Levels

The CEFR (The Common European Framework of Reference)

A1 (Breakthrough or beginner) student will be able to:

  • Understand and use basic phrases and word combinations to express specific needs;
  • Introduce him/herself and others;
  • Form questions and answers about him/herself and others, e.g. where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has;
  • Interact with people speaking English under the condition that they speak slowly, clearly and are ready to help.

A2 (Waystage or elementary) student will be able to:

  • 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)
  • Communicate in basic and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters
  • Can describe in basic terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need

B1 (Threshold or intermediate) student will be able to:

  • Acquire understanding of the main issues of clear and typical information about current affairs in familiar sphere at work, at school, in his/her free time, etc;
  • Work their way out of possible situations that may occur in a foreign country while abroad;
  • Express himself/herself using simple connected sentences of familiar topics or personal interests;Speak about personal experience, events, dreams, expectation and ambitions, and also speak shortly about his/her plans for the future.

B2 (Threshold or intermediate) student will be able to:

  • Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization;
  • Interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite natural and without confusion from either party;
  • Produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and express a viewpoint on a topical issue while discussing the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

C1 (Effective Operational Proficiency or advanced) student will be able to:

  • Understand a wide range of demanding, lengthy texts, and recognize implicit meanings;
  • Express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions;
  • Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes;
  • Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

C2 (Mastery or proficiency) student will be able to:

  • Understand with ease virtually everything heard or read;
  • Summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation;
  • Express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, recognizing nuances of meaning even in the most complex situations.

Deutsche Welle magazine (sponsored by the German government) has calculated that

  • A1 is reached with about 75 hours of English tuition.
  • A2 – about 225 hours.
  • B1 – about 300 hours.
  • B2 – about 400 hours.

The description is used for any European language.