Level B2-C1

B2–C1 is advanced reading. At C1 you understand long, demanding texts, including implied meaning, irony and the specialised language of fields other than your own. What sets C1 apart from B2 is less grammar than range: rare words, precise verbs and the ability to follow a long line of reasoning without getting lost.

These articles are long essays on history, economics or game theory. Sentences often run past twenty words, paragraphs are dense, and the vocabulary includes academic and technical terms. Expect new words in almost every paragraph; many of them can be worked out from their parts or from the sentence around them.

Read with a purpose: before you start, ask what the article is trying to prove, and at the end check whether it convinced you. It is normal to look up more words here than at B1–B2; the ones worth saving are those you could use yourself when speaking or writing. If every line feels like work, read a few B1–B2 articles and come back.