The Common European Framework
Overview of The Common European Framework
The Common European Framework (CEF) is a document produced by the Council of Europe and is designed to establish a common framework for assessing language ability across different languages and cultures. It is now used by many ministries of education, local education authorities, educational institutions, teachers’ associations and publishers around the world. You can view the full document on the Council of Europe website by clicking here.
How Do I Tell Which CEF Level My Students are ?
The table below describes competences for each level. C2 is the highest level and describes a proficient user, for example a native speaker who is a very proficient communicator, and A1 is the lowest and describes a basic user, for example someone who can achieve just a few basic tasks in the language.
The CEF Global Scale
| Proficient User | C2 | Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations. |
| C1 | Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning.Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions.Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices. | |
| Independent User | B2 | Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. |
| B1 | Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. | |
| Basic User | A2 | Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need. |
| A1 | Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help. |
Planning a Course
Useful Forms
How do the CEF levels correlate to international English examinations?
Trinity GESE
Graded Examinations in Spoken English
TOEFL iBT
Total Scores
City & Guilds
Cambridge General English
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CEF
| C2 Mastery | CPE | Grade 12 | Mastery | |||||
| C1 Effective Operative Profficiency | CAE | Grade 11 Grade 10 | Expert | 110 - 120 | ||||
| B2 Vantage | FCE | Grade 9 Grade 8 Grade 7 | Communicator | 87 - 109 | ||||
| B1 Threshold | PET | Grade 6 Grade 5 | Achiever | 57 - 86 | ||||
| A2 Waystage | YLE | KET | Grade 4 Grade 3 | Access | ||||
| A1 Breakthrough | YLE | Grade 2 | ||||||
| YLE | Grade 1 |
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Sources
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