English level guide · CEFR B1
Reading A Christmas Carol as an Intermediate (B1) learner
A Christmas Carol sits at the upper edge of B1 (Intermediate): an ambitious but achievable stretch, with tap-to-define support to carry you over the harder vocabulary.
Updated June 2026
How A Christmas Carol reads at B1
Read it in shorter sittings and lean on the read-along audio: hearing each sentence as you see it keeps you moving when the vocabulary gets dense, and you can tap any unfamiliar word for a definition graded to B1. Watch especially for past and present perfect to contrast scrooge's old and changed self.
At a glance
Key words at B1
Some of the B1-level words A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens introduces. See the full word list →
- accommodate/əˈkɑməˌdeɪt/B1
- be agreeable or acceptable to
- adapt/əˈdæpt/B1
- make fit for, or change to suit a new purpose
- adjust/əˈʤəst/B1
- alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard
- adjustment/əˈʤəstmənt/B1
- making or becoming suitable
- adventure/ədˈvɛnʧər/B1
- a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
- alarm/əˈlɑrm/B1
- fear resulting from the awareness of danger
- alike/əˈlaɪk/B1
- having the same or similar characteristics
- alter/ˈɔltər/B1
- cause to change
- altogether/ˌɔltəˈgɛðər/B1
- informal terms for nakedness
- announcement/əˈnaʊnsmɛnt/B1
- a formal public statement
What B1 readers can do
- Understand the main points of clear, standard texts on familiar matters.
- Read straightforward factual texts and simpler fiction with confidence.
- Follow a classic story when the language is graded to your level.