Improving English language at B1 level

Question

I'm an English learner, starting from two years ago and with self-study and want to know how? Just with Google Translate when reading articles and translating words I don't know, and after some time I started to watch tutorials on my career on YouTube, and now I can understand most things I read or watch or hear in my career topic.

It's my background how I learned English and so far, I've used an app called speak Pal and there you can choose an English level and when I decide on B1 or B2 and the partner that chooses is the same we can talk normally without a serious problem, so I think maybe my level is B1. So, with this background what approach do you suggest to me to reach to the next level?

I think to reach the next level (B2) I need to improve my grammar and writing and finally my main goal is to understand movies and TV shows (Because I learned English for my career, I think it's not suitable for this purpose)

Answer 1

Re: writing in English, most international test of English, e.g. Cambridge, IELTS, & Trinity:

At CEFR B1 ask candidates to write letters/emails/essays/stories that simply give information, describe things, or recount sequences of events.

At CEFR B2, they include discursive writing, which means introducing a topic or theme & presenting arguments for &/or against a claim/proposition. They also include writing reports, letters of complaint, & critical reviews.

These are the areas of English language tests that candidates typically find the most difficult & require the most time & effort to learn. I don't know how you'd learn these skills without the guidance of a good writing instructor. My students find it difficult even with the best instruction I can give them, & one of my specialisms is writing instruction!

I hope this helps! :)