Linguistic competencies

A1 level

Communication skills

1. Can speak about oneself, their family and introduce others

2. Can express likes and dislikes

3. Can talk about their daily routine

4. Can offer a basic description of a place/ person/ city life

5. Can ask basic questions, ask for repetition and clarification, ask for directions, ask for food & drinks in a restaurant

6. Can express their own abilities and strengths using basic structures and limited vocabulary

7. Can talk about the weather/ seasons

Grammar skills

- personal pronouns

- possessives (adjectives, ’s)

- demonstratives (this, that)

- Prepositions of place (right, left, on, under, near, next to)

- Present Simple & Continuous (affirmative, negative forms, interrogative forms)

- cardinal numerals

- there is/there are

- question words (who, what, how, how much/many)

- modal verbs: can/can’t, could; would like

Lexical skills

- age, prices

- basic family members

- countries and city names

- languages and nationalities (basic, their own)

- main jobs

- basic sports, everyday objects, daily routine, weekend activities, colours, main clothes, main food and drinks

- basic weather phenomena: warm, hot, cold, sunny, cloudy, windy, it rains, it snows

Examples

1. My name is…. I am 20 years old and I am a student. I am Brazilian/ I come from Brazil. I speak Portuguese. I live with my family. My father is a doctor and my mother doesn’t work.

2. I like football and movies. My favourite actor is Russell Crowe.

3. Every weekend I go to the cinema with my friends. We sometimes go for a drink.

4. London is a big city. There are many old buildings and monuments here.

5. I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Could you please repeat? Where is the train station? I would like a sandwich and an orange juice, please. How much is it?

6. I can run fast, but I can’t swim.

7. I like summer because it is sunny and hot. I don’t like winter because it is always cold and cloudy.

A2 level

Communication skills

1. Can ask for more complex directions

2. Can compare 2 or more objects

3. Can describe objects in terms of quantity

4. Can talk about their strengths and weaknesses

5. Can describe and place in simple terms an action in the past

6. Can talk in simple terms about future plans, ambitions and events

7. Can talk about previous experiences

8. Can create a short story in the past in simple terms

9. Can express basic pains and aches

Grammar skills

- Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his/hers etc.): Is this my sweater? No, it’s mine.

- Articles vs. adverbs of quantity (a/some, much/many)

- Present Simple + adv. of time to talk about a future event (The plane takes off at gate 7)

- Present Continuous (describe clothing, current actions)

- Going to + verb

- Present Continuous vs. Present Simple

- Past Simple + Past Continuous to tell a story

- Present Perfect to describe experience + yet/just (I haven’t been to Africa yet)

- Comparatives and superlatives

- Adverbs: slowly, suddenly, carefully, still, too

Lexical skills

- Daily life: social expressions (Have a good day! Same to you!)

- Showing interest, asking relevant questions

- Basic collocations (listen to music, watch TV, talk to friends)

- Synonyms and antonyms (fortunately – unfortunately)

- Suffixes (discuss- discussion, fortunate-fortunately)

- Buying things: food, money, quantities

- jobs, travelling (in a hotel, making a reservation)

- describe feelings and situations

- phrasal verbs: take off, put on, give up, go away

- leaving a message on the phone

- basic illnesses and at the doctor’s office

Examples

1. Is there a post office nearby? Where can I find a post office? How do I get to the train station?

2. Psychological movies are more interesting than action movies. The best book in my opinion is “War and Peace”

3. Is there any milk in the fridge? There is some milk in the fridge.

There aren’t any bananas in the basket. There are many flowers in the garden.

4. I am good at writing poetry.

5. I think that 200 years ago women stayed at home and took care of the house and their children. They didn’t have the right to vote or to work.

6. Next year Jill and John are getting married.

I am going to call you tomorrow

7. I have never been to Africa yet, but I would like to go some day.

The best movie I have ever seen was “The English Patient”

8. Last night I was watching TV with my wife when suddenly her mother called. My wife felt worried because her mother never calls at those hours. I felt uncomfortable because she was disturbing me during my favourite TV show.

9. I’ve got a headache. My back hurts. I’ve got a cold; my nose is running

B1 level

Communication skills

1. Can express their own hopes, dreams and ambitions; future plans

2. Can give his own opinion and present some arguments to sustain it

3. Can speak about a movie or a book of their interest

4. Can offer their help and services

5. Can present apologies

6. Can write personal letters and understand basic articles in a magazine if they are related to their area of interest

7. Can ask for permission and express obligations and commitments

8. Can express possibility/ probability

9. Can ask for confirmation of his understanding/knowledge

10. Can talk about their work experience

11. Can present another person’s words/statements and offer a general view of a previous conversation

Grammar skills

- Present Simple and Continuous

- Passive voice (news, articles): Children are being treated with a new medicine.

