The Bell Syllabus

Note: each level beyond A1 is cumulative, and presupposes mastery of at least 70% of the requirements of the preceding level.

Level Language Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Bell Level 1
Beginner

A1

Learn how to use:
- the alphabet
- to be
- there is / there are
- have got
- the present simple tense for things that are always true
- the present continuous tense for things that are happening around now
- imperative verbs
- common past simple verbs
- basic question forms and short answers
- can for ability and possibility
- like and would like
- subject - verb - object word order
- possessive adjectives

Learn to:
- introduce somebody and use basic greeting and leave-taking expressions
- ask and answer simple questions on familiar topics and about personal details
- make and respond to simple statements
- make simple purchases
- talk about numbers, quantities, cost and time
- order something to eat or drink

 Understand:
- when someone speaks to you clearly and slowly with pauses and repetition
- simple directions from one place to another
- basic questions and instructions
- numbers, prices and times		 Understand:
- simple factual messages on postcards, notes or e-mail
- simple everyday signs
- when and where local events take place, using a leaflet or calendar
- questionnaires asking for personal details
- basic commands on a computer programme		 Learn to:
- fill in a questionnaire with your personal details
- write a simple postcard or greeting card
- write sentences and simple phrases about yourself and your family

Level Language Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Bell Level 2
Elementary

A2

In addition to Bell Level 1:

Learn how to use:
- possessive pronouns and ‘s’
- adverbs of frequency (sometimes, always)
- like +ing
- countable and uncountable nouns with some, any, much, many
- articles a, an, the, no article
- irregular past simple verbs
- the present perfect simple with ever
- will future
- going to for future plans
- Modal verbs: have to for obligation, should for advice, could / might / must / can’t for possibility
- too / (not) enough
- comparative and superlative adjectives
- this / that / these / those
- prepositions of time and place
- adverbs and adjectives
- What’s ____ like?

Learn to:
Learn to:
- describe yourself, your family and where you live
- describe your hobbies and interests in a simple way
- say what you like and dislike
- make simple transactions in shops, post offices or banks
- say what you want in a shop and ask the price
- use public transport, asking for basic information and buying tickets
- ask for and give directions referring to a map or plan
- make and respond to invitations
- make and accept apologies
- ask for attention
- show that you understand what’s being said to you
- give short basic descriptions of events

 Understand:
- clear everyday speech with speakers able to adjust their language to help you
- the main point in recorded announcements
- the topic of conversation when people are speaking clearly and slowly
- the main point in short, clear, simple messages and announcements
- essential information in short recorded passages based on everyday matters		 Understand:
- simple personal e-mails or letters about everyday life
- short written messages from friends and colleagues
- simple texts on everyday topics
- basic information about people in newspapers		 Learn to:
- write short simple notes and messages
- write a simple e-mail or letter including expressions for greeting, addressing, asking or thanking

Level Language Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Bell Level 3
Pre-intermediate

A2

In addition to Bell Level 2:

Learn how to use:
- the past continuous tense
- subject questions (e.g. Who gave it to you?)
- simple quantity expressions
- the past simple and continuous in a narrative
- the present continuous for future arrangements
- can / can’t for permission
- the present perfect simple and continuous with for and since
- the first and second conditional
- used to
- so / neither
- the passive to describe processes (The coffee is grown in..)
- reported speech with say and tell

Learn to:
- discuss with others where to go and what to do and make arrangements
- describe your educational background and your job
- describe past experiences where the order of events is straightforward

 Understand:
- clear everyday speech which includes repetition and reformulation
- the main point of most general conversations
- the main points of TV news		 Understand:
- instructions for equipment
- the main points of short newspaper articles
- the most important information about leisure activities from leaflets and brochures
- information from advertisements by skimming the text		 Learn to:
- write about your everyday life in simple sentences
- describe an event in simple sentences and report what happened when and where
- write a note to tell somebody where you are or where to meet
- connect simple sentences with and, but or because
- indicate chronological order of events with first, then, after etc
- complete a questionnaire giving information about your educational background, job, interests and skills

Level Language Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Bell Level 4
Intermediate

B1

In addition to Bell Level 3:

