English for IT · Level B1

Work in English in an IT team: stand-ups and meetings, technical reading, IT support, agile ceremonies and security basics.

16.5 hguided learning hours

29lessons

6modules

B1 (CEFR)exit level

About the course

Awarded by: Derstina Ltd (course certificate)
Who it is for: Students and professionals in IT (software development, networks and systems, information security, web design, IT management) who need English at work.
Entry level: A2 English, or completion of English for IT A2.
Delivery: Online and self-paced on phone or laptop, or as part of a class with a teacher. Most lessons follow the same steps: key words, a real work situation, grammar, practice with answers, a speaking task and a writing task.
Guided learning: 15 hours of timed lesson activities plus 1.5 hours of assessment (16.5 hours in total). Homework and extra practice are additional.
Progression: Follows English for IT A2. Leads to English for IT B2.

Structure and learning outcomes

By the end of each lesson the learner will be able to:

Module 1: The tech workplace 4 lessons · 128 min
1	Introducing yourself to the team Speaking · Vocabulary · 32 min	Introduce yourself, your role and your skills at a team call. Describe your responsibilities with the present simple and phrases like 'responsible for'. Write a short, friendly introduction message for a team chat.
2	Roles and teams in a software company Speaking · Vocabulary · 32 min	Name the main roles in a software company and say what each person does. Describe how a feature moves from an idea to the customer, using sequence words. Explain who to contact for different problems.
3	Your tools and work environment Speaking · Vocabulary · 32 min	Describe your development setup: hardware, IDE and main tools. Explain what you use a tool for with 'use ... to' and 'use ... for + -ing'. Follow and give simple instructions for setting up a project.
4	Asking for help and clarifying Speaking · Vocabulary · 32 min	Ask colleagues for help politely and explain what you have already tried. Use indirect questions with correct word order (Could you tell me where the file is?). Check that you understand instructions by paraphrasing them.
Module 2: Stand-ups and meetings 4 lessons · 128 min
5	The daily stand-up Speaking · Listening · 32 min	Give a short, clear stand-up update: yesterday, today and blockers. Use the past simple, present continuous and 'going to' correctly in an update. Report a blocker and suggest a follow-up after the meeting.
6	Status updates and estimates Speaking · Listening · 32 min	Say if work is on track, ahead of schedule or delayed, and explain why. Give realistic estimates with 'should', 'probably' and 'by / in / until'. Warn your team early about a risk or delay.
7	Taking part in meetings Speaking · Listening · 32 min	Agree and disagree politely in a technical discussion. Interrupt politely and ask someone to repeat or explain. Make a suggestion and help the team agree on next steps.
8	Video calls and remote work Speaking · Listening · 32 min	Deal with common technical problems on a video call. Arrange meetings across time zones using correct time prepositions. Decide when to use a call and when to communicate asynchronously.
Module 3: Reading technical English 4 lessons · 128 min
9	Reading documentation Reading · Vocabulary · 32 min	Find the key information in a README quickly. Follow installation steps written with imperatives and sequencing words. Explain setup steps to a teammate in clear English.
10	Error messages and logs Reading · Vocabulary · 32 min	Understand common patterns in error messages and log lines. Tell the difference between INFO, WARN and ERROR messages and decide what needs action. Use the passive voice to describe what happened in a system.
11	Reading a ticket and user story Reading · Vocabulary · 32 min	Understand the structure of a user story: 'As a… I want… so that…'. Identify acceptance criteria and the difference between must, should and could. Ask clear questions about a ticket before you start work.
12	Skimming and scanning release notes Reading · Vocabulary · 32 min	Skim release notes to get the main idea quickly and scan them for specific information. Understand the key changelog categories: added, changed, fixed, deprecated, removed, breaking change. Decide whether an upgrade is safe and explain why.
Module 4: Helping users and IT support 4 lessons · 128 min
13	Helpdesk calls: troubleshooting with a user Speaking · Listening · 32 min	Ask a user clear, polite questions to find the cause of a problem. Check what they have tried with 'Have you tried + -ing?' and suggest steps with 'Try + -ing' and 'What happens if you...?'. Give a workaround, escalate an issue and promise a follow-up.
14	Logging and describing an incident Reading · Writing · 32 min	Understand the main parts of an incident ticket: summary, timeline, impact, root cause and next steps. Use the past simple and the past continuous to describe what happened and when. Log a short, clear incident ticket that people can read quickly.
15	Explaining steps clearly Reading · Writing · 32 min	Follow and write clear step-by-step instructions for a technical task. Use imperatives, sequencing words and time clauses with 'when', 'once' and 'after'. Tell the reader what result to expect and what to do if something goes wrong.
16	Saying no politely and managing expectations Speaking · Listening · 32 min	Say no to a request politely and explain the reason in a friendly way. Offer an alternative with phrases such as 'What I can do is...' and 'In the meantime...'. Give realistic times with 'by', 'within' and 'should', and avoid the 'until/by' mistake.
Module 5: Agile in practice 4 lessons · 128 min
17	Sprint planning Speaking · Listening · 32 min	Understand the main steps of a sprint planning meeting. Use will, won't and might to talk about commitments, capacity and risks. Say clearly what you can and can't commit to in a sprint.
18	Retrospectives: giving and receiving feedback Speaking · Listening · 32 min	Say what went well and what didn't go well in a sprint. Make polite suggestions with could, should, why don't we, let's and how about. Give and receive feedback without blaming people.
19	Prioritising the backlog Reading · Speaking · 32 min	Understand how a product owner orders the backlog using value, effort and dependencies. Use the first conditional and 'unless' to explain the results of a decision. Give reasons for moving an item up or down the backlog.
20	The sprint review and demo day Speaking · Listening · 32 min	Follow a sprint review where the team shows its work to stakeholders. Use the present perfect and the past simple to report what the team has done. Give a short, clear demo and answer follow-up questions.
Module 6: Security basics at work 4 lessons · 128 min
21	Phishing and social engineering Reading · Vocabulary · 32 min	Recognise the typical signs of a phishing email or message. Use must, might and can't to talk about how sure you are. Warn colleagues about a suspicious message clearly and calmly.
22	Reporting a security problem Speaking · Writing · 32 min	Report a security mistake quickly and honestly. Use the past continuous and past simple to describe what happened. Say what you have already done and ask for help with the next steps.
23	Personal data and privacy at work Reading · Grammar · 32 min	Understand simple team rules about personal data. Use must, have to, mustn't and don't have to correctly to talk about rules. Explain to a colleague how to handle customer data safely.
24	Working safely from home and on the move Listening · Speaking · 32 min	Talk about simple security habits for working from home, in cafés and while travelling. Use the first conditional to explain risks and results. Give a colleague clear, practical security advice.
Word banks 5 lessons · 125 min
25	Word bank: The tech workplace and roles Vocabulary · 25 min	Learn 30 key words for this topic (The tech workplace and roles) and use them at work.
26	Word bank: Meetings and communication Vocabulary · 25 min	Learn 30 key words for this topic (Meetings and communication) and use them at work.
27	Word bank: Project management and agile Vocabulary · 25 min	Learn 30 key words for this topic (Project management and agile) and use them at work.
28	Word bank: Software development Vocabulary · 25 min	Learn 30 key words for this topic (Software development) and use them at work.
29	Word bank: IT support and users Vocabulary · 25 min	Learn 30 key words for this topic (IT support and users) and use them at work.

