# English grammar topics by level: an A1 to B2 list

Which grammar topic belongs to which level? The A1, A2, B1 and B2 grammar topics from the British Council and EAQUALS core inventory, what each level's grammar lets you say, and the order in which to study them.

Author: Aslıgül Aşkın · Published: 2026-10-15
Page address: https://grammardots.com/en/blog/english-grammar-topics-by-level

English grammar topics follow roughly this order by level: at A1, to be, the present simple and the present continuous; at A2, past tenses, the future and the present perfect; at B1, structures for experience, possibility and conditions; and at B2, perfect continuous tenses, the passive and relative clauses for detailed description. The list below shows the core topics of each level and what you can say with them.

## What is this list based on?

The CEFR levels do not list grammar; they describe levels with “can do” statements. One of the clearest sources on which grammar is taught at which level is the Core Inventory for General English by the British Council and EAQUALS. Its authors compared syllabuses, course book series and teacher surveys, and counted as “core” the points shared by a strong majority (80 per cent) of the sources. The list covers general English for learners aged 16 and over and is a minimum: teachers add topics to suit their learners. Source: British Council and EAQUALS, “A Core Inventory for General English” (Brian North, Angeles Ortega, Susan Sheehan).

Core grammar topics by level

| Level | Topics |
| --- | --- |
| A1 | to be (am, is, are; questions and negatives), present simple, present continuous, there is / there are, personal pronouns, possessive adjectives and 's, questions, imperatives, can / can't, could / couldn't, in / on / at and prepositions of place, adverbs of frequency, how much / how many, I'd like, like / love / hate + -ing, was / were and the past simple, going to, adjectives and this / that, comparatives and superlatives, and / but / because |
| A2 | a / an / the, countable and uncountable nouns, much / many, the past simple and wh- questions in the past, past continuous, present perfect, present continuous for the future, will and going to, have to, should, can / could, verbs with -ing or to (like, want, would like), common phrasal verbs, prepositions of time, place and movement, zero and first conditionals |
| B1 | present perfect or past simple, present perfect continuous, past perfect, future continuous, will and going to for prediction, second and third conditionals, the simple passive, reported speech, must / have to, may / might, must / can't for deduction, should have / might have, too / enough, question tags, linkers of cause, effect and contrast |
| B2 | past perfect continuous, future perfect and future perfect continuous, narrative tenses, all forms of the passive, mixed conditionals, wish, would for past habits, relative clauses, reported speech, can't have / needn't have and modals of deduction, although / in spite of / despite |

Some topics appear at two levels: the past simple is introduced at A1 and consolidated with questions and negatives at A2; reported speech is studied in its basic form at B1 and with a wider range of tenses at B2. The repetition is deliberate; a structure only settles once you use it again at later levels.

## A1: talking about yourself and your daily life

A1 grammar is for answering “who, what, where”: your name, your job, your family, what is in your room, what you do every day. The base of all these sentences is [the verb to be with am, is, are](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/verb-to-be-am-is-are). Two tenses follow straight after, and telling them apart is the main job of A1: the present simple for habits and the present continuous for what is happening now. [Present simple or present continuous](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/present-simple-vs-present-continuous) explains the difference with examples.

## A2: talking about the past, plans and experiences

At A2, sentences start moving backwards and forwards in time. To tell about your weekend, a holiday or your childhood you learn [how to form the past simple](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/past-simple-tense-in-english); irregular verbs are the part of this level that needs the most repetition. There are two ways to talk about plans and predictions, and [will or going to](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/will-vs-going-to) explains which to choose when. The present perfect also arrives at this level, with “Have you ever…?” questions.

## B1: experience, possibility and conditions

B1 grammar lets you express your thoughts and experience more precisely: that something is still going on, that it is possible, or that it depends on a condition. The pair most often confused at this level is the present perfect for experience and the past simple for a finished event; the difference is in [present perfect or past simple](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/present-perfect-vs-past-simple). As the number of tenses grows, seeing them together helps too: [all the tenses in one table](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/english-tenses-chart) compares every form with the same verb.

## B2: detail, hypothesis and formal expression

At B2 there are fewer new tenses and more skill in saying the same thing in different ways. To talk about unreal situations and regrets you need every type of conditional; [if sentences from zero to third conditional](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/english-conditionals) shows them side by side. In formal writing and in the news, what was done often matters more than who did it, so [how to form the passive](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/passive-voice-in-english) is one of the core topics of this level. C1 then adds structures such as inversion for emphasis and modals about the past.

## In what order should you study grammar topics?

1. First find your level and scan its row in the table; tick what you already know. 2. Each week, choose one structure and build at least five sentences about your own life with it. 3. When you learn a new structure, do not drop the previous one: use both in your sentences. 4. Move on to the next level's list when you can use most of your level's topics in speaking and writing without strain.

Remember that finishing a list does not move you up a level. A level is measured by recognising these structures when you listen and using them when you speak; grammar is a tool for that.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many tenses does English have?

Three times (present, past, future) combined with four aspects (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous) give 12 forms. But at A1 you can speak comfortably with only two of them, and at A2 with four or five.

### My course book uses a different order; which should I follow?

Your book's. This list shows at which level the core topics appear; books may present the same topics in a different order. It is no problem if a topic comes earlier or later in your book.

### Do I need to know every topic perfectly to move up to B2?

No. Learners at these levels also make occasional mistakes with these structures. What matters is that you recognise a structure and use it correctly most of the time; precision comes with practice.