Language Level Help

When learning a foreign language it is important to choose learning contents according to your language level in order to learn appropriately. To be able to do that, you first have to find out what your language level is, which means you have to determine how good your foreign language skills currently are. The following information will help you to evaluate your language level. Then you can choose learning contents in our portals according to your needs. For that purpose, all the contents that address a certain language level are marked with a hint in the navigation column.

Below is an overview of the possibilities presented on this site for finding out your current language level:

• The Common European Framework – a guideline
• Relating your language level to the years of learning
• Self-assessment

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF) is a guideline used to describe the achievements of foreign language learners across Europe. It was put together by the Council of Europe to provide a method of assessing and comparing learners' language proficiency.

The Common European Framework divides learners into three broad divisions, which are then divided into six levels:

• Level A – Basic Speaker
  • A1 Breakthrough or beginner
  • A2 Waystage or elementary
• Level B – Independent Speaker
  • B1 Threshold or pre-intermediate
  • B2 Vantage or intermediate
• Level C – Proficient Speaker
  • C1 Effective Operational Proficiency or upper intermediate
  • C2 Mastery or advanced

The CEF describes your ability in the following skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing. Take a look at the descriptions and consider which statements apply to you. They help to roughly evaluate your language level.

Level	Description
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 the most complex situations.

Besides using self-assessment tests and estimating your language level according to the descriptions of the CEF, you can also relate your language level to the years of learning the foreign language. However, there are no international guidelines which allow a valid attribution of one's years of learning to a certain level because one language class can be very different from another.

If you are attending a (language) school, you can ask your teacher to assess or estimate your language level.

There are tests online designed to correspond to the Common European Framework for Languages. Use for example this test to assess your language level.