- Past Simple and Continuous

- Present Perfect

- Present Perfect vs. Past Simple

- Passive voice + Present Perfect: news and articles: The bank has been robbed again! Two novelists have been awarded the Nobel prize.

- Present Perfect Continuous

- For and since

- Modal verbs: obligation and permission: have to, ought to, must, had to, should, must, be allowed to

- Modal verbs: possibility/probability: must (have), should (have), could, might, can’t (have)

- Future forms: going to and will

- Conditional clauses: type I and II

- Time clauses

- Indirect questions

- Reported commands

- Question tags

Lexical skills

- Can use spelling and knows the alphabet

- Words that go together, related to sports: do aerobics, play football, work out, go skiing

- Describing personality (reliable, sociable, easygoing)

- Social expressions: Never mind! Take care! You must be joking!, hit the roof, hold your breath

- money, fractions, decimals

- using public transport

- requests in a hotel

- can understand signs and some elliptic expressions: Just looking, thanks!

- agreeing and disagreeing: so do I/ neither do I

- weather forecast, news

Examples

1. If I had a million dollars, I would travel around the world. I wish to build a house and buy a cat. I would like to do more charity work.

If I am free tonight, I will give you a call to go to the cinema.

When I get home, I’ll give you a call.

2. I believe that people should live more simply and shouldn’t care about money so much. First of all, we only have one life. Secondly, money is supposed to make our lives easier and not more complicated.

3. I have read “Anna Karenina” . It is a story that happens in Russia....

4. How may I help you? Should I open the window? Can I do anything for you?

5. I am sorry. Please, excuse me. I apologise.

6. Dear friend,

I am writing to tell you that my exams are finally over. You have no idea how hard it was for me to pass them all, but I managed to do it with a little effort. [...]

The writer was found dead in his apartment.

They have been told not to come at this hour.

7. Can I open the window? May I have another cup of coffee? I must call my brother. I should finish my homework.

8. He should be here by now. She must have been joking! He shouldn’t have said all those things!

9. You said we should meet at 7, right?

I have a meeting now, haven’t I?

10. I have been working for BBC for 2 years now. I have been in charge of the HR department since 2010.

11. “We are getting married next week” – She said that they were getting married the following week;

“How do you know them?” – He asked me how I knew them

B2 level

Communication skills

1. Can exchange information and present pro and cons of a certain situation, sustaining their point of view with clear and detailed arguments; their text (both written and oral) is coherent and cohesive

2. Can present a detailed account of a wide range of stories, news they have read/heard that are generally related to their area of interest

3. Can use polite expressions to introduce a new topic of discussion, to interrupt someone or to present apologies

4. Can exaggerate or understate an idea/feeling

5. Can stress a point and draw attention upon an idea they find important (in a speech or in writing)

6. Expressing hypothetical wishes/ situations

Grammar skills

- Active and passive voice

- Verb moods and tenses

- Phrasal verbs

- Informal expressions of quantity

- Informal expressions: thing, like

- Modals and related verbs: able to, manage to, bound to, supposed to, allowed to

- Relative clause: who, which, that, what, whose

- Participles and gerunds functioning as attributes: The woman standing in front of me; a game played by 4 people

- Expressing past and present habits

- Used to and would

- The Subjunctive: would rather, wish, if only ....had...

- Determiners: each, every, no, none, either

Lexical skills

- Informal language: Been here two days ago, don’t I know you from somewhere, get a life, kill time, dream on, slowly but surely, take your time, it takes you years to do this, how come, what a brilliant idea!, that’s rubbish

- Being imprecise: sort of, stuff like

- Intensifying compounds: dead easy, dead serious, scared stiff

- Expressions with modal verbs: you might as well, I couldn’t help it

- Prefixes: improbable, disbelief, unnatural

Examples

1. On the one hand, this is .... On the other hand.

Although,....

In spite of/ Despite...

Not only is it...but also...

Moreover....

Nonetheless...

However...

2. I heard it on the news. The man said that a few days before a bunch of burglars had broken into the house and stolen all the diamond rings.

3. I’m sorry to bother you, but could you please tell me when the meeting is scheduled?

Could you possibly tell me where the train station is?

4. I am crazy about my mother’s tiramisu!

5. Another point I would like to state is that...I would also like to draw your attention upon... – see 1 for details

6. Subjunctives: I wish I were right (but I’m not)

I’d (would) rather you called me tonight.

I’d rather you had called me before you got here.