Learn how to use:
- the past perfect simple and continuous
- the past continuous for unfulfilled promises (I was going to.. but..)
- the present simple with future reference
- the passive voice in different tenses
- reported speech - statements, commands and questions, say vs. tell
- tag questions
- the third conditional
- if only / I wish + past perfect
- if and unless
- verbs which can be transitive or intransitive
- verb + (to) infinitive or –ing
- defining relative clauses
- could and be able to
- Modal and semi-modal verbs: could /might / will, needn’t have and didn’t need to, had better
- used to and would
- -ed and –ing adjectives (amazed / amazing)
- make and let
- be used to and get used to
- would rather / prefer
- look and look like, feel like

Learn to:
- start, maintain and close simple face to face conversation on familiar topics
- deal with most situations when making travel arrangements or travelling
- ask for and follow detailed directions
- express and respond to feelings such as surprise, happiness, sadness, interest or indifference
- give or seek personal opinions
- agree or disagree with someone politely
- narrate a story
- give detailed accounts of experiences, describing feelings and reactions
- describe dreams, hopes and ambitions
- relate the plot of a book or film and describe your reactions
- paraphrase short written passages orally

 Understand:
- clearly articulated speech when directed at you, though you may have to ask for repetition
- follow the main points of extended discussion, if clearly articulated in standard dialect
- short narratives, and be able to guess what comes next
- clearly expressed radio news bulletins on topics of personal interest
- the main points of TV programmes on familiar topics
- simple technical information such as instructions		 Understand:
- the main points in short newspaper articles
- the overall meaning of columns or interviews in the press
- the meaning of unknown words and phrases from the context
- how to use different reading techniques such as skimming and scanning to get relevant information
- the most important information in short everyday information brochures
- the plot of a clearly structured story and recognise the significance of events		 Learn to:
- write simple texts on a range of topics within your field of interest or experience
- express personal views and opinions in writing
- write personal letters asking for or giving news and narrating events
- describe the plot of a film or book or describe a concert
- express feelings in writing such as grief, happiness, interest, regret or sympathy
- reply in written form to advertisements and ask for specific information on products and services
- convey, for example by email, short, simple information to friends or colleagues
- write your CV in summary form

Level Language Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Bell Level 5
Upper Intermediate

B2

In addition to Bell Level 4:

Learn how to use:
- simple and continuous verb forms, in different tenses, appropriately
- perfect simple and continuous forms, in different tenses, appropriately
- the passive in report structures (it is believed that..)
- the present simple and present perfect with time clauses (when you read it / when you have read it)
- have / get something done
- indirect questions (I’d like to know where she was)
- statements as questions
- the full range of conditional forms, including mixed conditionals
- quantifiers and determiners such as each, every, some, none and several
- past modals with perfect infinitive (He must have been there)
- a range of modal forms, plus alternative expressions such as bound to, unlikely to, perhaps, be required to..
- defining and non-defining relative clauses
- articles, including their use in a range of fixed expressions (the other day, at night, once in a while)
- noun and adjective formation
- common collocations
- auxiliaries for emphasis (I do like it)

Learn to:
- initiate, maintain and end discourse naturally with effective turn-taking
- exchange considerable amounts of detailed factual information on your field of interest
- convey degrees of emotion and highlight the personal significance of events
- engage in extended conversation on most topics
- give opinions by providing relevant explanations, arguments and comments
- help a conversation along by confirming comprehension, inviting others in etc
- carry out an interview, checking and confirming information, following up interesting replies
- give clear, detailed descriptions of subjects within your field of interest
- summarise extracts from news items or documentaries containing opinions, argument and discussion
- summarise the plot and sequence of events in a film or play
- construct a chain of reasoned argument, linking your ideas logically
- explain a viewpoint giving the advantages and disadvantages of an opinion
- speculate about causes, consequences, and hypothetical situations

 Understand:
- in detail what is said to you in standard language, even in a noisy environment
- a straightforward, clearly structured lecture on a familiar topic
- most radio programmes and be able to identify the speaker's mood
- most TV shows and films in standard dialect		 Understand:
- in detail, texts on your specialised subject
- specialised articles outside your field with occasional dictionary use
- the content and significance of news articles and reports on familiar topics
- writers' points of view and feelings in reports on current issues
- reviews of films, books etc, and summarise the main points
- how to look quickly through a manual and find relevant explanations and help for a specific problem
- in a narrative, the reasons for characters’ actions and their consequences for plot development		 Learn to:
- write clear detailed reports and texts on an area of special interest
- write summaries of articles on topics of general interest
- summarise information from different media sources
- discuss a topic in a composition, giving reasons for or against a specific point of view
- develop an argument, emphasising decisive points and including supporting details
- write about events and experiences in a detailed and easily readable way
- write a short review of a film or a book
- write a personal letter or e-mail expressing different feelings and attitudes and emphasising the important aspects of an event

