| A - Basic Proficiency | B - Self-ownership | C - Fluency | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 | C2 |
| Survival level | Pre-threshold level | Threshold level | Threshold advanced level | Proficiency level | Native level proficiency |
| , Elementary | |||||
Do you want to know if your knowledge corresponds to the Elementary level? Take ours and get recommendations that will help you improve your English language skills.
The Elementary level of English is the foundation on which your knowledge of the English language will rest
In the European system of levels of proficiency in foreign languages, level A1 Elementary has the same letter designation as Beginner. However, it is the Elementary level of English that is considered the survival level. That is, the knowledge acquired at this level is enough to communicate in English at an everyday level. For example, if you are abroad, you can check directions with local residents, make purchases, book a hotel room, etc.
As a rule, students come to the Elementary level with a small amount of knowledge acquired in the Beginner course, at school or another educational institution. If you have previously studied English, it means that you already have at least some basic knowledge, even if it seems to you that you studied a long time ago and don’t remember anything. In fact, you have already “met” the English language, you know the letters and sounds, you can read, you can introduce yourself and say simple phrases about yourself, your friends, family, home. This is enough to start studying at the Elementary level.
We recommend starting to study English at the Elementary level if you:
- have studied English a little or briefly before and have acquired basic knowledge;
- speak almost no English, although you know basic grammar and about 300-500 words;
- you have a vague idea of English grammar and would like to understand all tenses and constructions;
- you have basic knowledge, but do not understand English by ear at all;
- have completed the Beginner level of training in English courses or with a personal teacher.
Material that a person should know at the Elementary level
If you think your English skills are slightly better than the categories described above, you may already be at the Elementary level. To verify this, check out the table below. It is considered that you know English at the Elementary level and can move to the level if you have the following knowledge:
| Skill | Your knowledge |
|---|---|
| Grammar (Grammar) | You understand how the verb to be is used (I am a student, It is cold). You know three simple tenses (Present, Future and Past Simple), the present continuous tense (Present Continuous), and have an idea of the present perfect tense (Present Perfect). Do you understand the difference between sentences in the future tense: I'm going to bake a cake (construction to be going to), I'll bake a cake (Future Simple), I'm baking a cake (Present Continuous to indicate future action) . You know the three forms of irregular verbs (drive-drove-driven). You can ask questions to your interlocutor (Word order in questions). Do you understand the difference between a cat and the cat (indefinite and definite articles). Aren't you surprised that you can say a cookie, but not a toast (countable and uncountable nouns). You understand what lady’s dress, James’ house (Possessive Case) means. You know the degrees of comparison of adjectives (big-bigger-the biggest). Do you understand the difference between that cup, this cup, these cups, those cups (Demonstrative pronouns). You know object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) and the rules for their use. You know some adverbs of frequency (often, usually, always, sometimes) and manner of action (well, quickly, hard). You know what There is no snow on the ground (There is/are/was/were) means. You know what the sentences I can read, I can’t swim, You should work (Modal verbs can/can’t/should) mean. You understand what I like reading, I hate shopping means (Construction like/love/hate + -ing). |
| Lexicon (Vocabulary) | Your vocabulary ranges from 1000 to 1500 words and phrases. You know commonly used words and phrases in English. |
| Speaking (Speaking) | You can introduce yourself, your family and your home in a few simple sentences. You know how to talk about your preferences and hobbies. You easily describe your workday and weekend rest. You can shop in a store abroad or communicate with staff at a hotel using vocabulary that is familiar to you. You can talk about simple everyday topics. You can answer simple questions on topics that are familiar to you. |
| Reading (Reading) | You understand adapted literature at your level. You can understand signs and announcements in public places or on the street. You can understand the essence of general news. |
| Listening (Listening) | You understand audio recordings adapted for your level. You understand what native speakers are saying to you if they speak slowly and use vocabulary that is familiar to you. |
| Letter (Writing) | You can write a simple personal letter to a friend. You can write a short text about yourself, your hobby, family, home. You can fill out simple personal information. |
If you are still not sure about the choice of level of study, we recommend testing your knowledge using ours.
