A very small number of people actually face the need to communicate intensively in English. Reading and listening skills are sufficient for professional development. These skills are mastered independently, without a tutor, success will depend only on the time spent and the efforts made. But what should be the minimum level required for professional growth? The answer is Upper-Intermediate. This is the so-called intermediate advanced. Not good enough for Advanced, but way above mere average.
Learn, learn, learn… for life
As you know, linguistic schools are interested in a person learning a language endlessly, from time to time still showing results that can be used in advertising.
If a person does not rotate in an English-speaking environment, even just to maintain a level, he needsconstant interaction with native speakers and language samples. Therefore, while you are in a non-English-speaking country, it is still advisable to study foreign language - in the amount you need. There is even such a thing as Lifestyle English - a person simply considers topics of interest to him with a teacher and thus maintains a level, although he does not grow particularly.
About the same knowledge
The introduction of international norms was caused by the need to compare the quality of knowledge and skills in different languages and to unify the classifications of the degree of proficiency in them. The problem was that some schools could have dozens of levels just to pump money out of their students, and the learning itself turned into a form of leisure.
Of course, it was not only the arbitrariness of schools, but also the need for people to understand that if two people were "diagnosed" with Upper-Intermediate, it means that two people have approximately the same knowledge.
Enough for a profession
Since this level is considered by most employers to be sufficient when hiring a non-linguist, we will describe it in detail. Upper-intermediate in listening and speaking skills is the opportunity to discuss your personal and professional experience, as well as the news that a person has heard or read in the newspaper.
In general, in the sense of one's own speech, this level (its international name is B2) is limited to familiar topics. Such a person does not yet have enough vocabulary to work with the materialunfamiliar.
Can everyone read?
Another important skill that is considered the easiest is reading. However, the ability to understand correctly is also the result of regular replenishment of the passive vocabulary. How well at B2 level do they understand texts in English? Upper-Intermediate is the ability to understand what is carefully explained (for example, advertising), as well as the ability to decipher the most used abbreviations, understand culinary terms in restaurant menus, etc. That is, this is an understanding of words from commonly used areas, as well as texts for non-native speakers.
Academic Needs
Foreign universities accept students with B2 level in some speci alties that do not have high language requirements (usually technical).
This is because at this level people are already able to take fairly detailed notes and can also write formal letters using their skills in non-routine situations. Figuratively speaking, such a student "will not disappear" due to a lack of language skills. Is there a special test to accurately determine the level? Yes, test Upper-Intermediate. It is none other than known to many FCE. Also at this stage they get 87-109 points on the TOEFL exam or 5-6 on the IELTS exam. Upper-Intermediate is a pretty high bar and a hard target to reach.
Which test to choose?
If you want to enter a foreign university that accepts different tests,Preferably take the TOEFL. It is the most standardized, and with a good development of skills in actually working with this test, you can pass it even better than the real level allows.
The problem with IELTS is that open questions imply certain correct answers. If you answered correctly, but did not formulate the thought in the way that the compilers require, the answer will not be counted for you. Here is an example.
Stone wall and misunderstanding
There is such a thing in English as stone wall construction. This means that a noun is used next to another noun as an adjective (actually, the name of the structure is an example). This technique allows you to save words. On IELTS, the correct answer is the wall made of stone. And the construction will be counted as incorrect, although from the point of view of grammar it is quite acceptable. Therefore, in the TOEFL exam - with ready-made answers - there is less risk. But Canadian and British universities often require only IELTS (or one of the Cambridge exams). If you have a choice, take the TOEFL.
Only after school
Is Upper-Intermediate common? It's a difficult question. High school students speak the language at this level after graduating from a secondary educational institution (if it is of high quality), but as contact with a native speaker decreases, they degrade if they do not study linguistics purposefully. Most of those who think they know English are Intermediate, or B1.
How to distinguish Upper-Intermediate from Advanced? There is a joke way - actually advanced (C1) have more doubts about the meaning of the choice of grammatical constructions. In reality, almost everyone knows only proficient, or those who speak the language at the C2 level, but it is very easy to distinguish them from B2. Most of the problems of language learners at the intermediate advanced level are related to productive skills - speaking and writing. To develop the first skill at this level, you can already look for a carrier friend. For the second, find a suitable prescription for the course used - Upper-Intermediate workbook (this is a collection of tasks that are used not for speech skills, but for working with vocabulary and grammar). The English File course is very good - in terms of methodology, it is the most modern and convenient.
