B1 Preliminary common mistakes
B1 Preliminary · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
In Reading Part 1, candidates pick an option because it repeats a word from the notice or text instead of reading what the whole message actually says.
Part 1 notices and short messages are written to include distractors that echo the original wording, so matching a single shared word feels safe and fast under time pressure.
What to do instead
Before looking at the three options, read the notice and state its purpose in one sentence ('this tells staff the lift is out until Friday'). Then reject any option that only repeats vocabulary without carrying that meaning, and check each remaining option against the whole message, not one phrase.
In Reading Part 3, candidates answer each question from the sentence where the matching keyword appears, without reading the paragraph around it.
Longer texts are intimidating and keyword-hunting is a quick strategy, but Part 3 questions test implied meaning and attitude, which usually sit across two or three sentences.
What to do instead
Use the keyword only to locate the paragraph, then read that paragraph fully before choosing. Practise writing the answer in your own words first, then find the option closest to it; if an option is a near-copy of the text, treat it as suspicious.
In Reading Part 4, candidates leave gaps blank or fill them with any word that fits grammatically, ignoring the meaning of the whole sentence.
This is a cloze task with eight gaps and no word list, so learners freeze when a gap does not trigger an obvious collocation, and they run out of time before returning to it.
What to do instead
Read the full sentence and the one before it to decide the meaning first, then choose the word. Train on fixed phrases and common patterns (verb + preposition, comparative forms, linkers like 'although', 'unless', 'so that'). Never leave a gap empty, and budget about one minute per gap so you can return to hard ones.
In Writing Part 1, candidates write far more than the required note or email, adding extra paragraphs and unnecessary detail.
Learners transfer habits from longer writing tasks and believe more text earns more marks, but Part 1 only asks for four short pieces of content in about 25 words.
What to do instead
Count the content points in the instruction (usually four) and write one short sentence per point. Practise writing the same message in 20-30 words and check that every sentence answers a required point; delete anything that does not.
In Writing Part 2, candidates answer only one of the two prompts (the article or the story) fully and rush the other, or ignore the bullet points in the article prompt.
Time is short and candidates often spend most of it on the piece they feel comfortable with, treating the second as an afterthought.
What to do instead
Split the time deliberately, for example 20 minutes per piece, and plan each with a few notes for 2 minutes. For the article, tick off each bullet point as you cover it; for the story, make sure the first sentence is used exactly as given and the narrative has a clear ending.
In Writing, candidates use a narrow range of basic linkers and repeat the same sentence openings, so the writing reads as a list of short statements.
At B1 level learners rely on memorised connectors ('and', 'but', 'because') and have not practised joining ideas within and across sentences.
What to do instead
Build a personal bank of B1-level linkers for different functions (adding, contrasting, giving reasons, sequencing, concluding) and use at least three different ones per piece. Rewrite one draft replacing repeated sentence starts with varied openings such as time phrases or participle clauses.
In Listening Part 1, candidates choose an answer as soon as they hear a matching word, before the speaker changes or corrects the information.
These short dialogues deliberately include a distractor mentioned first and the real answer later, often signalled by 'actually' or 'no, wait'.
What to do instead
Read the question and options during the pause before each recording, then wait for the end of the exchange before deciding. Train yourself to listen for correction markers and to hold two possible answers in mind until the speaker finishes.
In Listening Part 4, candidates lose their place in the monologue and then answer several questions with guesses.
There is only one speaker, no turn-taking cues, and questions follow the order of the text, so a single missed answer causes a chain of lost answers.
What to do instead
Before listening, underline the key word in each question and note the order. Follow the text with your finger on the question numbers, and if you miss one, abandon it immediately and find the next question's keyword rather than staying stuck.
In Speaking Part 2, candidates describe the photograph in a flat list ('I can see a man, a table, a window') without speculating or organising the description.
They treat the task as naming objects rather than showing range, and they have not practised the language of speculation and location.
What to do instead
Use a fixed structure: say what the photo shows overall, describe the main people or objects and where they are, then add one or two guesses about feelings, weather, or what happened next. Learn and reuse phrases like 'it looks as if', 'they seem to be', 'in the background'.
In Speaking Parts 3 and 4, candidates give one-word or one-sentence answers and do not ask their partner questions or respond to what the partner says.
They focus only on completing the task and lack practised functional language for agreeing, disagreeing, suggesting, and asking for opinions, which the examiner is listening for.
What to do instead
Practise a turn-taking routine: make a suggestion, ask your partner 'What do you think?', respond to their idea before adding yours. Learn short functional phrases for each move and record yourself in pair practice to check you speak roughly half the time and react to your partner.