The 29 Best Intermediate English Courses for B1, B2 and Beyond

Intermediate English learners often face a distinct set of challenges. They get less support than beginners, yet they lack the confidence of advanced learners when initiating conversations and managing their own studies.

The intermediate stage can be uncertain, causing many students to feel discouraged. However, there's no need for concern: We have gathered a list of excellent intermediate English courses designed to provide the guidance and focus you require.

Courses to Master General Intermediate English

1. BBC Learning English: “Course: intermediate / Unit 1”

Price: Free

Available on: Not available as an app

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a major media provider for English instruction. It provides 30 detailed units for intermediate learners. Every unit contains five sessions, and each session has activities that help you develop a specific skill or topic area.

Starting a session involves listening to an audio file that explains the topic by breaking it into smaller components. Written transcripts of the audio are also available. Following activities involve matching exercises, fill-in-the-blank tasks, and multiple-choice questions.

Every unit aims to build skills in areas like grammar, vocabulary, speaking, and listening, offering learners a comprehensive educational experience.

Click here to read our full review.

2. ESOL Courses: “Free Intermediate English Teaching and Learning Resources”

Price: Free

Available on: Not available as an app

This is one of the most extensive collections of English lessons for intermediate students.

The lessons address subjects such as grammar, vocabulary, reading, and listening comprehension. Many lessons focus on specific themes like the history of Valentine's Day or eco-friendly tourism in London. They include quizzes to assess your progress.

Since the lessons are integrated, meaning they combine multiple skills simultaneously, they are perfect for those wishing to enhance their overall English without dedicating separate time to each skill.

3. Perfectly Spoken: “B1 – Intermediate Online English Course”

Price: Free (paid if you are taking the business course with one-on-one tutors)

Available on: Not available as an app

Perfectly Spoken provides a solid online course for B1 (early intermediate) English students.

A key feature of this course is its 60 video lessons. The videos are excellent for listening to English spoken at a native level, yet the language remains accessible for early intermediate learners. Following each video, comprehension questions test your understanding and help solidify the new content.

The course aims to teach 2,000 key words for intermediate learners, building effectively upon the basic vocabulary from beginner levels. Lesson subjects cover technology, entertainment, sports, and other common news topics.

Intermediate English Courses to Improve Vocabulary

4. Woodward English: “Intermediate Vocabulary”

Price: Free

Available on: Not available as an app

Woodward English is a site featuring extensive vocabulary lists for intermediate English students. Each topic includes the most frequently used related words, detailed explanations of their meanings, and how they are applied.

Some lessons provide practice with commonly confused words through written activities.

Intermediate vocabulary themes include Earth Day, stating opinions, and distinguishing between the English verbs "lay" and "lie."

Intermediate Courses for Grammar

5. LearnEnglish Grammar: “B1-B2 Grammar”

Price: Free

Available on: iOS | Android

The British Council is a global organization that encourages English language learning through its "LearnEnglish" initiative.

LearnEnglish offers many lessons covering intermediate English grammar topics. Each lesson clarifies the specific use of a grammar rule and includes one or two interactive exercises.

Lesson subjects cover gradable and non-gradable adjectives, the conditional mood, phrasal verbs, and variations between American and British English. For a broader lesson range, the British Council also provides an intermediate vocabulary course that pairs well with their grammar lessons.

6. Perfect English Grammar: “The Ultimate B1 Grammar Course”

Price: $19 per month / $180 per year

Available on: Not available as an app

This website is managed by Seonaid, a British teacher with a Master's degree (MPhil) in English and Linguistics from Cambridge University.

Her lessons are pre-recorded videos that you can view for 15 to 20 minutes daily on your phone or computer. After each video, you can complete review exercises and get immediate feedback on your answers.

If you prefer printed materials or reading on a device, the lessons are also provided in PDF format. For any unanswered questions, you can visit the forums and ask directly!

Courses for Future Scholars

7. University of Reading: “An Intermediate Guide to Writing in English for University Study”

Price: $39.99 per month (without discount)

Available on: iOS | Android

This course offers detailed advice on enhancing your English writing abilities, along with your skills in research, logical reasoning, and citing sources.

The course outlines the primary differences between academic writing and other writing styles. You will learn how to correctly present knowledge in academic papers or essays. It emphasizes paragraph construction, the key components of a paragraph, and how to display facts and data.

These skills are invaluable for any English learner preparing for college, particularly if you will be taking English courses or studying at an English-speaking university.

Intermediate Courses for Professionals

8. English for Business: Pitching, Persuading and Promoting (Arizona State University)

Price: $350

Available on: iOS | Android

This is likely the most costly option on the list so far. However, if you aim to work in a corporate environment, the investment might be justified.

Although targeted at those entering sales and marketing, the skills you acquire—persuading others, analyzing and presenting data for meetings—will be useful across any field or industry.

You will often encounter situations where you need to justify a project proposal to your supervisor, for example.

9. Busuu: Learn business English with Busuu

Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

Available on: iOS | Android

Busuu's business English course covers a range of professional situations.

You will learn how to answer interview questions, compose emails, handle phone calls, and interact in an office environment in English. If you are considering a career in the call center industry, that is covered as well.

Learn more about this app's capabilities and limitations in this Busuu review.

Intermediate English Listening Practice Resources

10. Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab

Price: Free

Available on: Not available as an app

This website provides dozens of listening exercises for intermediate learners. Topics range from school and work to home life. Each lesson includes an audio clip and a transcript.

Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab advocates a three-step listening method.

