The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

Objectives of the Council of Europe

The fundamental mission of the Council of Europe is to 'achieve a greater unity between its members,' also through the implementation of principles concerning language education, by developing programs aimed at promoting multilingual and multicultural education, and particularly by encouraging the promotion of autonomous learning.

The CEFR, or Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, was published in 2001 (the European Year of Languages). Its main purpose is to provide a method for assessing and teaching language skills that applies to all languages in Europe.

CEFR: Competence levels

The proficiency levels outlined in the CEFR are used throughout Europe and in other continents as benchmarks to provide a model based on 'common reference points' for designing language courses, preparing teaching materials, and assessing language proficiency; as an international standard, it allows the comparison of language proficiency levels across different educational systems and work contexts.

Furthermore, the CEFR introduces a series of innovative concepts that, as a whole, imply a paradigm shift in language education, particularly the view of users/learners as engaged in an action-oriented approach, which encourages the use of the entire linguistic repertoire to perform real-life tasks and further develop their intercultural awareness and their multilingual profile in the process.

Skills and levels description 

The proficiency levels provided by the CEFR are used to assess listening, reading, spoken interaction, spoken production, and writing skills. Here is a brief generic description of each level:

 A1 (Beginner): Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type.

A2 (Elementary): Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. 

B1 (Intermediate): Can understand and communicate on the main points of familiar topics and can deal with most situations that may arise while travelling in an area where the language is spoken.

B2 (Upper Intermediate): Can understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization. Can communicate with a fair degree of fluency and spontaneity.

C1 (Advanced): Can understand a wide range of complex and long texts and can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without too much effort in searching for words.

C2 (Proficiency): Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, even in more complex situations.

Language certifications

The CEFR has now become commonly used by many accredited certification centres. In fact, most exams for the issue of internationally recognized language certifications, which attest to the level of knowledge of a foreign language, are based on the CEFR.

For further information:

• Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
• Self-assessment and skill
• Self-assessment grid - Table 2 (CEFR 3.3) : Common Reference levels - Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) (coe.int)