The Elementary level program includes the study of such topics in the curriculum
| Grammar topics | Conversational topics |
|---|---|
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How your speaking skills will develop in the Elementary course
In the Elementary course, as at other levels, you will work on four basic skills: By speaking, Listening, By reading, By letter. You will become familiar with simple grammatical structures of the English language, expand your vocabulary with the most necessary words and phrases, and develop correct pronunciation and intonation.
Your main task at any level is to learn speak(Speaking). At the Elementary level, you will already be able to take part in small dialogues, ask questions within the framework of the topics you have studied and understand the answers to them, especially if the interlocutor does not use words that are unfamiliar to you. You will be able to tell a monologue of 5-10 sentences about yourself, your family, and hobbies.
At A1 Elementary level you will learn understand by ear (Listening) individual familiar words and simple phrases that sound rather slowly and clearly. Simple texts and dialogues are used as listening material, which will be fully understandable to you after the second listen.
Concerning reading(Reading), new texts in English will be present in almost every lesson. Each of these texts is a source of new words and expressions that you will learn at this level. In the Elementary course, you study basic vocabulary: you learn the words and phrases that are most necessary in everyday life. Also at this stage you will memorize the reading rules. You will learn to correctly read “automatically” all the letter combinations you encounter, without consulting a dictionary. Moreover, you will do this while reading an interesting text.
Concerning letters(Writing), then the training will begin with the simplest actions. You will learn to sign postcards, fill out small forms where you need to indicate your first and last name, nationality, and so on. By the end of the level, you will be able to write short essays and personal letters.
At the English Elementary level lexicon (Vocabulary) will expand to 1000-1500 words. Level A1 is full of the most useful words and phrases that are often used in all typical communication situations (shop, airport, on the street, etc.). Most words at this level are universal and can be used in written and oral speech, regardless of style. However, the volume of material to study will be quite large, because even for simple dialogues we will need to know a lot of words. But don’t be afraid that you will be forced to learn lists of words by heart. is aimed at mastering the language in the process of communication, so you will memorize new words through dialogues on the topic being studied.
Duration of study at the Elementary level
The duration of studying English at the Elementary level depends on the individual characteristics of the student and his initial knowledge. The average duration of training for the Elementary course is 6-9 months. Although this is one of the first levels of language proficiency, it covers a wealth of material that will enable you to express yourself in the most common everyday communication situations. At this stage of training you gain basic knowledge, which is why it is important to lay a strong foundation that will allow you to subsequently achieve high levels of English proficiency.
And for those who want to not only test their knowledge of the English language, but also improve it, we invite you to sign up for a course at our school. The teacher will determine your level, weaknesses and strengths and help you improve your knowledge.
Learning English can be simple and enjoyable if you learn it with an English First school. We are a world-famous educational institution that can provide you with the necessary knowledge as quickly and efficiently as possible.
In order to take an English language course, it is necessary, first of all, to determine what level you speak, since the entire base of classes is built on several stages. Before you start learning the language, you will be asked to take an assessment test.
There is a first beginner course for those who are not familiar with the basic concepts. The second stage is the elementary level, which we will now talk about in more detail.
What is the Elementary level and what is its target audience?
This level is intended for those who already have basic knowledge of the English language, but want to improve it. It is worth noting that the lessons learned will be enough to consolidate previously learned material and gain new, more extensive material.
Description of the Elementary level
The specialization of this course is considered a continuation of the basic one and includes:
- Grammar. Here tenses will be studied, namely: the ordinary present, the present continuous, the ordinary past, the perfect present, the ordinary future, the future with the present continuous. Students will also master prepositions of place and time, extended verbal constructions, forms of adjectives, modular verbs and many other nuances.
- Vocabulary. To this section elementary level in English includes the following: development and elaboration of dialogues and monologues about the passage of the day - both work and weekend - as well as communication knowledge, the ability to support generally accepted topics about the weather, tourism, hobbies, etc.
