Free B2 Grammar practice lessons

Use the past perfect to make the earlier of two past events clear and establish sequence in a narrative.

A worn-down animated pencil sits exhausted beside a long trail of sketches as a bell rings beneath “The pencil had been drawing for hours when the bell rang.”

B2 · Lesson 2

Past perfect continuous

Use the past perfect continuous to emphasize the duration or repeated nature of an activity before a past point.

A boiling blue kettle is startled by a ringing coral telephone beneath “The kettle was boiling when the phone rang.”

B2 · Lesson 3

Narrative tense contrasts

Combine past simple, past continuous and past perfect to distinguish main events, background and earlier actions.

A cheerful train crosses the middle of a bridge beside a noon clock beneath “Tomorrow at noon, the train will be crossing the bridge.”

B2 · Lesson 4

Future continuous

Use the future continuous for activities that will be in progress at a future time or expected routine events.

An animated parcel rests safely on a doorstep beside a noon clock beneath “By noon, the parcel will have arrived.”

B2 · Lesson 5

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for actions that will be completed before a stated future deadline or point.

A soaked suitcase regrets leaving its dry umbrella inside a doorway beneath “If I had taken the umbrella, I would have stayed dry.”

B2 · Lesson 6

Third conditional

Use the third conditional to imagine a different result for a past situation that cannot now be changed.

Paper guide

B2 Grammar: key structures, usage & how to train

Master the upper-intermediate grammar structures tested in Cambridge B2 First (FCE).

Parts

Conditionals & Modals–Passives & Causatives–Relative Clauses–Reported Speech & Linkers

Marks

B2 level (160+)

Grammar practice

Timing

45 min

focused practice

Pass

160+

Cambridge Scale

B2 First Grammar requires confident control over complex sentences, verb patterns, hypotheticals, and formal structures. You must be able to recognize and manipulate passives, modal deductions, relative clauses, and conditionals accurately. Grammatical mastery directly drives your score in Use of English Parts 2 and 4, and underpins high marks in Writing and Speaking. On the Cambridge English Scale, 160 is the Grade C pass mark.

Format & timing

Explore core B2 structural areas and practice target times.

Conditionals & Modals·Hypotheticals & deduction
Core topics·B2 mastery marks·~10–12 min
Passives & Causatives·Register & agency
Core topics·B2 mastery marks·~10–12 min
Relative Clauses·Defining & non-defining
Core topics·B2 mastery marks·~10–12 min
Reported Speech & Linkers·Reporting verbs & clauses
Core topics·B2 mastery marks·~10–12 min
Total·Grammar practice
Full B2 curriculum·B2 level (160+) marks·~45 min

Select any topic from the lesson grid above to review explanations and take interactive practice quizzes.

How it is marked

Grammar accuracy directly determines your success in Open Cloze and Key Word Transformation, and forms 25% of your Writing score (Language criterion) and Speaking score (Grammatical Resource criterion).

How to train B2 Grammar

Understand the rule, practice in isolation, then apply the structure in transformations and writing.

101

Study the rule and examples

Select a lesson (e.g. Mixed Conditionals or Causatives) and review the structural breakdown and usage notes.

Browse lessons

202

Solve targeted exercises

Complete the interactive gap-fills and multiple-choice questions to test your immediate recall.

303

Apply in Key Word Transformation

Grammar rules are best cemented through transformations. Practice rewrites using the exact structures learned.

B2 Use of English

404

Incorporate into your Writing

When writing essays or reports in our Writing Lab, consciously include at least three complex B2 structures.

B2 Writing Lab

505

Review errors with explanations

Every practice item includes an explanation. Review wrong answers to fix misunderstandings immediately.

Study guides

Frequent mistakes in B2 Grammar

Avoid these classic errors that lower candidate scores in exams.

Conditionals

Mixing tense structures incorrectly

Using "would" in the if-clause (e.g. saying "If I would have known" instead of "If I had known").

Relative Clauses

Using "that" in non-defining clauses

You cannot use "that" after a comma in non-defining relative clauses. Use "which" for things and "who" for people.

Passives

Forgetting the past participle or auxiliary verb

In causative forms like "have something done", candidates often forget the past participle (e.g. "had my car repair" instead of "repaired").

Linkers

Confusing "despite" and "although"

"Although" is followed by a subject and verb, whereas "despite / in spite of" must be followed by a noun, pronoun, or -ing form.

Study guides

B2 Grammar study guides

Concise summary charts, formula breakdowns, and usage rules for Cambridge B2 First.

Pillar 1

Conditionals & Hypotheticals

Zero to mixed conditionals, wish/if only structures, and alternatives to if.

Pillar 2

Passive Voice & Causative Verbs

Impersonal passives (it is said that), have/get something done, and formal style.

Pillar 3

Relative Clauses & Participles

Defining vs non-defining clauses, relative adverbs, and reduced participle clauses.

Pillar 4

Modals of Deduction & Speculation

Past and present deduction formulas: must, can’t, could, might have been.