English for IT · Level B2

Communicate confidently at work in IT: workplace writing, explaining your work, job interviews, documentation and working with clients.

20.5 hguided learning hours

36lessons

6modules

B2 (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: B1 English, or completion of English for IT B1.
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: 19 hours of timed lesson activities plus 1.5 hours of assessment (20.5 hours in total). Homework and extra practice are additional.
Progression: Follows English for IT B1. Leads to English for IT C1.

Structure and learning outcomes

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

Module 1: Writing at work 4 lessons · 128 min
1	Writing a clear bug report Writing · Vocabulary · 32 min	Write a bug report with a clear title, steps to reproduce, and expected vs actual results. Describe software behaviour precisely and objectively, without emotional language. Rewrite a vague bug report so that a developer can act on it.
2	Commit messages and pull request descriptions Writing · Vocabulary · 32 min	Write concise commit messages in the imperative mood. Write a pull request description that explains what, why and how to test. Write and respond to code review comments politely and constructively.
3	Chat messages in team channels Writing · Vocabulary · 32 min	Write short, polite and complete chat messages that work asynchronously. Use threads, tagging and status updates appropriately. Ask for help in a way that saves your colleagues' time.
4	Professional emails to clients and managers Writing · Vocabulary · 32 min	Write a clear, well-structured email with a specific subject line. Give a project update and apologise for a delay professionally. Make polite requests and propose next steps to a client or manager.
Module 2: Explaining your work 4 lessons · 128 min
5	Describing how a system works Speaking · Vocabulary · 32 min	Describe the main components of a system and what each one does. Explain step by step how data moves between components. Use 'is responsible for', 'sends ... to' and passive forms accurately.
6	Explaining technical ideas to non-technical people Speaking · Vocabulary · 32 min	Explain a technical problem in simple language without jargon. Use analogies to make an idea easy to understand. Check that the listener has understood and focus on what it means for them.
7	Demos and short presentations Speaking · Vocabulary · 32 min	Structure a short demo with clear signposting language. Describe what is happening on screen while you show a feature. Handle questions politely, including ones you cannot answer immediately.
8	Code review conversations Speaking · Vocabulary · 32 min	Give clear, polite feedback and suggestions in a code review. Respond to feedback professionally, agreeing or explaining your choice. Use softening structures such as 'Have you considered + -ing?'.
Module 3: The job interview 4 lessons · 128 min
9	Your CV and LinkedIn profile in English Speaking · Writing · 32 min	Write CV bullet points that start with strong action verbs. Describe achievements with numbers and results, not just duties. Write a short, professional LinkedIn headline and 'About' section.
10	'Tell me about yourself' and motivation questions Speaking · Writing · 32 min	Answer 'Tell me about yourself' with a clear present-past-future structure. Explain why you want a specific job and company with concrete reasons. Use the present perfect and 'I'm looking for / I'd like to' accurately.
11	Behavioural questions with the STAR method Speaking · Writing · 32 min	Structure answers to behavioural questions with the STAR method. Use the past continuous for background and the past simple for actions. Describe your own actions clearly and finish with a measurable result.
12	Technical interview talk Speaking · Writing · 32 min	Ask clarifying questions before solving a technical problem. Think aloud and explain your approach and its trade-offs. Ask the interviewer good questions at the end of an interview.
Module 4: Documentation and technical writing 4 lessons · 152 min
13	Writing a README Reading · Writing · 38 min	Understand the typical sections of a README and find information in one quickly. Write clear setup instructions with imperatives, 'if' clauses and the passive. Write a short, well-structured README for a small project.
14	Documenting an API Reading · Writing · 38 min	Find key information in an API reference quickly: authentication, parameters, responses and limits. Use must, should, may, required and optional precisely. Write clear, consistent documentation for a simple endpoint.
15	Writing clear requirements and acceptance criteria Listening · Writing · 38 min	Recognise vague, untestable requirements and ask clarifying questions about them. Write acceptance criteria in Given/When/Then format with correct tenses and articles. Write a user story with testable criteria, edge cases and a clear scope.
16	Writing an incident postmortem Reading · Writing · 38 min	Understand the structure of a blameless postmortem: summary, impact, timeline, root cause and action items. Use narrative tenses and the passive to describe events clearly and without blame. Write a short postmortem with precise times, numbers and action items.
Module 5: Working with clients and stakeholders 4 lessons · 152 min
17	Requirements meetings with clients Speaking · Listening · 38 min	Ask clear, polite questions to find out what a client really needs. Report what the client said accurately with reported speech. Summarise the agreed requirements and confirm the next steps.