- Phonetics. Staging and monitoring correct pronunciation, listening to audio courses for more correct assimilation of the material. All dialogues and monologues of students are carefully checked. If errors are detected, changes and edits are made to the work, since the main goal of the course is to establish correct pronunciation with intonation and articulation.
All stages are necessarily included in the elementary level. There are several types of tenses and irregular verbs in English. You will also learn them in this course.
What will you receive after completing the course?
The elementary level involves acquiring the following knowledge: active use of all parts of speech, the ability to correctly construct sentences and understand what the interlocutor said. The vocabulary is replenished by 1500 words and expressions. You will be able to perceive speech “by ear”, gain the ability to understand the intonations of your interlocutor, jokes, irony, sarcasm, etc. The most important thing is that the student will be able to read fluently, and regular improvement of this skill is an excellent means of gaining in-depth knowledge.
Why you need to contact our school
- We are professionals who regularly improve our knowledge and skills. All our teachers have extensive experience in teaching English.
- We love our work and it is in our interests to make learning enjoyable and accessible to everyone, as grateful clients tell their friends and acquaintances about their successes and enroll our school with more and more new students.
- Mini-groups allow you to conduct classes in the most accessible and comprehensive manner, paying enough attention to each student.
- Lessons are held at different times in order to make visiting the school convenient for all age categories and people of any profession.
In order to sign up for a trial lesson, you need to call the number listed on the website.
Aegeus is about to marry his cousin Berenice. He is flattered by the thought that his wife will be a beautiful, cheerful girl, radiating the light of the soul and vital energy. He is in love with her features, he is attracted by her shiny luxurious curls, slim figure and radiant smile. But such a girl does not remain for long. A terrible disease takes over her body, her beauty fades, her hair loses its shine, her eyes dim, she periodically falls into a lethargic sleep, and is seized by attacks.
Brothers Edward and Julian returned from the African wasteland to their native lands. The first one is less happy to lead his usual lifestyle due to his creepy appearance. This is how the curse placed on him affected him. A man does not want to hide from people for the rest of his life. He only looks like a monster in appearance, but in his soul the hero remains a man. Edward, hiding in the castle, summons Trench, who is a lawyer, to his chambers and orders him to bring an intelligent doctor. He is deceiving
A noble lady turns to the police with a request to return the stolen letter to her and punish the criminal. She casts a shadow of guilt on a certain Minister D, who was present in her house on the day of the theft. The attacker resorts to blackmail, which worries the victim even more. The prefect, on his personal instructions, sends a detachment of police officers to the minister's house. They search intensively for the document, using all the most famous search methods. There is no result. Distressed prefect turns to private investigator
Otto Lidenbrock is no longer young, but extremely inquisitive and impatient. He comes across a document according to which there is confirmed data about the possibility of reaching the very center of the earth. He and his nephew Axel hire a guide and go to the Icelandic volcano, which should lead travelers into the bowels of the planet. The boy is terribly afraid to go deep, putting forward a lot of assumptions about the incredible consequences. But uncle is relentless. Long
Edmond Dantes is tasked with delivering a letter to Paris. Here he is already waiting for the position of captain of the ship, and he will also be engaged to his beloved Mercedes. But envious people report the hero to the prosecutor. The letter is evidence in the coup case. Dantes is arrested on his wedding day and sent to prison. Desperate, he decides to starve himself. One day, hearing a knock behind the wall, he begins to dig in the direction of the next cell and gets to another prisoner. It turns out they are
Spain. A convict whiles away his time in prison. Painful torture does not produce results, the criminal is sentenced to death. But not a simple easy death, but a longer and more painful one. Like a rat, the prisoner is thrown into a cell, in the darkness of which neither the walls nor nearby objects are visible. The inquisitors have come up with a trap, the only way out of which is death. The narrator moves along the wall in pitch darkness, trying to measure the space in which he
The narrator tells the reader about the events that happen to him in a drunken stupor. His beloved black cat becomes the victim of an angry man who has no control over his behavior. The animal loses an eyeball, and then ends up hanged in the garden near the house. That same night the house is engulfed in fire. The building collapses, leaving only one wall motionless. It clearly shows the image of a hanged cat. The man explains his cruel behavior to his wife due to the effects of alcohol, to him
Roderick Usher lives in an old mansion on the lake. His sister Madilaine is also in the house. Both suffer from a disease unknown to medicine. Of the obvious symptoms, chronic fear, fear of light, heightened hearing and vision are particularly prominent, which makes it difficult to contemplate the bright light emanating from outside the building. Brother and sister live separately, whiling away their days and nights within the walls of a gray and dull home. In order to brighten up the melancholy and loneliness, the owner of the estate invites his old friend,
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Philip Reeder is a lonely hunchback artist. He moves into an abandoned lighthouse to paint landscapes and care for migratory birds. A 12-year-old girl, Frita, comes to him from the village. She asks for help caring for an injured goose. During a storm, the bird lost its route and ended up in these parts, and not in its native Canada, where its species lives. Frita spends the entire winter helping the 30-year-old man care for Princess, as they named the goose, until she finally recovers.
