B1 (Intermediate)
B1 is the independent-user level and the one most learners aim for first. At B1 you can follow the main points of clear speech on familiar topics, write connected text about things that interest you, and explain your opinions and plans. These free lessons cover the present perfect, conditionals, relative clauses, reported speech, phrasal verbs and the collocations that make writing sound natural.
Vocabulary
27Common Phrasal Verbs
Learn frequent English phrasal verbs for daily life. A B1 vocabulary lesson with practice.
B1 People and appearancePersonality in Depth
Learn 20 B1 English words for describing personality - ambitious, sensible, down-to-earth, come across as - with a story and a quiz.
B1 Family and friendsRelationships and Social Life
Learn 20 B1 English words for relationships - hit it off, drift apart, put up with, take for granted, close-knit - with a story and a quiz.
B1 People and appearanceEmotions, Moods and Reactions
Learn 20 B1 English words for emotions - overwhelmed, frustrated, reassure, cheer up, get over - with a story and a quiz.
B1 People and appearanceAmbitions, Hopes and Plans
Learn 20 B1 English words for ambitions and plans - achieve, opportunity, give up, put off, end up - with a story and a quiz.
B1 People and appearanceMemories and Experiences
Learn 20 B1 English words for memories - vivid, nostalgic, remind, bring back, bump into - plus the remember/remind rule, with a story and quiz.
B1 Food and drinkFood, Diet and Eating Habits
Learn 20 B1 English words for food and diet - bland, filling, ripe, go off, cut down on, leftovers - with a story and a quiz.
B1 Health and fitnessHealth, Fitness and Well-being
Learn 20 B1 English words for health and fitness - stamina, injury, come down with, run down, painkiller - plus do/play/go with sports.
B1 House and homeHome, Neighbourhood and Community
Learn 20 B1 English words for homes and neighbourhoods - spacious, cramped, cosy, landlord, settle in, do up - plus house vs home.
B1 Money and businessMoney, Saving and Spending
Learn 20 B1 English words for money - income, budget, save up, get by, splash out, owe, debt - plus borrow vs lend and earn vs win.
B1 ShoppingShopping, Advertising and Consumers
Learn 20 B1 English words for shopping - bargain, refund, faulty, overpriced, shop around, try on - plus British shop vocabulary.
B1 Jobs and workWork, Careers and Ambition
Learn 20 B1 English words for careers - vacancy, applicant, promotion, resign, redundant, self-employed - plus work vs job and work in/for/as.
B1 Jobs and workThe Workplace and Working Life
Learn 20 B1 English words for the workplace - colleague, rota, workload, deadline, cover for, chase up, snowed under - with a story and quiz.
B1 School and educationEducation, Skills and Qualifications
Learn 20 B1 English words for education - degree, seminar, revise, resit, hand in, drop out, apprenticeship - plus pass vs take an exam.
B1 Culture and customsStudying and Living Abroad
Learn 20 B1 English words for living abroad - homesick, adapt to, get used to, fit in, fluent, red tape - plus the get used to + -ing rule.
B1 People and appearanceSuccess, Failure and Trying Again
Learn 20 B1 English words for failure and resilience - setback, overcome, persevere, rejection, bounce back - plus -ed and -ing adjectives.
B1 Science and technologyTechnology and Life Online
Learn 20 B1 English words for technology - device, notification, back up, crash, scam, privacy, addicted to - with a story and a quiz.
B1 Culture and customsMedia, News and Information
Learn 20 B1 English words for news and media - headline, coverage, source, biased, misleading, evidence, claim - plus say vs tell and according to.
B1 Culture and customsSociety, Community and Helping Others
Learn 20 B1 English words for society and volunteering - charity, donate, campaign, petition, poverty, generous, give back - with a story and quiz.
B1 Culture and customsRules, Law and Crime
Learn 20 B1 English words for law and crime - commit, offence, witness, arrest, trial, guilty, sentence, get away with - plus steal vs rob.
B1 Environment and natureThe Environment and Climate Change
Learn 20 B1 English words for the environment - emissions, carbon footprint, renewable, sustainable, landfill, drought, flood - plus affect vs effect.
B1 Animals and petsNature, Animals and Conservation
Learn 20 B1 English words for nature and conservation - species, habitat, endangered, die out, conservation, migrate - plus number vs amount.
B1 Travel and transportTravel, Tourism and Culture Shock
Learn 20 B1 English words for travel - itinerary, off the beaten track, jet lag, check in, culture shock - plus travel vs trip vs journey.
B1 Places and townsCity Life, Transport and Change
Learn 20 B1 English words for city life and transport - rush hour, congestion, high street, regeneration, get around - plus by car vs on the bus.
