English levels
B2 – Upper intermediate
At B2 you can talk with native speakers without too much effort. You can join meetings, write clear emails and read technical documents. Many companies ask for B2.
What you can do at B2
- Join a discussion and explain the good and bad points of an idea.
- Understand most TV shows, podcasts and technical talks.
- Write a clear, detailed email or report.
- Speak without stopping a lot to think of words.
This approach is faster, but it's harder to test, so I'd prefer the first option.
Grammar at B2
- Past perfect: The meeting had started before I arrived.
- Future continuous: This time tomorrow, I will be traveling.
- The passive voice: The bug was fixed yesterday.
- If sentences about unreal things: If I had more time, I would learn Rust.
- Reported speech: She said that the server was down.
B2 words
Many B2 words are useful at work.
Reliable
Something or someone you can trust to work well every time.
We need a reliable server that doesn't go down at night.
Efficient
Working well without wasting time, money or energy.
This new code is more efficient. It uses less memory.
Struggle
To try very hard to do something that is difficult for you.
I struggle with English phrasal verbs, but I'm getting better.
Assume
To think that something is true, but without checking it.
I assumed the API was working, but it was down.
Issue
A problem or a topic that people need to talk about or fix.
I opened an issue on GitHub about the login bug.
Requirement
Something that you must have or must do.
English at B2 level is a requirement for this job.
B2 is a great goal
B2 is the level where English becomes a tool you can use at work, not only a subject you study. If you work in tech, aim for B2 first. You can learn C1 words later, when you need them.
Next level: C1 – Advanced