A young girl is invited to work as a nanny for a wealthy aristocratic family. Her main responsibility is caring for two orphans, a girl, Flora, and a boy, Miles. After the death of their parents, they were transferred to the care of their uncle, who, for a decent fee and all the conveniences of staying in a luxurious estate, entrusted responsibilities to the newly-made nanny and numerous servants. He himself completely avoided raising children, and ordered him not to be disturbed on any issues. Miles
Orphan John meets two villagers after Sunday service. They claim to be inspecting houses after an overnight flood. But the guy suspects that the men are looking for the ghost of Blackbeard and a precious diamond. He had previously heard sounds coming from the crypt where members of the Mohun family were buried. Water washed out the funnel at the burial site. The guy descends through the resulting passage and ends up in a tomb that serves as a hideout for smugglers. He finds an old medallion in which he is hidden
Despite the fact that English elementary in the generally accepted level system has the same marking as Beginner, that is, A1, this stage is both more demanding and more developmental. You start training with basic knowledge, but without a general understanding of speech construction, and you complete the stage with skills that are quite sufficient for communication at a simple everyday level, with the so-called stock of knowledge “for survival”. What allows you to achieve such results?
Who is English Elementary suitable for?
Before moving on to a description of the features of this level, it is necessary to determine who exactly it is suitable for. If you can try on at least one of the following points, then the elementary level is what you need:
- you have not actively studied the language before, thanks to which you have gained general knowledge, but do not know how to use it;
- you have a vocabulary of 400-500 words, but do not understand foreign speech by ear;
- you can read simple text passages, but are unable to perceive the general context;
- know basic English grammar, but do not speak a foreign language;
- have overcome the English Beginner stage.
What results will you achieve at this stage?
The elementary level involves improving the five main foreign language skills: reading, listening, speaking, writing, and grammar. And also, of course, working on vocabulary.
Reading. If at the initial stage adapted works were a kind of ceiling for the student, now you can take on more complex literature. Choose books marked A1, but not just simplified versions. Which works should you prefer? Find out from the article "". At this stage, it is important to learn the basic rules of reading, so that later, when working with new text, you can automatically reproduce words.
Speaking. The most important task at the elementary level is to learn how to compose simple dialogues, ask questions to your interlocutor, and also answer the questions yourself. Practice monologues: make up stories of up to 10 sentences about yourself, home, family, friends.
Letter. The goal at this stage is to learn how to write short essays on everyday topics and letters. Start with the simplest thing - work on individual sentences, and then put them together. It is also important to learn how to fill out various forms indicating personal data: first name, last name, address, education, nationality.
Grammar. You will master the following grammatical topics: types of nouns, modal verbs, articles, active/passive voices, degrees of comparison of adjectives, basic information about the Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous present/past/ future tense.
When starting to master a language at the English elementary level, be prepared to work hard to successfully complete the program. But the result of your work will please you - you will learn to communicate in a foreign language on everyday topics and lay a strong foundation for subsequent stages of learning.
