In reality, a very small number of people have to deal with the need for intensive communication in English. For professional development, reading and listening skills are quite enough. These skills are mastered independently, without a tutor, success will depend only on the time spent and the efforts made. But what should be the minimum level necessary for professional growth ? The answer is Upper-Intermediate. This is the so-called intermediate advanced. Not enough for Advanced, but far above a simple average.
To study, study and study ... all my life
As you know, linguistic schools are interested in having people learn the language endlessly, from time to time still showing results that can be used in advertising.
If a person does not rotate in an English-speaking environment, even just to maintain a level he needs constant interaction with native speakers and samples of the language. Therefore, while you are in a non-English-speaking country, it is nevertheless advisable to engage in foreign activities - in the volume you need. There is even such a thing as Lifestyle English - a person simply considers topics interesting to him with a teacher and thus maintains the level, although he does not grow particularly.
Approximately the same knowledge
The introduction of international norms was caused by the need to compare the quality of knowledge and skills in different languages and unify the classification of their degree of knowledge. The problem was that some schools could have dozens of levels just to pump money from their students, and the training itself turned into a form of leisure time.
Of course, it was not only the arbitrariness of the schools, but also the need for people to understand that if two were diagnosed with Upper-Intermediate, this means that the two have approximately the same knowledge.
Enough for the profession
Since it is precisely this level that most employers consider sufficient when hiring a non-linguist, we will describe it in detail. Upper-intermediate in listening and speaking skills is an opportunity to discuss your personal and professional experience, as well as news that a person heard or read in a newspaper.
In general, in the sense of one’s own speech, this level (its international name is B2) is still limited to familiar topics. Such a person still does not have enough vocabulary to work with unfamiliar material.
Can everyone read?
Another important skill that is considered the easiest is reading. However, the ability to understand correctly is also the result of regular replenishment of a passive vocabulary. How well do B2 texts understand English? Upper-Intermediate is the ability to understand what is carefully explained (for example, advertising), as well as the ability to decipher the most used abbreviations, to understand the culinary terms in the restaurant menu, etc. That is, this is an understanding of words from commonly used areas, as well as texts intended for non-carriers.
Academic needs
Foreign universities accept students with a B2 level in some specialties that do not have high requirements for language proficiency (usually technical).
This is because, at this level, people are already able to keep a fairly detailed synopsis, and can also write official letters using their skills in unusual situations. Figuratively speaking, such a student "will not be lost" due to a lack of language skills. Is there a special test to accurately determine the level? Yes, test Upper-Intermediate. This is nothing short of known to many FCEs. Also at this level they get 87-109 points in the TOEFL exam or 5-6 in the IELTS exam. Upper-Intermediate is a pretty high bar and an elusive goal.
Which test to choose?
If you want to go to a foreign university that takes different tests, it is preferable to take TOEFL. It is the most standardized, and with a good development of the skills of actually working with this test, you can pass it even better than the real level allows.
With IELTS, the problem is that open tasks involve certain correct answers. If you answered correctly, but did not formulate the idea as compilers require, the answer will not be counted. We give an example.
Wall of stone and misunderstanding
There is such a thing in English as stone wall construction. This means that a noun is used next to another noun in the role of an adjective (in fact, the name of the structure is an example). This technique saves words. On IELTS, the wall made of stone answer will be considered correct. And the design will be considered incorrect, although from the point of view of grammar it is quite acceptable. Therefore, in the TOEFL exam - with ready-made answers - there is less risk. But Canadian and British universities often only require IELTS (or one of the Cambridge exams). If you have a choice, settle for TOEFL.
Only after school
Is Upper-Intermediate common? This is a difficult question. Excellent students speak the language at this level after graduating from a secondary school (if it is of high quality), but as contact with a native speaker decreases, they degrade if they do not engage in linguistics purposefully. Most of those who think they know English speak Intermediate, or B1.
How to distinguish the level of Upper-Intermediate from Advanced? There is a comic way - actually advanced (C1) have more doubts in the sense of choosing grammatical constructions. In reality, almost everyone knows only proficient, or who know the language at the C2 level, but it is very simple to distinguish them from B2. Most of the problems knowing the language in intermediate advanced are related to productive skills - speaking and writing. To develop the first skill at this level, you can already look for a carrier friend. For the second - to find a suitable copybook for your course - the Upper-Intermediate workbook (this is a scrapbook of tasks that are used not for speech skills, but for working with vocabulary and grammar). The English File course is very good - from the point of view of the methodology it is the most modern and convenient.