Skills for English B1 SELT study plan
Skills for English B1 SELT · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Speaking
Record a 90-second self-introduction and transcribe it verbatim to expose hesitation, false starts, and repeated words
Drill the B1 core tenses (present simple, present continuous, past simple, present perfect) out loud in 12 personal sentences each
Practise word and sentence stress by shadowing a 2-minute audio clip aloud five times
Build a personal vocabulary log of 40 high-frequency topic words (work, home, travel, free time) with example sentences you say aloud
Your checkpoint
A 2-minute recorded self-introduction plus a written error list naming your top five recurring speaking problems
Speaking
Answer 20 typical Part 1 short-answer questions aloud in under 20 seconds each
Describe three familiar photographs or scenes for 60 seconds each using a fixed structure (what, where, who, details, opinion)
Practise linking words (because, so, although, however, for example) by rephrasing 15 short answers to include at least one linker
Self-assess each recording against a 4-point fluency checklist and mark hesitations
Your checkpoint
A table of 20 questions with your recorded answers, each scored 1-4 on fluency and marked for linker use
Speaking & Listening
Deliver four 2-minute monologues on exam-style topics using a 4-part plan (intro, two points, conclusion)
Complete 10 short listening tasks on everyday dialogues and write down the exact words that carried the answer
Identify and drill weak forms and contractions (I'd, gonna, can't, wasn't) by transcribing 5 short clips
Record a response to a spoken question within 3 seconds of it ending, ten times
Your checkpoint
Four recorded monologues with transcripts and a list of 10 listening items where you missed the key word, plus why
Listening
Take 3 timed listening mock sections and log every wrong answer by cause (vocabulary, speed, distraction, inference)
Practise note-taking on 6 short talks by writing only keywords, numbers, names, and dates
Distinguish similar-sounding pairs (thirteen/thirty, live/leave, ship/sheep) across 50 audio items
Predict answers before audio plays in 15 gap-fill style items
Your checkpoint
A timed mock listening score plus an error-cause table covering all missed items
Listening & Speaking
Handle numbers, times, prices, and spellings by dictating 40 items from audio and checking accuracy
Follow 8 longer dialogues and answer inference questions (how does the speaker feel, what will they do next)
Retell 6 short listening passages aloud in 45 seconds to convert input into spoken output
Reduce filler sounds (um, er, like) by counting them in a 2-minute recording and re-recording to cut them by half
Your checkpoint
Before-and-after recordings of the same 2-minute answer with a filler count for each
Speaking
Run 3 full timed speaking mock tests and score them against B1 criteria (fluency, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation)
Expand range with 15 opinion phrases and 10 comparison structures, used aloud in fresh answers
Self-correct grammar slips in real time by re-recording 10 answers where you fix errors mid-speech
Practise 5 two-way discussion tasks, asking and answering follow-up questions
Your checkpoint
Three scored mock speaking tests with a written improvement note for the weakest criterion
Speaking & Listening
Complete 4 full mock tests under exam timing, alternating speaking and listening
Cut response latency by answering 30 rapid-fire questions with a 2-second start target
Review all logged errors from weeks 1-6 and re-test the 20 most frequent ones
Simulate exam conditions with no pausing, replaying, or note-checking during listening
Your checkpoint
A consolidated error review sheet showing which of the top 20 errors are now fixed
Speaking & Listening
Take 3 final full mock tests and record scores against your week 4 and week 6 baselines
Rehearse exam-day routines: ID checks, microphone checks, and speaking clearly at a steady pace
Polish 10 flexible answer templates that fit multiple question types
Do light targeted review only, stopping new material 48 hours before the test
Your checkpoint
A final scorecard comparing baseline and final mock results across both domains, with a one-page test-day checklist
Milestones
Week 2: You can speak for 60 seconds on a familiar topic with no long pauses and at least two linking words, confirmed by recording review
Week 4: Timed listening mock score is recorded and every wrong answer has a named cause; you can identify at least 80% of dictated numbers and spellings
Week 6: Three scored speaking mocks show steady or improving marks on all four B1 criteria, and filler sounds are down by at least half from week 5
Week 8: Final mock scores in both speaking and listening are at or above your target pass level, and the test-day checklist is complete