• Each listening lesson starts with a pre-listening exercise. This initial activity helps learners anticipate the content and introduces new vocabulary or idioms from the audio.
• Learners then listen to the audio and take a comprehension quiz.
• Each lesson includes post-listening activities that require learners to expand on what they heard in English. Attempt these orally to get the most out of your listening and speaking practice!

11. Helena Daily English’s Listening Practice Video

Price: Free

Helena Daily English’s Listening Practice Video is a YouTube video that is nearly an hour long. The video features 14 listening lessons that focus on topics such as sleep, nuclear energy and sports. Each lesson includes clear English audio with on-screen transcripts.

Unfamiliar words are highlighted in yellow, and their definitions are provided at the lesson's end. While there are no built-in comprehension exercises, I suggest summarizing each lesson orally or in writing to check your understanding and broaden your listening skills and vocabulary.

Besides this video, the Helena Daily English YouTube channel has many others for additional listening practice.

General Course Websites to Find Intermediate Lessons

12. Udemy

Price: Depends on the course

Available on: iOS | Android

Udemy is an online learning platform providing high-quality courses on numerous subjects. Each course is taught by leading industry experts. A great advantage is their frequent discounts, allowing you to enroll for less if you time it right.

If you want a full intermediate English course, consider "Complete English Course: Intermediate Level." This course, with four and a half hours of video, covers grammar, vocabulary, speaking, and listening. Each lesson includes practice questions in a downloadable PDF to check your understanding and practice new skills introduced in the video.

For working professionals, they also offer business English courses.

"Business English: Easy English for Meetings" will help you communicate effectively in discussions about new projects or promotions. Similarly, "Business English Idioms" will clarify phrases like "get the ball rolling" (to start something), "go the extra mile" (to put in more effort), and "call it a day" (end work). Finally, "Business Skills: Easy English Presentations (Presenting)" will help you stay calm during meetings or presentations.

Search the site for "intermediate english" courses, and you will find over 1,800 results (and growing)!

13. Alison

Price: Depends on the course

Available on: iOS | Android

Alison offers hundreds of certificate and diploma-level courses. Currently, they have 10 intermediate English courses and 10 upper intermediate English courses.

For example, they offer "English Grammar – Phrasal Verbs (Intermediate level)." As the name implies, this course teaches all about phrasal verbs—phrases consisting of a verb plus an adverb, preposition, or both. Examples include "come across," "fill up," and "break up."

There is also "English Grammar – Adjectives & Adverbs (Intermediate level)." This intermediate course uses interactive content and native speaker recordings to teach the correct usage of English adjectives and adverbs. It focuses on both listening and reading skills.

14. Coursera

Price: Depends on the course

Available on: iOS | Android

Coursera is an online education platform that collaborates with renowned global universities. Coursera allows you to learn at your preferred speed. You can participate in courses as they happen or review the materials afterward.

Each course includes instructional videos, followed by quizzes and exercises to ensure you grasp the material. There are some peer-graded assignments, making it a good place to share knowledge with other students.

For instance, there is "Learn English: Intermediate Grammar Specialization." This is precisely what it sounds like: a comprehensive course on English grammar topics like perfect tenses and adjectives. This program is provided on Coursera by UC Irvine, a respected U.S. university. Earning a certificate from this program can enhance your resume.

Also, here are other Coursera courses for intermediate English learners.

15. edX

Price: Depends on the course

Available on: iOS | Android

edX also provides several intermediate English courses from prestigious universities worldwide.

There is a "Professional Certificate in Upper-Intermediate English" from the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, comprising four courses focused on different aspects of business English.

"Writing, Presenting and Submitting Scientific Papers in English" from Tsinghua University covers everything needed for writing scientific papers or documents about research and experiments.

Then there is "Preparing to Network in English" from the University of Washington. This course teaches all about networking—meeting people who can aid your professional growth. You will also learn about business culture in the United States and Canada and how to advance professionally.

General English Websites and Apps

16. Memrise

Price: Free

Available on: iOS | Android

It's a well-known language learning app where you can choose from hundreds of vocabulary lessons, videos from native speakers, and AI-powered conversation practice on topics like introductions and greetings, planning a holiday activity, meeting the in-laws, discussing favorite books, understanding cultural norms, and much more.

This app offers audio recordings of words and shows how to use them in sentences. It also includes quizzes to help you review the vocabulary you've learned.

By the way, you can read a complete review of the Memrise app here.

17. Ginseng English

Price: Starts from $99 for the trial version

Available on: Not available as an app

Ginseng English is another platform for learning intermediate English in an online classroom. A beneficial aspect of Ginseng English is the choice between active participation in the online class or simply downloading the resources and videos as an observer.

Both students and observers can select from numerous lessons, many tailored for intermediate learners (look for "B1" or "B2" labels). Observers can access class materials and watch videos but cannot join discussions. Enrolling as a participating student allows you to interact with the teacher and access more learning resources.

18. Lingflix

Price: Monthly subscription, free trial available. See pricing page for current rates.

Available on: iOS | Android

Lingflix uses authentic videos—such as music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks—and transforms them into personalized language learning lessons.

It employs a natural method that gradually introduces you to the English language and culture. You'll learn English as it is genuinely spoken.

Lingflix offers a wide range of engaging content from popular talk shows, nature documentaries, and amusing commercials, as shown here:

Lingflix simplifies the process of watching English videos. It features interactive captions, allowing you to tap on any word to see an image, definition, and practical examples.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you'll see this:

You can master all the vocabulary from any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to view more examples for the word you are learning.

A significant advantage is that Lingflix monitors the vocabulary you're learning and provides extra practice with challenging words. It even alerts you when it's time to review! Each learner enjoys a truly personalized experience, even when watching the same video.

Start using the Lingflix website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the Lingflix app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)