Assessment

Three assessments at the end of the level. The final test is required for the certificate. The writing and speaking assignments are marked by a Derstina assessor; when both are passed, the certificate records that writing and speaking were assessed.

Final test

20 multiple-choice questions on the level's reading, vocabulary and grammar, drawn from a larger bank and marked on the server. Pass mark 70%. Up to 3 attempts a day; each attempt expires after 2 hours.

Writing assignment: A bug report

You found a problem in your team's app: after a password reset, users cannot log in on mobile. Write a bug report for the developers.

A clear, specific title.
Steps to reproduce, in order.
Expected result and actual result.
Impact: who is affected and how badly.
Any useful details (device, version, screenshots you would attach).

120–180 words · about 40 min · marked by a Derstina assessor

Outcomes assessed: Write a bug report with a clear title, steps to reproduce, and expected vs actual results. Describe software behaviour precisely and objectively.

Criteria (0–3 each): Task achievement, Organisation, Range, Accuracy

Speaking assignment: Your stand-up update

Record your update for this morning's stand-up meeting.

What you did yesterday.
What you are working on today.
One blocker, and who could help.
A follow-up you suggest after the meeting.

1–2 minutes recorded · about 15 min · marked by a Derstina assessor

Outcomes assessed: Give a short, clear stand-up update: yesterday, today and blockers. Report a blocker and suggest a follow-up.

Criteria (0–3 each): Task achievement, Fluency and coherence, Range, Pronunciation and accuracy

Marking scale (each criterion)

0 · Not shownNot attempted, off-task, or too little to assess.

1 · Partly metSome evidence, but frequent gaps or errors stop it working at work.

2 · MetDoes the job at this level. Errors do not stop the reader or listener understanding.

3 · Fully metClear, confident and well controlled for this level.

A pass needs at least 8 of 12 and no criterion at 0. Work that does not pass is referred with written feedback, and the learner may submit a new attempt. A second member of staff samples marked work for consistency (internal quality assurance). Learners confirm each submission is their own work.

Certification

Learners who pass the final test receive a Derstina course certificate for English for IT B1, showing the level, the final test score and 16.5 guided learning hours, and whether the writing and speaking assignments were passed. Each certificate has a unique ID and a QR code; anyone can check it at derstina.com/verify.

This is a Derstina course certificate. It is not an official exam result such as IELTS or TOEFL.