Skills for English B1 SELT flashcards

31 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

B1 speaking test length

About 12 minutes with an examiner, divided into warm-up questions, a picture description, a role-play or situation task, and a closing discussion on a familiar topic.

CEFR B1 speaking benchmark

The candidate can describe experiences and events, give brief reasons and explanations for opinions and plans, and handle most everyday situations, though with noticeable pausing and repair.

Warm-up question strategy

Answer personal questions about home, work, studies, or free time in two or three sentences, adding one reason or example rather than a single word or bare yes/no.

Present continuous for pictures

Use 'is/are + verb-ing' to describe actions in a photo, for example 'A woman is waiting for a bus', because the scene shows actions happening now.

Speculating about a picture

Use 'might', 'could', 'maybe', or 'looks like' to guess feelings or context, for example 'They might be tourists because they are carrying maps.'

Opening a role-play

Start the interaction with a greeting and a clear request, such as 'Good morning, I'd like some information about train tickets to Bristol, please.'

Polite request forms

Use 'Could you tell me...?', 'Would you mind...?', or 'I was wondering if...' plus normal word order, since indirect questions do not invert the subject and verb.

Expressing preference

Use 'I'd rather', 'I prefer', or 'I'd prefer' with a reason, for example 'I'd rather take the earlier train because I have a meeting at nine.'

Closing a role-play politely

End with thanks and a confirming phrase, such as 'That's great, thanks for your help' or 'OK, I'll do that. Goodbye', to show the task is complete.

Extending an answer

Add a reason, contrast, or personal example after the main statement, for example 'I like city life, but sometimes it's too noisy for me.'

Useful hesitation fillers

Phrases like 'Well, let me think', 'That's a good question', or 'How can I put it' keep the turn going while the candidate plans the next idea.

Present perfect for experience

Use 'have/has + past participle' for life experience without a finished time, for example 'I have visited Scotland twice', contrasted with 'I went last year.'

First conditional for plans

Use 'if + present simple, will + verb' for realistic future possibilities, for example 'If the weather is good, we'll go to the beach.'

Modals of obligation and advice

'Must' and 'have to' state obligation, 'should' gives advice, and 'don't have to' means no obligation, which differs from 'mustn't', meaning prohibition.

Word stress in noun-verb pairs

Some two-syllable words shift stress by word class: the noun takes first-syllable stress (PREsent, REcord) and the verb second-syllable stress (preSENT, reCORD).

Final consonants and grammar

Pronouncing final -s and -ed clearly marks plurals, third-person verbs, and past tense, so dropping them makes grammar ambiguous to the examiner.

B1 listening test length

About 35 minutes with 25 questions across several parts; most recordings are played twice, allowing one listen for gist and one for specific detail.

Listening answer order

Questions follow the order of the recording, so the candidate tracks position by matching each answer to the next question rather than scanning randomly.

Paraphrase beats repeated words

Correct options usually restate the recording in different words; an option copying the exact words heard is often a distractor built from the same vocabulary.

Correction markers in numbers

Words like 'actually', 'sorry', 'I meant', or 'let's say' signal that a figure, time, or price is being changed, so the later number is the answer.

Gap-fill word limit

The rubric states a maximum, usually one to three words; answers longer than the limit or with wrong spelling score zero even if the meaning is right.

Signposting language in talks

Sequencers and connectives such as 'first', 'then', 'however', 'the main point', and 'to sum up' mark structure and usually introduce the information being tested.

Matching tasks with speakers

Each speaker states one clear opinion plus a contrasting remark; the stated opinion matches the answer option, while the contrast often matches a distractor.

No negative marking

Unanswered questions earn nothing but wrong answers are not penalized, so every item should be given a plausible guess before moving on.

Listening for gist first

On the first playing, identify the topic, speakers, and situation; details such as prices and times are confirmed on the second playing.

Distinguishing similar sounds

Pairs like thirteen/thirty, fifteen/fifty, and can/can't differ by stress and final sounds; stress on '-teen' and the final 't' distinguish them.

Numbers in dates and times

Dates are given as ordinal numbers ('the third of May') and times with 'past' and 'to'; write figures as instructed by the rubric's format.

Multiple-choice with three options

Each item offers three choices and only one matches what the recording says; the other two use heard vocabulary in a wrong context or reverse the meaning.

Understanding announcements

Station, airport, and shop announcements give a change plus a reason; the answer is usually the new time, platform, or price, not the original one.

Note-completion task

Candidates fill gaps in notes or a form while listening; the missing word is a single noun, number, or name taken directly from the recording.

B1 listening descriptor

The candidate can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters and follow a short narrative or announcement, but not rapid or strongly accented speech.