Pre-Intermediate - level of English

Why do you need to know what levels of English are? Pre-Intermediate is the level at which all those who have already left the Beginner courses behind them, but still can not say that he speaks English at a solid average level. And you need to know the peculiarity of this intermediate level, at least in order to control the process of your training, to be able to choose the most suitable textbooks, manuals, courses. In fact, the line between Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate is pretty thin, some courses generally lower the intermediate levels, offering groups only for beginners, intermediate and advanced. However, if you need to pass any exam, this difference will really be very noticeable.

For example, in order to successfully pass the USE in English, you must have an Intermediate or Upper-Intermediate level. This exam does not require anything super complicated, only the most common grammar and vocabulary, however, knowledge must be reliable. The level of English Pre-Intermediate in this case will be clearly inadequate, because it is distinguished by some instability. There is knowledge, but they are still too sketchy. There is no freedom and confidence when answering questions on grammar, nor in reading, nor in listening, although everything seems very familiar.

To understand the difficulty of dividing the language into levels, try to answer the question: how does knowledge accumulate from the lower levels to the higher ones? Getting acquainted with phonetics and pronunciation, we must inevitably master a set of words, even the simplest grammatical constructions, etc. As a matter of fact, when studying the language, we do not move up the steps, stepping from one to another, but plunging into a pond, Going deeper, and seeing in front of him all the same thing that was in the beginning, but in a broader perspective.

Pre-Intermediate versus Beginner and Intermediate

At the previous level, Beginner or Elementary, we get acquainted with a wide variety of topics, such as a greeting, a story about yourself, characteristics of people; The everyday vocabulary is learned (clothes, furniture, food, etc.). The learner learns the rules of reading, after the initial course he can really read, but only fairly simple texts, reading the rest is difficult to call it, rather it is the analysis of texts with a dictionary, rather than reading. A newcomer can fill out a questionnaire or write a birthday greeting to a friend by e-mail, but a detailed letter with a retelling of all local news will require a lot of effort from him. His manner of reading is similar to reading a child who has only learned how syllables form into words, and for the time being he spends quite a lot of effort on the actual reading process, rather than on understanding. And even if he reads fluently, he encounters a lot of seemingly read, but completely incomprehensible places. Beginner knowledge is enough to explain by gestures and words at the airport, shop, on the street. Any companion will understand you, but will also understand that your knowledge is very shallow and will try to speak more slowly and easier.

At the level of Pre-Intermediate, all the same knowledge is deepened, emphasis is placed on grammar and further expansion of the vocabulary. The main thing at the end of this level is to master the structure of the language, since the active level is already beginning on the next level "in breadth", it's not for nothing that Intermediate in the West is sometimes called functional because it is a reliable knowledge base that gives a lot of opportunities, including for work or Study at the university. To this you need to be ready, so at the level of Pre-Intermediate, you get the basic ideas about the grammar, which are finally fixed at the Intermediate level. All other skills, such as reading, speaking, evolve, but it is at this level that different students clearly reveal their inclinations and abilities. Someone understands that he has an excellent ear and a certain artistry - he perfectly recognizes the nuances of pronunciation and reproduces them, someone, on the contrary, has a strong logical mind and clicks grammatical tasks like nuts, but can not associate two words in oral speech. In any case, it is felt that the student has not yet reached the "fireproof amount". If he stops his studies at that moment, he will inevitably forget most of what he taught, and later he will have to start all over again.

If at an elementary level the learner understands only a clear and slow speech on familiar topics, on an average level - he can listen and understand any popular TV shows, then the Pre-Intermediate level, which is intermediate between them, is very difficult to characterize unambiguously. Yes, you can already understand fluent speech, but selectively. You can tell about your musical tastes, but you are at a loss to justify your preferences. You can read not only fairy tales, but also adult literary works. Although this reading will be difficult to call a pleasure, it will have to do some work on translating incomprehensible words and analyzing complex constructions, since even the most fascinating detectives of Agatha Christie, written in a fairly simple and clear language, cause students with a level of Pre-Intermediate complexity.

Vocabulary at different levels is approximately:

• Beginner - 1000 words;
• Pre-Intermediate - 1200 words;
• Intermediate - 1500 words.

Of course, these figures are very arbitrary. Some courses offer such a Pre-Intermediate, after which you will know about 1800 words. In any case, in order to freely communicate or read as native speakers do, you need to know about 8 thousand words. If you know more, we are talking about special knowledge or erudition. 1500 words - this is enough for everyday everyday communication or confident, but not yet free reading.

Pre-Intermediate - the level at which you can:

1. Clearly and clearly pronounce familiar words.
2. It is grammatically correct to construct sentences in oral and written speech.
3. Tell about yourself, describe the situation or person, express an opinion.
4. Ask the interlocutor to explain the incomprehensible place.
5. Surely feel at home and on tourist trips.
6. To grasp the basic meaning of any text, including scientific articles.
7. Read the literary works written in simple language with the dictionary.
8. Distinguish all the sounds, it is good to hear in a fluent speech familiar words. It is good to understand a clear, not too fast speech.
9. Write a fairly meaningful letter to a friend using simple grammatical constructions.
10. Fill in the form, questionnaire, questionnaire.

Pre-Intermediate - the level at which you can not:

1. Freely read literary works, "about which you have long dreamed of."
2. Understand the nuances of the style of this or that author.
3. Talk with friends on complex philosophical topics.
4. To understand people who have any features of pronunciation, for example, with a fluent, distorted accent speech.
5. Maintain a simple conversation on a topic that you "did not pass," for example, to discuss with your carmobile neighbor his new car, if you typed your vocabulary on tourist texts.
6. Confidently make a scientific report, make a presentation and answer questions from the audience.

Of course, as mentioned above, all these skills depend on the course, purpose and direction of the training. For example, people with a general level of Pre-Intermediate can successfully communicate on work topics, for example, in the IT field. Of course, this is possible with the study of specific vocabulary. And although everything else, like watching popular movies, will cause difficulties, in certain situations a person with a level of English Pre-Intermediate will feel confident.