B1 Daily routinesPhrasal Verbs 1: Everyday Life
Learn 20 everyday B1 phrasal verbs - tidy up, get rid of, drop off, lie in, use up - and the four types, including which ones can split.
B1 Daily routinesPhrasal Verbs 2: Work, Study and Communication
Learn 20 B1 phrasal verbs for work and study - carry out, come up with, put forward, hand over, call off, get across - and their formal equivalents.
B1 Daily routinesWord Building: Making Nouns
Learn how English builds nouns from verbs and adjectives - decision, improvement, happiness, ability, strength - plus the stress rule for -ion words.
Grammar
22Past Simple Questions
At B1 you make clear past questions with question words (what, where, when, why, who, how) and the past form of did or was/were. The tricky part is knowing when…
B1Present Perfect Continuous
Talk about how long an action has been happening with have/has been + -ing, using for, since and How long. B1 grammar with 20 questions.
B1Present Perfect vs Past Simple
This is one of the most important contrasts at B1. Both tenses talk about the past, but they answer different questions. Past Simple talks about a finished time; Present Perfect…
B1Past Continuous vs Past Simple
At B1 you tell stories about the past by combining two tenses. Past Simple = a completed action. Past Continuous = an action in progress around a past moment. Together…
B1Past Perfect
The “past before the past”: use had + past participle for the earlier of two past actions, with when, before and after. B1 grammar with 20 questions.
B1Future Continuous
The Future Continuous describes an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future. Form: will be + verb-ing.
B1Second Conditional
Talk about imaginary and unlikely situations with if + past simple, would + base verb - and give advice with “If I were you...”. B1 grammar with 20 questions.
B1Third Conditional
The Third Conditional talks about the past and imagines a different result - something that did not happen. We use it for regrets and hypothetical past situations.
B1Verb Patterns: Infinitive or -ing
When two verbs meet, the second takes the infinitive (to do) or -ing (doing) - decided by the first verb, with -ing always after prepositions. The first B1 lesson, with 20 questions.
B1Used to, be used to & get used to
These three look similar but mean very different things. The key is what comes after, and whether you mean a past habit or being familiar/comfortable with something.
B1Modals of Deduction: must, might, can’t
We use modal verbs to make deductions - guesses based on evidence. At B1 the key three are must (I'm sure it's true), might/could/may (it's possible), and can't (I'm sure…
B1Past Modals: should have, must have, might have
Past modals talk about the past with an opinion or guess. At B1 the key ones are should have (criticism/regret), shouldn't have (a past mistake), and might have / could…
B1Passive Voice
Focus on the action with be + past participle across tenses, and name the doer with “by”. B1 grammar with 20 questions.
B1Reported Speech
Tell what others said with the tense shifting one step back, plus say vs tell and reported questions with if/whether. B1 grammar with 20 questions.
B1Indirect Questions
Embedded (indirect) questions are questions inside a longer sentence or another question. They are more polite, and the word order changes back to normal sentence order (subject + verb).
B1Relative Clauses: Defining & Non-Defining
Relative clauses add information about a noun using who, which, that, whose, where, when. At B1 you learn two kinds: defining (essential information, no commas) and non-defining (extra information, with…
B1Quantifiers: much, many, a few, a little
Quantifiers tell us how much or how many. The choice depends on whether the noun is countable (books, people) or uncountable (water, time, money).
B1Both, Either & Neither
We use both, either and neither to talk about two people or things. The trick is the verb: both is plural, neither is usually singular, and either is singular.
B1So, Such, Too & Enough
These words add emphasis or talk about degree. so and such make things stronger; too means more than you want; enough means the right amount.
B1Articles: Zero Article & Advanced Use
At B1 you go beyond the basics of a/an/the and learn when to use no article (the “zero article”) and how the works with general vs specific meaning.
B1Prepositions of Movement
Show direction and journeys with to, into, out of, through, across, along, up, down and past - and give clear directions. B1 grammar with 20 questions.
B1Connectors: because, so, although, however
Join ideas to show reason (because), result (so), and contrast (although, however, but) - with correct punctuation. B1 grammar with 20 questions.
Reading
25Working From Home
Read about the rise of remote work and its pros and cons. A B1 reading text with key words and comprehension questions.
B1 Environment and natureThe Plastic Problem
Read about plastic pollution and what can be done about it. A B1 reading text with key words and comprehension questions.
B1 School and educationStudying in a New Country
Read about a student's challenging first year studying abroad. A B1 reading story with key words and comprehension questions.
B1 Health and fitnessThe Power of Sleep
Read about why sleep matters so much for health. A B1 reading text with key words and comprehension questions.