18	Handling scope changes and pushing back Speaking · Listening · 38 min	Recognise scope creep and respond to new requests professionally. Push back politely using softeners and the first conditional. Explain trade-offs and offer clear options to a client.
19	Negotiating deadlines Reading · Writing · 38 min	Explain the reasons for a delay clearly and honestly. Propose realistic dates using first and second conditionals. Agree a deadline with conditions, a buffer and a contingency plan.
20	Presenting options and making a recommendation Speaking · Listening · 38 min	Present two or three technical options fairly, with their pros and cons. Compare options using comparatives, 'whereas' and 'on the other hand'. Make one clear recommendation and explain how to manage its main risk.
Module 6: Growing your career 4 lessons · 155 min
21	Performance reviews and feedback Speaking · Listening · 39 min	Talk about your achievements and weaknesses in a performance review. Give and receive constructive feedback politely and professionally. Use past modals (should have, could have) and the third conditional to reflect on past work.
22	Negotiating salary and job offers Reading · Writing · 39 min	Understand the main parts of a job offer: salary, benefits, probation and start date. Ask for a better offer politely, with clear reasons. Use conditionals and tentative language (would, could, I was hoping for) to negotiate.
23	Networking and tech events Speaking · Listening · 38 min	Start and keep a conversation going with new people at a meetup or conference. Introduce yourself and your work briefly and naturally. Use question tags and follow-up questions to keep the conversation going, and follow up after the event.
24	Working across cultures in international teams Reading · Speaking · 39 min	Understand how communication styles can differ in international teams. Avoid misunderstandings by asking, checking and clarifying. Use hedging and softening language (might, tend to, I'm not sure that...) to disagree and give feedback politely.
Word banks 5 lessons · 125 min
25	Word bank: Version control and code review Vocabulary · 25 min	Learn 30 key words for this topic (Version control and code review) and use them at work.
26	Word bank: Testing and bugs Vocabulary · 25 min	Learn 30 key words for this topic (Testing and bugs) and use them at work.
27	Word bank: Infrastructure, cloud and DevOps Vocabulary · 25 min	Learn 30 key words for this topic (Infrastructure, cloud and DevOps) and use them at work.
28	Word bank: Data, security and networking Vocabulary · 25 min	Learn 30 key words for this topic (Data, security and networking) and use them at work.
29	Word bank: Career and interviews Vocabulary · 25 min	Learn 30 key words for this topic (Career and interviews) and use them at work.
Interview practice 7 lessons · 168 min
30	Interview practice: About you Speaking · 24 min	Practise answering real interview questions (About you) with confidence.
31	Interview practice: Motivation Speaking · 24 min	Practise answering real interview questions (Motivation) with confidence.
32	Interview practice: Behavioural (STAR) Speaking · 24 min	Practise answering real interview questions (Behavioural (STAR)) with confidence.
33	Interview practice: Technical communication Speaking · 24 min	Practise answering real interview questions (Technical communication) with confidence.
34	Interview practice: Role-specific Speaking · 24 min	Practise answering real interview questions (Role-specific) with confidence.
35	Interview practice: Remote work & teamwork Speaking · 24 min	Practise answering real interview questions (Remote work & teamwork) with confidence.
36	Interview practice: Questions to ask & closing Speaking · 24 min	Practise answering real interview questions (Questions to ask & closing) with confidence.

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 delay update for a client

A feature your team promised a client for Friday will be one week late because testing found a security issue. Write an email to the client's project manager.

Explain the delay and the reason, without unnecessary technical detail.
Say what your team is doing about it.
Give two options (for example: a partial release now, or the full feature next Friday) with the trade-offs.
Ask the client to choose, and say when you need an answer.

180–250 words · about 45 min · marked by a Derstina assessor

Outcomes assessed: Explain a technical problem to a non-technical stakeholder. Present options and trade-offs in a professional, client-facing tone.

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

Speaking assignment: Explain a technical decision

Your manager is not technical. Record a short explanation of a technical choice you or your team made (or would make), for example choosing a framework, a database or a cloud service.

What the decision was and the problem it solves.
One alternative you considered and why you did not choose it.
The main risk and how you will manage it.
What you need from your manager.

2–3 minutes recorded · about 20 min · marked by a Derstina assessor

Outcomes assessed: Explain your work and decisions clearly to a non-specialist. Compare options and justify a choice.

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 B2, showing the level, the final test score and 20.5 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.