CEFR B2 — Upper Intermediate

What CEFR B2 Level Covers

At B2, you can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in your field of specialisation.

• Reading: Read articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems and understand the writer's viewpoint.
• Writing: Write clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain viewpoints on topical issues.
• Listening: Understand extended speech and lectures and follow complex lines of argument provided the topic is reasonably familiar.
• Speaking: Interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers possible without strain for either party.

Recommended Next Steps

B2 is the prime launching pad for IELTS Band 7.5+, OET Preparation, or Professional English.

Sample B2 Upper Intermediate English Grammar Questions

The following are representative examples of the advanced grammar questions tested in the CEFR B2 Upper Intermediate English assessment. The full interactive test above contains 30 multiple-choice questions with instant scoring.

1. If I ___ more time, I would travel the world. — Answer: had (second conditional)
2. She ___ her keys. She can't find them anywhere. — Answer: must have lost (deduction modal)
3. The report ___ by the committee next week. — Answer: will be discussed (future passive)
4. Hardly ___ the door when the phone rang. — Answer: had I closed (inversion after negative adverbial)
5. I'd rather you ___ smoke in here. — Answer: didn't (I'd rather + past subjunctive)
6. Not only ___ late, but he also forgot the documents. — Answer: was he (fronted negative inversion)
7. The manager insisted that everyone ___ on time. — Answer: be (mandative subjunctive)
8. By next year, she ___ her degree. — Answer: will have finished (future perfect)
9. He denied ___ anything about the incident. — Answer: knowing (gerund after 'deny')
10. Were I in your position, I ___ accept the offer. — Answer: would (inverted conditional)

B2 Writing Assessment — Task Prompts

Task 1 — Formal Email of Complaint (150–180 words): You recently stayed at a hotel that did not meet the standards described in its online advertisement. Write a formal email to the hotel manager. Describe two specific problems you experienced, explain how the situation affected you, and request appropriate compensation.

Task 2 — Discursive Essay (160–200 words): Write a discursive essay discussing: 'Individual lifestyle changes are more effective than government policies in addressing climate change.' Present arguments for and against this view, and give your own conclusion.

The B2 writing assessment tests: formal register (no contractions), passive and complex structures, hedging language (It could be argued that…), balanced argument structure, and a reasoned personal conclusion.