About the Course
Pre-Intermediate English corresponds to the A2 level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). At this stage, you are no longer a complete beginner; you can communicate in simple, everyday situations and understand basic information.
What You Can Do at the A2 Level
• Communication: Deal with simple, routine tasks requiring a direct exchange of information on familiar topics (e.g., shopping, work, family, and hobbies).
• Understanding: Comprehend frequently used expressions and sentences related to immediate personal relevance.
• Expression: Describe your background, immediate environment, past actions, and immediate needs in simple terms.
Core Skills Breakdown | ||
Skill | Pre-Intermediate (A2) Expectations | Common Practice Topics |
Grammar | Mastering simple tenses, basic modal verbs, comparatives, superlatives, and starting continuous forms. | Present Simple vs. Continuous, Past Simple, Will vs. Going to, Adverbs of frequency. |
Vocabulary | Knowing between 1,000 to 2,000 words. Moving from basic objects to environments and feelings. | Words like journey, apartment, health, comfortable, dynamic, popular. |
Reading | Finding specific, predictable details in everyday materials. | Direct social media messages, travel advertisements, menus, job invitations. |
Speaking | Keeping short conversations going, though you may struggle to explain abstract ideas. | Apologising, giving simple instructions, talking about your job or hobbies. |
How to Advance to Intermediate (B1)
To bridge the gap between Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate (B1) English, focus your studies on three specific areas:
1. Upgrade Your Grammar: Shift away from only using simple tenses. Start building sentences using the Present Perfect, Passive Voice, and first/second conditionals.
2. Engage with Story-Based Media: Try reading Short Stories for A2–B1 Learners or listening to slow-spoken English podcasts. Focus on grasping the overall meaning rather than translating every word.
3. Learn Phrasal Verbs & Collocations: Instead of just memorizing single words, learn functional phrases (e.g., look after, look forward to, make an appointment) to make your speaking sound more natural.
Your Instructor
Gregg Greening
Hello and nice to meet you. My name is Gregg, I'm from Paradise California, and a former President and Managing Director of Vocational Training and English Conversation schools in both Japan and China with over 25 years experience in the fields of Conversational English, Business English, TOEIC and IELTS preparation instruction and more to corporate clients, university undergraduates and students of all ages and abilities. I have established and developed 3 schools in both Japan and China since 1982 and have recently completed a 3 year term teaching technical English courses at Fuzhou University, Fujian, China, covering English Linguistics, Oral English Presentations, Academic Writing and Technical Engineering English Vocabulary.