FAQ

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF or CEFR) was put together by the Council of Europe as a way of standardising the levels of language exams in different regions. It is very widely used internationally and all important exams are mapped to the CEFR. There are six levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. These are described in the table below.

Level C2

The capacity to deal with material which is academic or cognitively demanding, and to use language to good effect at a level of performance which may in certain respects be more advanced than that of an average native speaker.

Level C1

The ability to communicate with the emphasis on how well it is done, in terms of appropriacy, sensitivity and the capacity to deal with unfamiliar topics.

Level B2

The capacity to achieve most goals and express oneself on a range of topics.

Level B1

The ability to express oneself in a limited way in familiar situations and to deal in a general way with nonroutine information.

Level A2

An ability to deal with simple, straightforward information and begin to express oneself in familiar contexts.

Level A1

A basic ability to communicate and exchange information in a simple way.