B2 Upper-Intermediate English: what learners can do and how to practise
At CEFR B2 Upper-Intermediate level, a learner is working towards three skills in reading and writing. This guide explains each one in plain English, with something to try at home and practice prompts you can use today.
What this level focuses on
Understanding Writers' Attitudes & Viewpoints
Curriculum reference: CEFR B2 Reading
Recognising what a writer thinks about a subject and the signals that show it.
Try at home
Underline words in an opinion piece that show the writer's feelings.
Writing Clear, Detailed Text on a Range of Subjects
Curriculum reference: CEFR B2 Writing
Writing clearly and in detail about many topics, with ideas linked in a sensible order.
Try at home
Write about the same topic in two different forms: an email and a short article.
Giving Reasons For & Against a Point of View
Curriculum reference: CEFR B2 Writing
Weighing up arguments on both sides of an issue in a piece of writing.
Try at home
Make two columns, 'for' and 'against', then write a balanced paragraph from them.
How much should they write?
A good target for a middle years piece at this level is several paragraphs, which is about 280 words when practising in LiteracyLab AI. Short and regular beats long and rare: one carefully improved piece teaches more than three rushed ones.
Three practice prompts to try this week
- Write a diary entry from a character at the most important moment of a book you have read.
- Write a short story that begins with a character finding something that should not be there.
- Should schools start later in the morning? Give your view and support it.
Want more? Try the free prompt generator for this age group.
Common questions
How much should a learner at this level write?
Several paragraphs, or about 280 words is a sensible target for practice. Quality matters more than length.
What are the main skills at this level?
Understanding Writers' Attitudes & Viewpoints; Writing Clear, Detailed Text on a Range of Subjects; Giving Reasons For & Against a Point of View. Each is explained above with something to try at home.
How do I know if my child is on track?
Compare their writing with the three focus areas above and ask their teacher for a view. A tool such as LiteracyLab AI can show, for each piece, what worked and the next step, but your child's teacher knows their progress best.
How to give feedback at home
- Ask for a short plan before writing, then compare the finished piece with the plan.
- Focus on one skill at a time, such as paragraphing or varied sentence openings, and revisit it across pieces.
- Encourage a proofreading pass at the end: spelling, then punctuation, then sense.
Get feedback on a piece of writing
LiteracyLab AI reads a child's own writing and gives specific feedback: what worked, one thing to try next, and a corrected version, matched to their year and curriculum. The Free plan includes 3 pieces a month and needs no card.
CEFR levels describe what a learner can do in a language, not their age or school year, so these pages are organised by level.