Level Language Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Bell Level 6
Advanced

C1

In addition to Bell Level 5:

Learn how to use:
- ellipsis (leaving out words) appropriately
- different tenses to express nuances of meaning
- a wide range of adverbs and adverbial forms and their collocations (e.g. deeply worried)
- more complex discourse markers in speech and writing
- Fronting (Out came Steve) and there / it / what clauses (What mattered was..)
- Inversion (Had we known..)
- Prepositional phrases (e.g. be inspired by)
- Compound nouns and noun phrases

Learn to:
- express your ideas and opinions clearly and precisely
- orally summarise long demanding texts
- give clear, detailed accounts and descriptions of complex subjects, integrating themes, developing points and concluding appropriately
- give clearly developed presentations on a subject in your field
- speak with a good command of broad vocabulary, consistently maintaining a high degree of grammatical accuracy

 Understand:
- extended speech even when it is not clearly structured
- a wide range of idiomatic expressions, slang and colloquialisms, including in settings such as a film
- even poor quality public announcements, and be able to extract information from them
- complex technical information e.g. operating instructions		 Understand:
- long, demanding texts, and be able orally to summarise these
- complex reports, commentaries, contemporary literary texts and correspondence with the occasional use of a dictionary, and extract ideas and opinions
- complex instructions		 Learn to:
- write clear and well-structured compositions and reports on a wide range of complex topics
- summarise information from different sources coherently
- give detailed descriptions of experiences, feelings and events
- write formally correct letters e.g. to complain
- write texts which are grammatically correct and stylistically appropriate with a wide range of vocabulary

Level Language Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Bell Level 7
Advanced

C2

In addition to Bell Level 6:

Learn how to use:
- verbs with closely related meanings appropriately and accurately (e.g. rise, raise, arise)
- Varied participles and participle phrases (Having left the building..)
- subjunctive forms (we propose that she leave)
- homonyms (bow and bow), homophones (write and rite) and homographs (row and row) without ambiguity

Learn to:
- take part in all conversations with native speakers. You only need to pause occasionally in order to select precisely the right words
- summarise information from different sources in a coherent presentation
- speak with a good command of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms

 Understand:
- any spoken language, even delivered at fast native speed, provided you have time to get familiar with the accent		 Understand:
- texts written in a very colloquial style containing many idiomatic expressions or slang
- manuals, regulations, and contracts in familiar fields
- contemporary literary texts in different genres (prose, poetry, drama)		 Learn to:
- write well-structured and easily readable reports and articles on complex topics
- write a report or essay, giving a complete account of a topic based on research you have carried out, evaluating detailed facts and opinions
- write a well-structured review of a paper or project giving reasons for your opinion
- write a critical review of a cultural event (film, theatre, literature etc)
- write summaries of factual texts
- write clear, well-structured complex letters and emails in an appropriate style

Level Language Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Bell Level 8
Expert

C2

In addition to Bell Level 7:

Use:
- a range of language forms with the breadth, variety and accuracy of an educated native speaker
- the appropriate style and register for every situation and with different interlocuters / readers
- idiom, simile and metaphor appropriately
- new and borrowed words (metrosexual, blasé)
- slang
- puns

Be able to:
- take part effortlessly in all conversations with native speakers
- present ideas and viewpoints in a very flexible manner in order to give emphasis, differentiate or eliminate ambiguity
- repair, rephrase and paraphrase smoothly in conversation
- convey finer shades of meaning precisely, using a wide range of expressions to qualify statements and and pinpoint the extent to which something is the case
- use idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms with a native speaker-like command
- consistently maintain grammatical control of complex language even when your attention is otherwise engaged

 Understand:
- any spoken language, even delivered at fast native speed, and via different media (face to face, telephone, public announcement etc)		 Understand:
- ironic and satirical texts and plays on words without difficulty
- manuals, regulations, and contracts even in unfamiliar fields
- classical literary texts in different genres (prose, poetry, drama)
- literary or satirical texts where much is said in an indirect and ambiguous way with hidden value judgements
- different stylistic means (e.g. puns, metaphors, connotations) and evaluate their function within the text		 Learn to:
- write summaries of, technical, scientific or literary texts
- write extended narratives about experiences in a clear, fluent style appropriate to the genre
- express yourself in a consciously ironical, ambiguous or humorous way in a letter or e-mail