We continue our conversation about levels of learning English. Last time we discussed the initial stage of mastering the English language, the beginner level. Today I would like to talk about the next stage of training - this is the level elementary. In the European system of degrees of proficiency in a foreign language, the elementary level is designated in the same way as the beginner level, that is A1. However, these levels have significant differences. What material does the elementary level require?
The initial stage is the basics, a program for those who do not know English at all. The elementary level is a completely different matter. This level is the foundation on which your knowledge of the English language will rest. The knowledge acquired at this level is sufficient to communicate on everyday topics.
Knowing the language at a basic “level” will help you ask for directions, rent a hotel room, make purchases, walk around the city, navigate the area and the situation. That is why this stage is called the survival level.
How to recognize the elementary level?
Elementary level is suitable for those who have already acquired some knowledge of the English language, that is, they have mastered the previous level, the beginner level at school, or in additional courses. You already know how to read and write, are able to translate texts with a dictionary, compose simple sentences and phrases, can briefly talk about yourself, family, work, etc., then feel free to move on to the elementary level.
How to recognize that you are already able or ready to move to this level of learning English? Very simple! If you:
- Have studied English before and gained at least basic knowledge;
- You practically don’t speak English, but you have some idea of its grammar, know the most common grammatical rules and have a small vocabulary;
- Your knowledge of English grammar is not that strong, but you want to understand all constructions and tenses;
- You have basic knowledge of the English language, but you do not understand English by ear;
- You have completed beginner level training at school, at home or in a language course.
If you answered yes to all of the above points, then you can safely move on to the elementary level.
What material does the elementary level require?
Let's figure out what material and what knowledge this stage of learning English offers us after completing it.
- So, having mastered this level of knowledge, you have a clear understanding of the verb to be, you understand how and when it is used
- In addition to the three simple tenses of verbs (present, past and future), you have the concept of continuous and perfect tenses
- Do you understand the difference between the definite and indefinite article and their use in speech?
- You have an understanding of irregular verbs and know the three forms of basic irregular verbs
- You understand the degrees of comparison of adjectives, the plural of nouns, the possessive case, and some types of pronouns
- As for your speech, you are able to communicate on various general topics, you can communicate abroad, namely: make purchases, rent a hotel room, etc. You can also talk about yourself, your family and ask your interlocutor about himself
- You understand what native speakers are saying to you if the words are pronounced clearly and the vocabulary is familiar to you
- You are able to read adapted texts at your level
- You can write a test essay about yourself.
All these points are offered to us by the elementary level. From this we can conclude that this level really helps to “survive” in various situations when communication requires English. 
Basic points of the elementary level
As for grammatical and conversational topics, their range here is much wider than at the elementary level. Grammar includes knowledge in such sections as: verb to be, basic tenses of verbs, including perfect and continuous, pronouns, adjectives, articles, prepositions, adverbs, modal verbs, construction There is / are, degrees of comparison of adjectives.
Conversational topics whose vocabulary is assumed at elementary level: a story about yourself and your family, preferences, hobbies, professions, daily routine, holidays, weather, food, home and its furnishings, city, shopping, description of a person, country.
What are the advantages of this level of training?
The most important thing this level works on is speech, speaking in English. After completing this stage of training, you will be able to speak fluently and will not be confused in a situation where communication in English is required. You can take part in the conversation and ask questions that interest you.
You perceive familiar words and expressions by ear, and your pronunciation at this level is correct and clear. Since the initial stage has already been completed, at this “level” you will learn something new in each lesson, and the pace of classes will be a little faster. As for writing, by the end of the level you will learn how to write letters and essays, comment on quotes and proverbs. Your vocabulary will expand to 1000, 1500 words.
The duration of study at elementary depends on the student’s abilities and lasts from 6 to 9 months. During this period, quite extensive material is studied, which provides a significant amount of knowledge in the English language. That is why it is important to lay a strong foundation, a reliable foundation, which will then allow you to improve your level, and therefore your knowledge!
Agree, this is no longer an entry level! We can conclude that with the elementary level you can safely join the feast, the world, and good people!