Practice Bank · B1–C2

English Exercises

Mixed grammar, vocabulary, reading, transformation, writing and speaking practice. Work at your level, then move upward when you can explain why each answer is correct.

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Detailed practice banks

B1–B2 Practice Bank

Grammar, transformations, reading, writing and speaking practice with answer explanations.

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C1–C2 Practice Bank

Advanced grammar, lexical precision, inference, synthesis, critical writing and speaking.

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B1 grammar & vocabulary quiz

1. I ___ here since 2024.

2. If it rains tomorrow, we ___ at home.

3. She’s interested ___ learning Japanese.

4. We were tired, ___ we finished the project.

B2 Use of English

1. I wish I ___ more time to prepare yesterday.

2. The report is believed ___ by a team of external consultants.

3. We need to ___ a decision before Friday.

4. The new system is much easier to use than the old ___.

C1 transformation & precision

1. Inversion: We only realised the scale of the problem after the audit. → Only after the audit ______ the scale of the problem.
Answer

did we realise

2. Modal deduction: I’m sure they didn’t receive the message. → They ______ the message.
Answer

can’t have received

3. Register: Rewrite formally: “Lots of people think the plan won’t work.”
Possible answer

There is considerable scepticism about the feasibility of the plan.

4. Collocation: Choose: The findings ___ serious questions about the reliability of the method. (raise / rise / lift)
Answer

raise

C2 nuance & style

1. Difference in meaning: Explain the difference between “He didn’t exactly apologise” and “He didn’t apologise.”
Answer

The first is pragmatic and often ironic: he may have said something resembling an apology but insufficiently direct or sincere. The second simply negates the act.

2. Edit for concision: “The reason why the project failed was because the team did not have sufficient enough time in order to complete it.”
Answer

The project failed because the team did not have enough time to complete it.

3. Hedging: Rewrite “Remote work reduces creativity” as a cautious research-style claim.
Possible answer

Remote work may reduce some forms of spontaneous collaborative creativity under certain conditions.

Reading mini-lab

Text: “Efficiency is often treated as an unquestioned virtue. Yet systems optimised for speed can become fragile when conditions change, because the redundancy that once looked wasteful may have been providing resilience.”

Questions: 1) What assumption is challenged? 2) What does “redundancy” mean here? 3) What contrast structures the argument?
Answers

1) That efficiency is always desirable. 2) Spare capacity/duplication that may seem unnecessary. 3) Speed/efficiency versus resilience/adaptability.

Writing bank

B1

Write 140 words: Is it better to learn online or in a classroom? Give two reasons and an example.

B2

Write 190 words: Should employers allow staff to choose where they work? Discuss productivity and wellbeing.

C1

Write 240 words: Evaluate two ways cities can reduce traffic without reducing economic activity.

C2

Write 280 words: “More information does not necessarily produce better decisions.” Discuss critically.

Speaking bank

B1: Describe a skill you would like to learn and explain why.
B2: Compare studying alone and studying with others. Which is more effective for different types of task?
C1: To what extent should employers be responsible for employees’ wellbeing?
C2: Is expertise becoming more or less valuable in societies where information is instantly available?

Error correction

Correct the errors:
1) Despite of the delay, we finished on time.
2) I look forward to hear from you.
3) He suggested me to apply earlier.
4) The information are useful.
5) Hardly I had arrived when the phone rang.
Answers

1) Despite the delay… / In spite of the delay… 2) look forward to hearing 3) suggested that I apply / suggested applying 4) information is 5) Hardly had I arrived…