ESOL

LanguageCert International ESOL B1 Achiever

LanguageCert International ESOL B1 Achiever
LanguageCert International ESOL B1 Achiever is our first qualification for independent users of English, aligned with the 'threshold' level of the CEFR.

LanguageCert International ESOL B1 exams assess all four language skills of candidates who can understand clear input on familiar matters, deal with situations arising during travelling, produce simple text, describe experiences and provide reasons and explanations. LanguageCert International ESOL B1 exams is the first basic step towards your B2 Communicator level.

 

What you will achieve

You can understand main points of clear standard communication, convey information, feelings and opinions on familiar topics (family, work, school or leisure), engage in discussion to reach shared understanding, produce simple connected text and describe experiences, events, hopes and ambitions.

You have gained the basics of English and now have practical language skills for everyday use. Now you can read a simple magazine/newspaper article in English, write an everyday e-mail to a friend or colleague, create simple texts on topics of personal interest, comprehend a casual discussion in English and deal with most travel situations in areas where the language is spoken.

By completing the B1 Achiever level, it means that you have developed your ability to communicate in English for practical tasks and situations and you have laid the foundation to improve your work, study and travel prospects with an internationally recognised certification. LanguageCert International ESOL B1 exams is the first step towards your B2 Communicator level.


There are two exams for this level:

  • Written Exam (Listening, Reading, Writing)
  • Spoken Exam (Speaking)

Key features

CEFR i

B1

PASS MARKS

50%

2 SEPARATE QUALIFICATIONS

Written Exam
(Listening, Reading, Writing)

Spoken Exam
(Speaking)

EXAM FORMAT

Written Exam
Online or Paper Based or Computer based

Spoken Exam
Online or Face to Face

EXAMS

Exam Duration

PAPER BASED 2 hours & 40 minutes
Listening 30 minutes
Reading & Writing 2 hours & 10 minutes uninterrupted
COMPUTER BASED 2 hours & 40 minutes
Listening 30 minutes
Reading & Writing 2 hours & 10 minutes uninterrupted
ONLINE 2 hours & 40 minutes
Listening 30 minutes
Reading & Writing 2 hours & 10 minutes uninterrupted

Listening

Answer Type

Task

Part 1

7 questions

Three-option multiple choice for each of the seven utterances to choose the appropriate response

Listen twice to seven short sentences: statement, explanation, description, instruction or question

Part 2

6 questions

Two three-option multiple choice questions for each of the three conversations

Listen twice to three short conversations with two speakers to identify: topic, purpose, context, speakers, gist, relationship between speakers, roles, functions, attitudes, feeling and opinions

Part 3

7 questions

A message pad with a heading and seven prompts and space to write the correct information for each prompt. Answers are one to five words

Listen twice to a radio broadcast, talk, narrative, presentation, etc to identify specific information

Part 4

6 questions

Six three-option multiple choice questions

Listen twice to a discussion to identify gist, examples, fact, opinion, contrast, purpose, key ideas, attitude, cause and effect

Total: 26 questions

 

Reading

Answer Type

Task

Part 1

5 questions

Five three-option multiple choice for each text to complete

Five short texts each with one gap testing layout, lexis, cohesive devices, coherence

Part 2

6 questions

Choice of seven sentences to choose from to complete the six gaps. One sentence is provided as a distractor

One text with six sentences removed, eg topic sentence, summarising sentence, developing idea, emphasising a point, opinion, contrast, sequence, forward/back reference, transition to new idea

Part 3

7 questions

Seven questions to indicate which text provides the answer to each question

Four short texts, eg email, article, advert, etc with a linked theme, but with a different purpose

Part 4

8 questions

Eight open-ended ‘wh-‘ questions requiring short answers of one to three words

A continuous text: narrative, descriptive, expository, biographical, instructive

Total: 26 questions

 

Writing

Answer Type

Task

Part 1

70 - 100 words

Respond appropriately to a given text to produce a formal response for an intended public audience

Instruction to write a response to a letter, poster, diary, timetable, leaflet, etc for a specified reader and a clearly defined number of content points to be addressed

Part 2

100 - 120 words

Produce an informal letter to a friend

Instruction to write a letter on a given topic of personal interest with two functions to be included, eg invite a friend to stay, describe what you will do

 

Fast results and certificates:

  • Statement of Result (SoR) & e-certificate in 10 business days (PB exams) and 5 business days (CB exams), by email to you or through your Test Centre
  • Digital Badge in 10 business days, by email to you
  • Hard-copy certificates shortly after results release, sent to you or your Test Centre

What are the assessment rules of the Written Exam? 

The LanguageCert International ESOL suite of examinations is directly aligned to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) produced by the Council of Europe. The Written Exam is rigorously assessed against CEFR specified criteria. The grades awarded will be either High Pass, Pass or Fail. 

 

Parts

Maximum Score

Total Maximum Score

Listening

50

150

Reading

50

Writing

50

 

Grades

High Pass

101-150 out of 150

Pass

75-100 out of 150

Fail

0-74 out of 150

 

For more detailed information on the marking scheme of the Written Exam, as well as on the assessment marks for each task type at a particular level, please download the LanguageCert Qualification Handbook for International ESOL (Listening, Reading, Writing).

Download Official Material 

Preparation Books 

We work with the most prominent publishing houses to ensure that our partners and candidates have access to top quality learning materials for LanguageCert International ESOL exams. You can find below a list of available books with their titles and links to the publishers’ websites.    

Exam Duration

FACE TO FACE 12 minutes
Speaking 12 minutes
ONLINE 12 minutes
Speaking 12 minutes

Speaking

Task

Part 1

  • Give and spell name
  • Give country of origin
  • Answer five questions

Part 2

  • Two or three situations are presented by the interlocutor and candidates respond to and initiate interactions

Part 3

  • Exchange information to identify similarities and differences in pictures of familiar situations

Part 4

  • 30 seconds of preparation time
  • Talk about a topic provided by the interlocutor for half a minute
  • Answer follow-up questions
 

Fast results and certificates:

  • Statement of Result (SoR) & e-certificate in 10 business days, by email to you or through your Test Centre
  • Digital Badge in 10 business days, by email to you
  • Hard-copy certificates shortly after results release, sent to you or your Test Centre

What are the assessment rules of the Spoken Exam?

The LanguageCert International ESOL suite of examinations is directly aligned to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) produced by the Council of Europe. The Spoken Exam is rigorously assessed against CEFR specified criteria. The grades awarded will be either High Pass, Pass or Fail.

 

Maximum Score 

50

 

Grades

High Pass

35-50 out of 50

Pass

25-34 out of 50

Fail

0-24 out of 50

 

 For more detailed information on the marking scheme of the Spoken Exam, as well as on the assessment marks for each task type at a particular level, please download the LanguageCert Qualification Handbook for International ESOL (Speaking).

Download Official Material 

Preparation Books 

We work with the most prominent publishing houses to ensure that our partners and candidates have access to top quality learning materials for LanguageCert International ESOL exams. You can find below a list of available books with their titles and links to the publishers’ websites.