LRN B2 (Level 1 ESOL International): the format, part by part

LRN's B2 qualification goes by a confusing name: the Level 1 Certificate in ESOL International (CEF B2). LRN numbers its levels differently from the CEFR. Level 1 is B2, Level 2 is C1 and Level 3 is C2. If a school or website calls the B2 exam "Level 2", it has the numbering wrong.

The certificate is regulated by Ofqual in the UK and recognised by ASEP in Greece. In Greece it runs twice a year, in January and June.

The three components

| Component | Time | What's in it | |---|---|---| | Listening | about 30 min | 20 three-option questions in 3 sections, every recording heard twice | | Written paper | about 2 hours | A writing task based on a recording, Reading & Use of English, and a free writing task | | Speaking | 10–15 min | A face-to-face interview with an examiner |

Listening: short, then longer

Section 1 has nine short dialogues with one question each. Section 2 has three longer conversations with two questions each. Section 3 is a single longer recording with five questions. Every question has three options and you hear everything twice.

Use the first listening to answer and the second to check. The questions usually ask about attitude and purpose, such as why someone is calling or how they feel about a plan, so listen for tone as well as facts.

The written paper

Section 1 plays a short recording, and you write about 100–150 words in response to it. Take notes while you listen. The task depends on details you'll only hear once in the exam room.

Section 2 is Reading & Use of English, and every question is four-option multiple choice:

• Part 1: a gapped passage with 10 questions testing collocations, phrasal verbs and confusable words
• Part 2: a short text (about 300 words) with 5 questions
• Part 3: a longer text (about 400–500 words) with 10 questions
• Part 4: 10 separate grammar and vocabulary sentences

There is no word formation, no open cloze and no key-word transformation. Candidates moving from Cambridge preparation often find this the biggest relief.

Section 3 is a free writing task of about 150–200 words, chosen from a set of options.

How to use the weeks before January

1. Sit one full mock now. Do it timed, before you study anything else. It tells you which section is costing you marks.
2. Drill confusables weekly. Say/tell, lend/borrow and travel/trip/journey come up again and again in Part 1.
3. Write to the word count. At 150–200 words, a long introduction leaves no room for the content the task asks for.
4. Rehearse the interview out loud. The speaking test is short, so a weak start is hard to recover from.

You can sit a full LRN B2 mock on certifyboost, with listening, reading and writing timed like the real paper, and the first mock is free. Start your LRN B2 mock.