English Upper-Intermediate (B1 → B2)

Locations: Virtual Classroom, Utrecht

Level: Upper-Intermediate (B1/B2)

Ready to go to the next level with your English? Are you already able to use English for practical daily life activities but now want to go beyond this into expressing more developed or abstract ideas in speaking and writing? Are you looking to expand or refresh your vocabulary and grammar knowledge in a fast-paced course? In this course you will work towards level B2.

520,-

Starting from 6 January 2025

+ 6 more dates

General
Learning goals
Method
Time investment
Practical
Schedule

About the course

This course is for students who are at level B1. This means that you can already talk with people in English about yourself and your opinions and ideas, and you probably sometimes read English news and watch TV in English (with subtitles), but you don’t always know exactly how to say what you want to say. Maybe in your writing you know you make some grammar mistakes, but you’re not quite sure how to fix them.

In this course, our teachers will help you to take your English to B2 level. They will work on fluency and accuracy in both writing and speaking, adding to your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. You will look at how to give more detailed, abstract and nuanced information. You will have lots of chances to speak and receive feedback on your spoken production.

You can start with this course if you have completed our English Intermediate course or if you have attained B1 level via another route. Would you like to know your current language level? Try our free language level test!

Learning goals

This course will take you towards level B2.

By the end of this course:

you will feel considerably more confident using English and will know many more words and phrases that help you to express yourself in speaking and writing. You will be able to present and discuss abstract ideas and information more easily. You will have practising speaking on a range of topics.
you will probably understand a lot more of the English you read and hear around you too. Maybe you’ll risk turning the subtitles off in an English language film every now and then!
have the language you need to succeed in the Cambridge English First Exam (B2), if your goal is to get a certificate proving you are at level B2. You may need this for immigration purposes in some countries.

Method

All Babel’s courses are taught by highly-qualified, professional teachers and are interactive, fun, and focused on students’ needs. This means we:

are flexible to what a group needs.
ask for your feedback on how the lessons are going, and respond to what you tell us.
use high-quality materials.
do a lot of speaking activities, in small groups and as a whole group.
teach grammar and vocabulary in a way that connects them to real life use.
encourage students to learn outside the classroom too.

Time investment

This course consists of 18 classes of 1hr45 minutes. Alongside this, you will need to do some homework and preparation for your lessons. You should expect to spend at least 3 hours a week on this.
However, the more time you give to learning, the more you will benefit. There are lots of exercises to practise at home available to you. There are also many websites where you can read more English texts, and many ways to listen to more English. Your teacher will show you some of these, and you can decide for yourself how much you want to do. We recommend jumping in!

Practical

The language of instruction is English.
You will be working with a book. You can order this book on our special book page. Please ensure you have your book ready for the first session.
If you are learning online, you can order the e-book version of the student book. You can do this here.
You will receive a certificate of participation if you follow at least 80% of the classes.
If you work or study at Utrecht University you will receive a 15% discount. Please register with your UU email address. Your registration will then be processed automatically.

Schedule

Please note: There are two course options; intensive (2x/week lessons) and regular (1x/week lessons).

Starting date: 6 January 2025 (Virtual Classroom)

Day	Date	Start	End
Monday	6 January 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	13 January 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	20 January 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	27 January 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	3 February 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	10 February 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	17 February 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	24 February 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	3 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	17 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	24 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	31 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	7 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	14 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	28 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	12 May 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	19 May 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	26 May 2025	18:00	19:45

Starting date: 3 February 2025 (Utrecht)

Day	Date	Start	End
Monday	3 February 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	10 February 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	17 February 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	24 February 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	3 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	10 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	17 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	24 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	31 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	14 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	16 June 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	28 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	23 June 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	12 May 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	19 May 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	26 May 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	2 June 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	7 April 2025	18:00	19:45

Starting date: 4 February 2025 (Virtual Classroom)

Day	Date	Start	End
Tuesday	4 February 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	11 February 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	18 February 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	25 February 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	4 March 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	11 March 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	18 March 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	25 March 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	15 April 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	22 April 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	29 April 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	6 May 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	13 May 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	20 May 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	27 May 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	3 June 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	10 June 2025	19:00	20:45
Tuesday	17 June 2025	19:00	20:45

Starting date: 11 March 2025 (Virtual Classroom)

Day	Date	Start	End
Tuesday	11 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Thursday	13 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Tuesday	18 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Thursday	20 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Tuesday	25 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Thursday	27 March 2025	18:00	19:45
Tuesday	1 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Thursday	3 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Tuesday	8 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Thursday	10 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Tuesday	15 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Thursday	17 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Tuesday	22 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Thursday	24 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Tuesday	29 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Thursday	1 May 2025	18:00	19:45
Tuesday	6 May 2025	18:00	19:45
Thursday	8 May 2025	18:00	19:45

Starting date: 14 April 2025 (Utrecht)

Day	Date	Start	End
Monday	14 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	28 April 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	12 May 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	19 May 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	26 May 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	2 June 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	16 June 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	23 June 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	30 June 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	7 July 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	14 July 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	21 July 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	28 July 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	4 August 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	11 August 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	18 August 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	25 August 2025	18:00	19:45
Monday	1 September 2025	18:00	19:45

Starting date: 15 April 2025 (Virtual Classroom)

Day	Date	Start	End
Tuesday	15 April 2025	20:00	21:45
Thursday	17 April 2025	20:00	21:45
Tuesday	22 April 2025	20:00	21:45
Thursday	24 April 2025	20:00	21:45
Tuesday	29 April 2025	20:00	21:45
Thursday	1 May 2025	20:00	21:45
Tuesday	6 May 2025	20:00	21:45
Thursday	8 May 2025	20:00	21:45
Tuesday	13 May 2025	20:00	21:45
Thursday	15 May 2025	20:00	21:45
Tuesday	20 May 2025	20:00	21:45
Thursday	22 May 2025	20:00	21:45
Tuesday	27 May 2025	20:00	21:45
Tuesday	3 June 2025	20:00	21:45
Thursday	5 June 2025	20:00	21:45
Tuesday	10 June 2025	20:00	21:45
Thursday	12 June 2025	20:00	21:45
Tuesday	17 June 2025	20:00	21:45

Starting date: 21 May 2025 (Virtual Classroom)

Day	Date	Start	End
Wednesday	21 May 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	28 May 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	4 June 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	11 June 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	18 June 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	25 June 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	2 July 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	9 July 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	16 July 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	30 July 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	6 August 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	13 August 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	20 August 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	27 August 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	3 September 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	10 September 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	17 September 2025	19:00	20:45
Wednesday	24 September 2025	19:00	20:45