Often these CEFR levels are used in the language learning system and community. But what do they mean and what are they used for? And is it applicable or should you care about this framework?
The CEFR levels where CEFR stands for the Common European Framework of Reference the levels associated with different levels of fluency/proficiency used in the language learning space in Europe.
It goes as follows: A beginner, B intermediate and C advanced. Each letter can be split into upper and lower. For example: A1 (beginner), A2 (pre-intermediate), B1 (intermediate), B2 (upper-intermediate), C1 (advanced) and C2 (proficient).
Generally, it is a good benchmark for those looking to assess language skills in a second or foreign language. For those learning a foreign language, it can be used to self-assess their current abilities and progress.
The CEFR levels:
A Level:
A1: Beginner
- Understanding and usage of fundamental expressions and phrases of mainly concrete usage
- Can introduce themselves and give basic personal information such as where they live, what hobbies they have etc.
- Can interact at a simple level provided the other person speaks slowly and clearly.
A2: Pre-intermediate
- Understanding and usage of sentences/expressions of immediate relevance (i.e. work, school, shopping, family info etc)
- Communication of routine and simple tasks possible
- Can communicate areas of immediate need.
B level:
B1: Intermediate
- Can understand main points in familiar topics such as work, leisure etc.
- Can deal with most situations when travelling in a region where language is spoken.
- Can produce simple texts on topics of personal interest.
- Can express more abstract ideas about hopes, plans, dreams etc and give opinions.
B2: Upper-intermediate
- Understand main points in a more long-form text including in their area of expertise.
- Can interact with enough fluency and spontaneity that allows normal conversations with native speakers to be possible.
- Production of texts on a wide range of subjects is possible.
C level:
C1: Advanced
- Can understand a wide range of longer texts and can understand implicit meaning.
- Can express oneself fluently and spontaneously without obvious searching for words.
- Can use language effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.
- Can create texts based on more complex topics using more complex devices such as connectors & cohesive devices.
C2: Proficient:
- Can understand virtually everything listened to or read.
- Can express oneself very fluently, spontaneously and precisely, even in more complex situations
- Can summarise info from different spoken/written sources, reconstruct arguments etc.
History of the CEFR levels:
These CEFR levels came about as the Council of Europe required a more standardised way of measuring language ability and levels across Europe; and to promote more collaboration between language teachers and institutions in Europe. This framework is designed for use in both assessment and teaching.
CEFR levels have capabilities at each level of what you can do at that point. This makes it widely used and useful for both the student and teacher.
Are these CEFR levels needed?:
In some cases such as immigration and applications to universities these CEFR levels become quite desirable and in some cases mandatory to know. Hence different exams test these levels such as IELTS and TOEIC in English, TOPIK in Korean, JNLPT for Japanese, HSK for Chinese etc, it seems that for every major language, there is a way to measure your progress.
It’s worthwhile, therefore, if you require a language for example for work or study you look at the requirements. Sometimes immigration requires you to speak or to be at a specific level for a language.
However, if the reason you are learning a language is for personal interest or fun, I don’t think that the CEFR levels or the exams to do with them are necessary at all. However, I feel that having a certain level and knowing what that is will help other language learners know where you’re at and also, it will give you a clear picture of what is ahead of you.
Also, something to note is that not everyone knows about these particular levels and that in settings outside of academia such as in the corporate world: these levels don’t mean anything – it will have to be explained with more information.
Conclusion:
To conclude, these levels aren’t the be-all and end and a lot of people outside the academic / language learning world won’t know what these are. However, for those who are learning a language, it is a good way to measure progress and to see where to go next in terms of their language-learning journey.
How about you? Do you use these CEFR levels and do you think they’re a good indicator of progress? Let me know below.
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