B1 School and educationLearning a Language as an Adult
Read about the myth that only children can learn languages. A B1 reading text with key words and questions.
B1 House and homeReading a Formal Notice
Read a formal building notice and understand the key information. A B1 real-world reading text with key words and questions.
B1 Science and technologySocial Media: A Blessing or a Curse?
Read a balanced look at the good and bad sides of social media. A B1 reading text with key words and questions.
B1 Culture and customsThe Art of Saying Thank You
Read about how different cultures show gratitude. A B1 reading text with key words and comprehension questions.
B1 Science and technologyComparing Two Products
Read a consumer article comparing two phones and weigh the options. A B1 real-world reading text with key words and questions.
B1 Free time and hobbiesThe Benefits of Reading
Read about why reading books is still a valuable habit. A B1 reading text with key words and comprehension questions.
B1 Jobs and workA Second Chance
Read the story of a man who followed his dream later in life. A B1 reading story with key words and comprehension questions.
B1 Travel and transportA Customer Complaint
Read a complaint email and the hotel's reply. A B1 real-world reading text with key words and comprehension questions.
B1 Science and technologyThe Rise of Electric Cars
Read about how electric cars are changing the way we drive. A B1 reading text with key words and comprehension questions.
B1 Culture and customsVolunteering Changed My Life
Read how volunteering gave a young man a sense of purpose. A B1 reading story with key words and comprehension questions.
B1 Health and fitnessFast Food and Health
Read a balanced discussion of fast food and its effects on health. A B1 reading text with key words and questions.
B1 Culture and customsThe Story of Coffee
Read the fascinating history of how coffee spread around the world. A B1 reading text with key words and questions.
B1 Jobs and workReading a Job Application
Read a formal job application email and understand it. A B1 real-world reading text with key words and questions.
B1 Environment and natureThe Importance of Water
Read about why water is so vital and why we must protect it. A B1 reading text with key words and questions.
B1 School and educationThe Woman Who Never Gave Up
Read the inspiring story of a girl who fought for her education. A B1 reading story with key words and questions.
B1 Places and townsCity Life or Country Life?
Read a balanced comparison of city and country living. A B1 reading text with key words and comprehension questions.
B1 Food and drinkA Food Blog Recipe
Read a food blog recipe post and follow the method. A B1 real-world reading text with key words and comprehension questions.
B1 Science and technologyWhy We Dream
Read about the science and mystery of why we dream. A B1 reading text with key words and comprehension questions.
B1 Culture and customsThe Power of Music
Read about how music affects our brains, emotions and health. A B1 reading text with key words and questions.
B1 Science and technologyReading a News Article
Read a local news article with quotes and find the facts. A B1 real-world reading text with key words and questions.
B1 School and educationThe Value of Failure
Read why failure can be one of our greatest teachers. A B1 reading text with key words and comprehension questions.
Writing
7The Paragraph: Writing a Topic Sentence
A paragraph is a group of sentences about one main idea. Every strong paragraph begins with a topic sentence - the sentence that tells the reader what the whole paragraph is about. Learning to write a clear topic sentence is the first and most important step in paragraph writing.
B1The Paragraph: Supporting Sentences
After the topic sentence come the supporting sentences - the middle of the paragraph. Their job is to explain, prove, and develop the main idea with details, examples, and reasons. Good supporting sentences turn a plain statement into a convincing paragraph. This lesson shows you how to build them.
B1The Paragraph: The Concluding Sentence
The concluding sentence is the last sentence of a paragraph. Its job is to signal the end and leave the reader with a clear final thought. A good conclusion makes a paragraph feel complete instead of stopping suddenly. This lesson shows you how to write one.
B1Linking Words for Paragraphs
Linking words (also called transition words or connectors) guide your reader through a paragraph. They show how one idea relates to the next - adding, contrasting, giving examples, or concluding. Using them well is a key B1 skill that makes writing smooth and easy to follow. This lesson organises the most useful ones.
B1Writing a Descriptive Paragraph
A descriptive paragraph paints a clear picture of a person or place using details that appeal to the reader’s senses. It brings together everything from the earlier lessons: a topic sentence, supporting details, linking words, and a conclusion. This lesson shows you how to plan and write one.
B1Writing an Opinion Paragraph
An opinion paragraph tells the reader what you think and gives reasons why. It is one of the most common B1 tasks - in exams, emails, and online comments. A strong opinion paragraph states a clear position and supports it with reasons and examples. This lesson gives you the structure and the language.
B1Writing a Story: Narrative Paragraph
A story, or narrative paragraph, tells about events in the order they happened. It is a favourite B1 task because it lets you use the past tense, sequence words, and description together. A good story has a clear beginning, middle, and end. This lesson shows you how to write one.
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