C1 level

Communication skills

1. Can understand news, articles, books, written or oral texts on a wide range of subjects, even if they are not necessarily related to their field of interest (professional life, internet, art, music, abstract subjects, important events in one’s life, time and changes etc.)

2. Can understand word-plays and advertisements/commercials

3. Can talk about stereotypes, actively and spontaneously participate in a debate and sustain their points of view, without striving to much to find their words – social and professional environment

4. Can tell the differences in writing and pronunciation between American English and British English

5. Can use certain metaphors and idioms

6. Can re-tell a story and avoid repetitions; can paraphrase when they don’t find the adequate word

Grammar skills

- Reduced infinitives (she doesn’t know how to read. She never learned to.)

- Perfect vs. continuous tenses

- Active vs. passive (passive voice to add distance/ make facts more objective)

- Adverbs with two forms (flying high, highly motivated)

- Would: real and unreal tense usage (My car wouldn’t start; I knew he would call; When I was a kid, I’d get up at 7 and go to school)

- Intensifying adverbs: I totally agree, I will absolutely do this

Lexical skills

- Synonyms in context: don’t trust = have no faith in ...

- Discourse markers: As I was saying, Honestly

- Synonyms and antonyms: an approximate figure, a rough guess

- Compound nouns (rainfall, snowflake)

- Adjective order (opinion-size-age- shape-colour-material-origin-purpose + noun): nice small old square red steel Italian race car

- Body parts (internal organs)

- Expressions with body parts (lend a hand, lean on my shoulder, put your foot down)

- Metaphors and idioms: time flies, to break one’s heart, be over the moon, hit the roof, break a leg

C2 level

Communication skills

1. Can understand documents, correspondence and reports, including the finer points of complex texts.

2. Can write letters on any subject and full notes of meetings or seminars with good expression and accuracy.

3. Can advise on or talk about sensitive issues, understanding colloquial references and dealing confidently with hostile questions

4. Can (for example, when looking for accommodation) understand a tenancy agreement in detail, including its main implications.

5. Can write letters on any subject with good expression and accuracy.

6. Can talk about complex or sensitive issues without awkwardness.

7. Can understand reports and articles likely to be encountered during his/her work, including complex ideas expressed in complex language.

8. Can make full and accurate notes and continue to participate in a meeting or seminar.

9. Can advise on/handle complex, delicate or contentious issues, such as legal or financial matters to the extent that he/she has the necessary specialist knowledge.

10. Can access all sources of information quickly and reliably.

11. Can understand colloquial asides and cultural allusions.

Grammar skills

- Missing words out (She told me to tidy up, but I already had.)

- Adverbs in collocations (deeply worried)

- Inversions that add emphasis: No sooner....than...; it was she who...; it was then when I realized that...; never will I forget...; try as I might/may;

- Complex conditional clauses: should you do this..., unless..., were you to..., but for your help etc.

- Reported speech and tense agreement; change of viewpoint (Adverbs, pronouns, tenses)

- Prepositions following nouns, adjectives: afraid of, ashamed of, awareness of, annoyed about, angry with, addicted to, eligible for, influence on, tax on, responsibility for, room for, respect for etc.

- Expressions beginning with prepositions: in demand, in advance, in dispute, at any rate, beyond belief, on the market etc.

Lexical skills

- Colloquial expressions

- Idioms, proverbs, cultural implications

- Professional correspondence (business letters, business emails, complaint letters, answering to a complaint)

- Text organizers: adding a point, developing a point, contrast, explaining reasons, making generalisations, giving new information

- Punctuation: Common errors, Problem words

Words with similar spelling but different meanings; commas, apostrophes, colons and semi-colons

- Money and currency; terms used with money (to cash a cheque)

- Phrasal verbs

- Expressions with come, expressions with in, idioms based on hand, wood and metal, prefix un-, verbs of movement

- Expressions with get, colour idioms, expressions with see, suffix -ful, common expressions, expressions with out

- Expressions with on, expressions with one, expressions with break, sounds, words with more than one meaning, words connected with memory

- Formality, expressions with no, expressions with head, words connected with people, expressions with make, compound words

- Size, suffixes, headline language, expressions with once, body movements, expressions with at

- Expressions with set, places, words with more than one meaning, speaking, expressions with within, adjective suffix –ing

- Expressions with by, idioms with parts of the body, adjective-noun collocations, expressions with have, verbs of seeing, expressions with do

- Collocations of nouns linked with of, size, expressions with bring, feelings, prefix well, expressions with from

- Adverbs, expressions with think, expressions with give, modifiers, words with more than one meaning, but

- Expressions with put, expressions with run, prefix under-, names, expressions with call, verbs with up