Course detail

English Upper-Intermediate, B2 Level (exam)

FAST-VYA013Acad. year: 2026/2027

For this exam, the four optional subjects VYA010, VYA011, VYA004 and VYA005 are offered to aid students in acquiring the required knowledge and skills. The exam is partially based on the contents of the books New English File Upper-Intermediate Third Edition (Clive Oxenden and Christina Latham-Koenig, Oxford University Press 2014) and New English File Advanced Third Edition, (Clive Oxenden and Christina Latham-Koenig, Oxford University Press 2015), and partially on speaking materials similar to those used in the Cambridge First exam.
The exam is conducted orally with pairs of students and lasts approximately 35 minutes.
The exam tests speaking skills such as interaction, pronunciation and the ability to construct connected sentences to give information or opinions on a certain topic. It also tests grammar and vocabulary.

Language of instruction

Czech, English

Number of ECTS credits

2

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

Roger Turland, BA.

Department

Institute of Social Sciences (SPV)

Offered to foreign students

Of all faculties

Entry knowledge

Entry level B2. Students should be able to:
- communicate fluently and spontaneously with native speakers in such a way that neither party has trouble making themselves clear or understanding the other
- use the English language with a good degree of accuracy when dealing with familiar topics and using common grammatical forms
- work with complex texts and generally understand the main points within

It is recommended that students take the BYA002 / VYA101 (previously BY002, BY51) exam before attempting VYA013, and the following optional courses: VYA004 and VYA005. If they did not obtain a grade A in the BYA002 / VYA101 exam, students should also take courses VYA010 and VYA011, if possible.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

The exam is oral (cca. 35 minutes). It consists of a question-and-answer session covering general topics, a discussion of a task with a partner, an individual picture description, and questions regarding grammar and vocabulary. A score of 50% is required to pass the exam.

 

Aims

            Subject-specific knowledge:

  • The exam will specifically test students' knowledge of grammar in some of the following areas: indirect questions; present, past, future and perfect simple and continuous tenses; adjective word order; all conditionals, including mixed conditionals; -ing or –ed adjectives; gerunds and infinitives; modal verbs for speculation and deduction; the passive; reporting verbs; clauses of contrast, purpose, reason and result; prefixes and suffixes; uncountable and plural nouns; quantifiers; articles; inversion; distancing; phrases expressing permission, obligation and necessity; verbs of the senses; ellipsis; compound nouns and possessive forms; cleft sentences.
  • The exam will specifically test students' knowledge of vocabulary in some of the following areas: health and medicine; clothes; air travel; weather; feelings; music; the media; business; cities; science; work and work experience; history; books and films; time; IT; money; mobile phones and addictions; sounds and the human voice; studying and time management; colour and art; travel and tourism; animals; food preparation; immigration.

    • Professional skills:

  • By passing the exam, the student demonstrates the ability to communicate in English at the B2 (Upper-Intermediate) level according to the CEFR. The student demonstrates the ability to use Upper-Intermediate level English grammar and a command of vocabulary covering a wide range of topics appropriate for a B2 level speaker.

    • Competencies:

  • By passing the exam, the student demonstrates the ability to communicate effectively in English—whether for travel abroad, interaction with work colleagues, or studying—at the B2 (Upper-Intermediate) level according to the CEFR.

 

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

LATHAM-KOENIG, Christina a Clive OXENDEN. English File: Upper-Intermediate. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, [2014]. ISBN 978-0-19-455864-8. (EN)
OXENDEN, Clive a LATHAM-KOENIG, Christina a LAMBERT, Jerry. English File Advanced - Third Edition. Oxford UP. 2015. ISBN 978-0-19-459458-3 (EN)
TURLAND, Roger. VYA004 English Upper-Intermediate 3, FAST BUT Ústav společenských věd, Brno, 2026. (Availability: Faculty Moodle) (CS)
TURLAND, Roger. VYA005 English Upper-Intermediate 4, FAST BUT Ústav společenských věd, Brno, 2026. (Availability: Faculty Moodle) (CS)
TURLAND, Roger. VYA010 English Upper-Intermediate 1, FAST BUT Ústav společenských věd, Brno, 2026. (Availability: Faculty Moodle) (CS)
TURLAND, Roger. VYA011 English Upper-Intermediate 2, FAST BUT Ústav společenských věd, Brno, 2026. (Availability: Faculty Moodle) (CS)

Recommended reading

Not applicable.

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme BPC-VP Bachelor's 1 year of study, winter semester, elective