The CEFR Language Levels

Language Level A1

Listening

I can recognize familiar words and very basic phrases concerning myself, my family and immediate concrete surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly.

Reading

I can understand familiar names, words and very simple sentences, for example on notices and posters or in catalogues.

Spoken Interaction

I can interact in a simple way provided the other person is prepared to repeat or rephrase things at a slower rate of speech and help me formulate what I’m trying to say. I can ask and answer simple questions in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics.

Spoken Production

I can use simple phrases and sentences to describe where I live and people I know.

Writing

I can write a short, simple postcard, for example sending holiday greetings. I can fill in forms with personal details, for example entering my name, nationality and address on a hotel registration form.

Language Level A2

Listening

I can understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to areas of most immediate personal relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local area, employment). I can catch the main point in short, clear, simple messages and announcements.

Reading

I can read very short, simple texts. I can find specific, predictable information in
simple everyday material such as advertisements, prospectuses, menus and timetables and I can understand short simple personal letters.

Spoken Interaction

I can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar topics and activities. I can handle very
short social exchanges, even though I can’t usually understand enough to keep the conversation going myself.

Spoken Production

I can use a series of phrases and sentences to describe in simple terms my family and other people, living conditions, my educational background and my present or most recent job.

Writing

I can write short, simple notes and messages relating to matters in areas of immediate needs. I can write a very simple personal letter, for example thanking
someone for something.

Language Level B1

Anyone from this language proficiency level onward can make contributions to office meetings, have conversations with clients, and carry out most work functions requested of them. A person at level 3 or B1 can speak at a normal speed in the language and has a fairly extensive vocabulary.

Listening

I can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. I can understand the main point of many radio or TV programs on current affairs or topics of personal or professional interest when the delivery is relatively slow and clear.

Reading

I can understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency everyday or job-related language. I can understand the description of events, feelings and wishes in personal letters.

Spoken Interaction

I can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst traveling in an area where the language is spoken. I can enter unprepared into conversation on topics that are familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life (e.g. family, hobbies,  work, travel and current events).

Spoken Production

I can connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe experiences and events, my dreams, hopes and ambitions. I can briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. I can narrate a story or relate the
plot of a book or film and describe my reactions.

Writing

I can write simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. I can write personal letters describing experiences and impressions.

Language Level B2

Listening

I can understand extended speech and lectures and follow even complex lines
of argument provided the topic is reasonably familiar. I can understand most TV news and current affairs programs. I can understand the majority of films in standard dialect.

Reading

I can read articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems in which
the writers adopt particular attitudes or viewpoints. I can understand contemporary literary prose.

Spoken Interaction

I can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible. I can take an active part in
discussion in familiar contexts, accounting for and sustaining my views.

Spoken Production

I can present clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects related to my field of interest. I can explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the
advantages and disadvantages of various options.

Writing

I can write clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects related to my interests.
I can write an essay or report, passing on information or giving reasons in support
of or against a particular point of view. I can write letters highlighting the personal significance of events and experiences.

Language Level C1

Listening

I can understand extended speech even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signaled explicitly. I can understand television programs and films without too much effort.

Reading

I can understand long and complex factual and literary texts, appreciating distinctions of style. I can understand specialized articles and longer technical
instructions, even when they do not relate to my field.

Spoken Interaction

I can express myself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. I can use language flexibly and effectively for social and professional purposes. I can formulate ideas and opinions with precision and relate my contribution skillfully to those of other speakers.

Spoken Production

I can present clear, detailed descriptions of complex subjects integrating sub-themes, developing particular points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion.

Writing

I can express myself in clear, well-structured text, expressing points of view at some length. I can write about complex subjects in a letter, an essay or a report, underlining what I consider to be the salient issues. I can select style appropriate to the reader in mind.

Listening

I have no difficulty in understanding any kind of spoken language, whether live or
broadcast, even when delivered at fast native speed, provided I have some time
to get familiar with the accent.

Reading

I can read with ease virtually all forms of the written language, including abstract,
structurally or linguistically complex texts such as manuals, specialized articles and literary works.

Spoken Interaction

I can take part effortlessly in any conversation or discussion and have a good familiarity with idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms. I can express myself fluently and convey finer shades of meaning precisely. If I do have a problem I can backtrack and restructure around the difficulty so smoothly that other people are hardly aware of it.

Spoken Production

I can present a clear, smoothly-flowing description or argument in a style appropriate to the context and with an effective logical structure which helps the
recipient to notice and remember significant points.

Writing

I can write clear, smoothly-flowing text in an appropriate style. I can write complex letters, reports or articles which present a case with an effective logical structure which helps the recipient to notice and remember significant points. I can write summaries and reviews of professional or literary works.

Language Level Statistics

The US Foreign Service Institute (FSI) says that if you can study for ten hours a day, lower grouped languages take 48 days for basic fluency. Meanwhile, difficult languages should take you 72 days.

The next and most accurate answer is that it can take anywhere between three months to six years to learn how to speak, write, and read in a new language fluently.

In EF Education First’s 2021 English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) compiled test data from 2 million adults and used this data to rank nations according to their English skills.

The following are key findings from this year’s report:

• English proficiency has continued to improve around the world, albeit slowly. 16 countries moved up a proficiency band while only one dropped down.
• Levels in Europe continue to be the highest in the world and have improved significantly in the last decade.
• In Asia, levels in Central Asia and East Asia improved (despite declining in Japan) while the ASEAN region saw declines in population-weighted averages.
• Levels in Latin America continued their steady rise, despite Mexico continuing its decade-long decline. Noteworthy is also the lack of progress in women’s English levels in the region.
• Levels in Africa continue to vary significantly although several North African countries saw notable gains, particularly Algeria.
• Levels in the Middle East improved slightly, although adults under 25 have not improved at all and women continue to lag behind men.

On an individual level, the following findings also stood out:

• Adults aged over 30 improved their English levels the fastest and since 2015 have improved three times as much as those aged between 21-25.
• Men have caught up to women in terms of average English levels, improving their score from the previous year once again.
• Differences in English skills between managers and lower-ranking staff have evened out, but differences depending on job function (maintenance vs. marketing, for example) still persist.
• English proficiency levels are higher in big cities compared to rural areas, reflecting, in part, the draw of higher-paying jobs in urban centers.