B2 English level — what it actually means

• Present Perfect ContinuousB2Say how long you have been doing something
• Past PerfectB2Make clear which of two past things happened first
• Future ContinuousB2Say what you will be in the middle of at a future moment
• Future in the pastB2Say what you had planned but did not do
• would for past habitsB2Talk about how things used to be, like a storyteller
• be supposed toB2Say what was expected, with a hint it did not happen
• should have — the regretB2Say what you wish you had done
• could have / would haveB2Talk about what was possible but never happened
• must have / can't haveB2Work out what happened from the evidence
• must be workingB2Guess what somebody is doing right now
• should be doneB2Say what has to be done without saying who does it
• Could you tell me where…?B2Ask a stranger something politely
• either…or / neither…norB2Offer two options, or rule both out
• since / as / due toB2Give a reason in more than one register
• despite / in spite ofB2Show contrast with a noun instead of a clause
• even though / whereasB2Sharpen a contrast, or set two things side by side
• unless / as long as / providedB2Set a condition without saying "if not"
• in case / even ifB2Talk about precautions, and about things that change nothing
• both…and / not only…but alsoB2Link two things in a way that sounds deliberate
• so…that / such…thatB2Say something was so extreme it caused a result
• However, therefore, moreoverB2Move between sentences the way written English does
• Words that own a prepositionB2Understand why some prepositions cannot be reasoned out
• Noun + prepositionB2Write a sentence about a problem without a wrong preposition in it
• Who are you talking to?B2Ask a natural question instead of a stiff one
• Talking about things in generalB2Make a general statement three different ways
• either / neitherB2Talk about two things, one way or neither way
• whose / whomB2Handle the two relative pronouns people avoid
• very or absolutely?B2Intensify an adjective without a mismatch
• better and betterB2Describe something that keeps changing
• The more you practise…B2Link two things that rise together
• like or as?B2Compare without mixing up two very close words
• Third conditionalB2Talk about how the past could have gone differently
• wish / if onlyB2Say what you wish were different
• I wish you would…B2Complain about something somebody keeps doing
• It's time you…B2Say something should have happened already
• Causatives (have it done)B2Say you had something done for you
• stop doing or stop to do?B2Say exactly what you mean with the trickiest verbs
• I saw him go / goingB2Report what you saw or heard, precisely
• have somebody do itB2Say you arranged for a person to do something
• turn it off, look after itB2Know where the object goes in a phrasal verb
• be used to / get used toB2Say you have grown accustomed to something
• Non-defining relative clausesB2Add extra information without changing which one you mean
• The best way to do itB2Use "to + verb" as a whole idea inside a sentence
• Which clause comes firstB2Punctuate a two-clause sentence correctly
• Active vs PassiveB2Talk about what was done without saying who did it
• Continuous passiveB2Say something is being done right now
• Perfect passiveB2Say something has already been done
• Future passiveB2Say something will be done, without naming who does it
• Passive after a modalB2Give an instruction without naming a person
• get married, get paidB2Use the passive people actually say out loud
• Reported speechB2Tell somebody what another person said
• When the tense steps backB2Move every tense back by one, and know when not to
• here → there, today → that dayB2Report a sentence from where you are standing now
• Reported questionsB2Report a question without leaving it looking like one
• Reported orders and requestsB2Report an instruction somebody gave you
• When the subject is far awayB2Find the real subject in a long sentence
• either / neither / orB2Choose the verb when two subjects are joined by "or"
• The team is / areB2Handle words that are one thing and many people
• not all, not alwaysB2Say "some, but not all" without saying "none"
• I see what you mean, but…B2Disagree at work without causing offence
• I do understandB2Insist on something without raising your voice
• Keeping a list in shapeB2Write a list that does not trip the reader

• What concerns me is {CLAUSE}

  What concerns me is that we have not tested it with real users.

  मुझे जो चिंता है, वह यह है कि ___।

• I'm not entirely convinced that {CLAUSE}

  I'm not entirely convinced that this is the cheapest option.

  मुझे पूरी तरह यक़ीन नहीं कि ___।

• That said, {CLAUSE}

  That said, we should still check with the client.

  फिर भी, ___।

• There's a good chance that {CLAUSE}

  There's a good chance that we will finish early.

  अच्छी संभावना है कि ___।

• What if we {VERB}?

  What if we split the work between two teams?

  अगर हम ___ करें तो?

• What this shows is {CLAUSE}

  What this shows is that the problem is not the volume, it is the timing.

  इससे यह पता चलता है कि ___।

• To summarise, {CLAUSE}

  To summarise, we need two more people and one more month.

  संक्षेप में, ___।

• One example that comes to mind is {CLAUSE}

  One example that comes to mind is when our biggest client threatened to leave.

  एक उदाहरण याद आता है — ___।

• What I learned from that was {CLAUSE}

  What I learned from that was to ask for the deadline in writing.

  उससे मैंने यह सीखा कि ___।

• From my perspective, {CLAUSE}

  From my perspective, the bigger risk is the timeline.

  मेरे नज़रिए से, ___।

• I strongly believe that {CLAUSE}

  I strongly believe that we should fix this before adding anything new.

  मैं दृढ़ता से मानता/मानती हूँ कि ___।

• I would argue that {CLAUSE}

  I would argue that the real cost is the time, not the money.

  मैं यह तर्क रखूँगा/रखूँगी कि ___।

What does B2 English mean?

B2 is the confident band, and it is the practical bar for an English-medium job interview. At B2 you argue a point, discuss a technical topic in your own field, and speak with a fluent speaker without either of you straining. You still make mistakes; they no longer change the meaning. You are at B2 if you can disagree with somebody in English and keep the conversation comfortable while you do it.

What can you do at B2?

Argue a point, discuss technical topics in your field, and speak with native speakers without strain.

What is stopping most learners at B2?

The blocker at B2 is not grammar you lack but grammar you avoid: the passive, reported speech and the conditionals. You can say what you mean without them, at the cost of sounding blunt and repetitive, which is exactly what an interviewer notices.

How do you go from B2 to C1?

The blocker at B2 is not grammar you lack but grammar you avoid: the passive, reported speech and the conditionals. You can say what you mean without them, at the cost of sounding blunt and repetitive, which is exactly what an interviewer notices. The practical route is to work through the 62 grammar structures at B2 until they are automatic under time pressure, then start producing the C1 ones out loud. Reading them is not enough — the gap between B2 and C1 is a production gap, not a knowledge gap.

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