The CEFR Levels

At all levels, the CEFR involves all four linguistic skills—writing, listening, speaking, and reading. So, a person can be at different levels in different language skills.

For example, you might be a B2 in reading but only a B1 in speaking.

The descriptions for each level are for “communicative competence”—how well you can understand and be understood by others. It’s not really about vocabulary size or grammar knowledge, although these are also important.

In general, the levels can be grouped by letter to explain how the learner uses their target language:

Within each CEFR level, there are corresponding “can-do” statements for the three primary skills:

• Understanding (listening and reading comprehension)
• Speaking (spoken interaction and production)
• Writing

Below are the general indicators of the six reference levels of the CEFR:

A1: The “Breakthrough” Level

Before A1, you’d be at “A0,” meaning you have no experience with the target language.

Getting to A1 means you’ve become familiar with fundamental expressions and phrases, such as “hello,” “goodbye,” “good morning” and “thank you.”

As an A1 language learner, you’re expected to be able to introduce yourself and ask and answer basic questions, like:

• Where do you live?
• What is the name of your school?
• How old are you?

At this level, you can carry out very basic “first meeting” conversations when the person you’re talking with speaks clearly and slowly. As long as they repeat and enunciate words when necessary and don’t use slang, idioms or colloquial expressions.

A2 - The “Waystage” Level

At A2, you can go deeper into “first meeting” conversations.This stage is still about basic and routine exchanges of information, but you can discuss slightly more personal information, asking and answering questions such as:

• What is your father’s job?
• What are your hobbies?
• What is your job?

You can now say more about your background—albeit in very simple terms—and typically with similar assistance from your conversation partner as in level A1.

B1: The “Threshold” Level

At this stage, you can now figure out the main points of a sentence or other input. You likely won’t understand every word the other person says, but you understand what’s being discussed.

You can also communicate your thoughts and intentions, such as reasons, opinions and plans.

Your output may not always be grammatically correct, but native speakers will understand what you’re talking about and respond appropriately.

B2: The “Vantage” Level

At level B2, there’s now some degree of spontaneity in communication. The strain of understanding and being understood slowly begins to fade, especially regarding familiar topics.

As you get more practice, you’ll be able to naturally get into new topics because that’s where the interaction leads, and not because that’s what you planned and rehearsed in your head.

You can also handle increasingly complex topics, even abstract and technical ones. For example, not only can you give your opinions, but you can also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of options and choices.

C1: The “Competency” Level

At C1, you communicate easily and flexibly, using well-structured sentences and paragraphs. You can organize your thoughts without consciously searching for specific words or expressions. The language begins to “flow” through you.

You can also recognize implied meanings and use idiomatic and colloquial expressions to add layers and texture to your communication.

At this stage, you can confidently hold your own with native speakers, whether in a social, professional or academic setting.

C2: The “Mastery” Level

This is the stage where you understand practically everything thrown your way.

You can easily restructure, repackage and summarize information. You can communicate correctly in any manner, whether written or spoken.

You can distinguish different shades of meaning. And because of that, your communication is often really on point, even in complex scenarios.

At level C2, you can say or express exactly what you want.