threshold level designated A2. This is the transition to professional language proficiency. Here you are able to form coherent sentences, express simple judgments and thoughts, and know the very basics of grammar. This level of language can be called the lower bar before preparing to take international tests and exams.

Intermediate

The intermediate level of proficiency in English is considered to be Intermediate. It is designated as B1 and is suitable for you if you can reason in various topics, watch videos in English, read simple texts such as brochures and advertisements, and are also able to write a basic short letter or essay. Here you will need a larger vocabulary - already at the level of 2750-3250 words.

Upper-Intermediate

This is an advanced intermediate level, abbreviated B2. Requires serious knowledge and a fairly wide vocabulary - about 3250-3750 words. Here you must reason and express your opinion on various topics, including complex ones. For example, your skills should allow you to easily describe your field of activity. You need to communicate freely and without difficulty, raising a wide variety of topics and problems in dialogues, and finding ways to solve them. You also need to be able to write at a more serious level: composing a letter or essay on an unfamiliar or unfamiliar topic is also included in the B2 preparation level. Speech is perceived much easier by ear: you are already watching English-language television, for example, TV shows.

Advanced

This level of proficiency in the language is designated as C1 and implies that you are fluent in using it in Everyday life. It is necessary to have a large vocabulary of words - at least four thousand - this will help to perceive and understand large texts of any complexity. The owner of C1 speaks confidently, freely and without using pauses in his speech to select the right words. The areas of life and activity in which you can use an advanced level are very different: science, culture, work, everyday issues. You can easily write texts of any type and conduct correspondence on a wide range of topics.

Proficiency

If you speak English at the level of a native speaker, then you are assigned this level called C2. Here it is necessary to demonstrate perfect mastery of all facets of this foreign language. You spontaneously speak out on any of the proposed topics, speak and argue your opinion freely, perfectly perceive speech by ear and are able to understand any text read.

This classification by level of knowledge was proposed back in 1989-1996, and has the full name of the Common European Scale of Language Competence. The purpose of the CEFR is simple - to provide educational recommendations for everyone who studies foreign languages ​​(this also includes Russian).

How do you understand that you need to start learning a language with Pre-Intermediate?

If you studied English at the previous level and graduated from it, then you should move on to Pre-Intermediate. Perhaps you once started studying a language at a university or school, but you are not confident that you have acquired the necessary knowledge. A2 is also suitable for people who remember something from foreign language lessons, but have not used it in practice for a very long time.

We list some of the skills that you must have to secure your Pre-Intermediate level of English:

• you know a little about the basics of grammar, but you confuse tenses and can only speak using the simplest sentence structures;
• you have a good vocabulary (about 1500 words);
• you practically cannot perceive the speech of an English-speaking interlocutor by ear, or you understand, but very poorly. Especially when we're talking about about a native speaker.

A variety of students can have this level: some do not have well-developed grammar, some do not listen to the speech of their interlocutor, and some do not have enough vocabulary to express their thoughts more broadly.

What material do you need to master?

Knowledge of any foreign language should not be viewed from one side - there is a whole list of categories for study that are worth paying attention to. You must have adequate knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, speaking, reading, listening and writing. Each category has its own material, mastering which will bring you closer to achieving level A2.

Grammar

One of the most difficult parts of learning English involves knowledge of the following topics:

• Basic English tenses:Present, Past And Future Simple, Present And Past Continuous, Present And Past Perfect;
• ability to work with structuresto be going to, used to do And to be used to;
• interrogative sentences different types, where the word order may be different);
• all degrees of comparison of adjectives;
• are you familiar with the concept ofQuantifier(sentences usinga little And a few);
• you understand the principles of using the infinitive and gerund, you know in what cases the ending is used after verbs -ing, and in which ones - the infinitive withto;
• understanding various modal verbs likehave to/don’t have to, must/musn’t, can/could, may/might, should/shouldn’t is also an important indicator;
• you know what conditional sentences are and what types they are;
• understanding the principles of passive voice;
• the ability to correctly paraphrase direct speech into indirect speech.

Lexicon

As mentioned earlier, you cannot do without a good vocabulary at this level of English. Have 1,500 to 2,000 words and phrases that you can easily use in everyday life.

You should have an idea of ​​what idioms and phrasal verbs are - some of them are necessary to know, as well as various shapes words

In oral and written speech at the A2 level of language proficiency, words such asso, either, neither, no more, no longer, too, enough, no longer, whenever, if, when, as, like.

Speaking

What does speaking at level A2 involve? First of all, you must correctly and clearly pronounce all the words you know.

You will be able to talk in a few sentences (about 15) about a topic, for example, about your family, profession, hobbies or outlook on life.

It is also important to use phrasal phrases in speech and to know that a preposition in combination with a verb does not have to be translated literally, but can have another, unusual meaning.

You are well versed in stories about simple everyday topics and are able to grasp them main idea, even if not all words and phrases are known to you.

Conversing with a native speaker, using all the words you know in your speech, will also not be difficult.

Some words that you cannot pronounce in English, you are able to describe in other, easier and more appropriate phrases.

Reading

Reading also has its own standards, with the help of which language proficiency at the Pre-intermediate level is achieved:

You know that you can read literature adapted to this level, as well as brochures, advertising messages, and simple articles from newspapers and magazines.

In texts that are not level-adapted, you can also navigate, albeit not so well: even among unfamiliar words, you manage to catch the main idea of ​​what is written.

Listening

Conversational speech that has an average pace and includes words from your vocabulary is easily understood by you.

Watching all kinds of videos in English, such as TV shows, films or series, is done using subtitles in the original language.

You know the role of intonation in speech and recognize the stress and pronunciation of different sounds.

Audiobooks adapted for A2 will also be within your power.

Letter

This level of language proficiency presupposes the ability to write short stories on elementary topics: a story about yourself, your place of birth, your family, a description of what you saw or an opinion expressed on any issue.

You will also be able to write short letters to general simple themes or cards with congratulations.

What does the A2 Pre-Intermediate level provide?

Firstly, yourVocabulary . You will learn a lot of common expressions, phrasal verbs, new vocabulary, which is widely used by native speakers in speech. Much more will be available to you large quantity topics for conversation and free discussion.

Working on skillsReading It will also take a long time. You will significantly improve your comprehension skills complex texts: articles from magazines and newspapers, correspondence, guidebooks, texts adapted to level A2. By understanding what you read, you will be able to discuss it with others and express your opinions more fully.

At this level, the tasks onListening . This is where many people begin to have difficulties that can be overcome with a lot of training. As a result, you will be able to understand a fairly fast pace of speech, large texts and extensive lexical content.

Skill trainingWriting will let you know how good your knowledge of the grammatical basics of the language is. You will place great emphasis on this part of the program, deepen your understanding of the structure of the text, clichéd phrases, the use of conjunctions, etc. You will learn to write informal letters and essays on a variety of topics.

At this level you will begin to use skills much betterSpeaking , but so far only on topics familiar to you, such as stories about family, yourself, hobbies, preferences. You will be able to talk about your trip without hesitation or communicate in cafes and shops with English-speaking staff. It will not be too difficult for you to express your thoughts and opinions on a number of issues.

If you master the A2 level of English, a world of confident and high-quality use of this language in everyday life will open up to you. You will be able to successfully prepare for international exams, communicate abroad, express your opinions and much more.