This course offers a comprehensive and practical introduction to English at the B2 (Upper-Intermediate) level, designed for learners who want to strengthen their communication skills, expand their vocabulary, and develop confidence in understanding complex texts and spoken English. Throughout the course, you will gain clear, structured, and up-to-date knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, reading strategies, and listening comprehension appropriate for the B2 level. 

The course focuses on real-life language use and helps you recognize and understand English in a variety of contexts including work, studies, travel, and everyday communication. You will also learn how to identify key information, interpret opinions, understand implied meaning, and apply language rules accurately. These skills will support you in language learning and in practical situations that require effective English comprehension. 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

• Develop B2 level English communication skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
• Expand vocabulary for everyday, academic, and professional situations.
• Improve the understanding and use of B2 grammar structures.
• Strengthen confidence in using English in real-life communication.
• Prepare learners to successfully complete B2 level language tasks and assessments. 

COURSE PROGRAM

Module 1

B2 Language Basics & Communication Strategies

• typical phrases describing tasks and expectations in online learning environments
• the difference between past simple, past continuous, and past perfect
• the difference between strong, neutral, and soft opinions
• key adjectives and phrases used to describe people’s appearance, personality, and behavior
• common phrases used in everyday spoken English

Module 2

B2 Grammar in Context

• B2-level texts combine multiple future forms to express plans, predictions, schedules, and assumptions
• the difference between certainty, probability, and impossibility
• the structure and meaning of zero, first, second, third, and mixed conditionals
•  the difference between linking words that express addition, contrast, cause/effect, result, purpose, and condition

Module 3

Topic-Based Vocabulary & Real-Life English

•  typical expressions used in real-life conversations about employment
• common travel- and culture-related vocabulary used in B2-level texts
•  common academic vocabulary used in European university environments
•  key vocabulary related to health, wellbeing, and lifestyle habits
•  common vocabulary related to technology, digital tools, and innovation

Module 4

Academic & Professional Reading Skills

•  the difference between main ideas, supporting details, and examples
•  the difference between facts, opinions, and claims
•  what inference means in academic reading

Module 5

Grammar & Vocabulary Consolidation

•  what phrasal verbs are and how they are formed
•  the difference between flexible collocations and fixed expression
•  what makes a sentence inaccurate or unnatural at the B2 level

Module 6

Integrated Skills & Exam Preparation

•  understanding the overall purpose and key ideas
•  interpreting cautious or tentative conclusions
•  identifying meaning shifts caused by grammar choices
•  interpreting meaning beyond individual words
•  grammar and vocabulary accuracy
• typical B2-level problem areas

PASSING CONDITIONS

To pass the course, you need to provide 60% correct answers to the questions from tests after each lesson and 60% correct answers to the questions in the final test.

CONDITIONS FOR RECEIVING A CERTIFICATE

To receive the certificate, you must pass the course.

COURSE STAFF

dr Luis Javier Penton Herrera

Luis Javier Pentón Herrera, Ph.D., D.Litt. (Hab.) is an award-winning Spanish and English educator and a best-selling author. In 2024, he was selected as the 2024 TESOL Teacher of the Year, awarded by the TESOL International Association and National Geographic Learning. He is a Professor (Profesor uczelni, in Polish) at Uniwersytet VIZJA, Poland, and a Book Series Co-Editor of the Cambridge Elements in Language and Power (Cambridge University Press) and Contemporary Perspectives on Learning Environments book series (Emerald Publishing), as well as Co-Editor of Tapestry: A Multimedia Journal for Teachers and English Learners, and Associate Editor of Language Teacher Education Research. Further, he is a Fulbright Scholar and Specialist, and an English Language Specialist with the U.S. Department of State. Previously, he served as the 38th President of Maryland TESOL from 2018 to 2019, and earned the rank of Sergeant while serving in the United States Marine Corps (USMC). Two of his professional accolades include the ‘30 Up and Coming Emerging Leaders in TESOL’, awarded by TESOL International Association in 2016, and the J. Estill Alexander Future Leader in Literacy Award, awarded by the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers (ALER) in 2018 when his dissertation was chosen as ALER’s 2018 Outstanding Dissertation of the Year. Dr. Pentón Herrera’s current teaching and research projects are situated at the intersection of identity, emotions, and well-being in language and literacy education, social-emotional learning (SEL), autoethnography and storytelling, refugee education, and language and power. His books can be found at various publishers, including Cambridge University Press, the University of Michigan Press, and TESOL Press, to name a few. Originally from La Habana, Cuba, Dr. Pentón Herrera enjoys creative writing, playing with his two doggies, Virgo and Maui, and running in his free time. You can connect with Dr. Pentón Herrera on his Instagram: @luisjavierpentonherrera and on his website https://luispenton.com.