The CEFR

Meet the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) – the International Language Proficiency Standard

The CEFR is the most widely accepted scale of language proficiency, the ability to demonstrate control and range in spoken and written language. You may have heard of the Levels, A, B, C, 1&2, but what do these letters and numbers really mean? You may be surprised to hear that C actually means the highest level, whereas A1 is the most basic. Let’s get to know them better.

If you’ve been speaking a language (for our purposes, English) for a short time, and are still using translation sites to read basic things (like this post…) you are probably level A1. If you want to be able to travel the world, hop on and off public transit where you need to be, shop, find a restroom, or just not get lost, you will need at least A2. If you want to have a good conversation with a friend, shoot for B1. If you want to speak at a basic work level, B2. But when you’ll get to a higher position requiring high level English, you’ll need C1, and if you want to be a spokesperson, editor, or other high-level professional, you will need C2, the highest level of proficiency.