Understanding Levels
We often use CEFR levels to give an indication of the level of English that a learner would require to get the most out of a lesson, activity or resource. CEFR is an abbreviation of the “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment”. Read More about the CEFR.
Building on the CEFR, the Council of Europe decided to create a scale to benchmark a learner’s ability in any language. The global scale has three levels (each is split in two), and aims to describe what a learner is actually able to do with a given language – specifically relating to reading, listening, speaking and writing.
Each level has a name attached and we sometimes use the name rather than the level to identify the appropriate level – i.e. Waystage (or W) rather than A2.
A: Basic User
A1 Breakthrough or beginner
A2 Waystage or elementary
B: Independent User
B1 Threshold or intermediate
B2 Vantage or upper intermediate
C: Proficient User
C1 Effective Operational Proficiency or advanced
C2 Mastery or proficiency