CEFR English: understanding levels A1 to C2

“B2 level”, “fluent English”, “bilingual”: these expressions remain vague without a common reference point. The CEFR provides an objective framework for situating a language level, regardless of the evaluating organization. This fact sheet details the six levels, their origin, what they concretely cover, their equivalences with the main certifications, and their use in the French school and professional system.

What is the CEFR?

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is a document published by the Council of Europe in 2001, following several years of linguistic research conducted by experts from member states. Its objective goes beyond mere assessment: it provides a common basis for designing curricula, diplomas, and certifications, in order to promote educational and professional mobility in Europe and beyond.

The CEFR does not measure isolated grammatical knowledge. It describes skills that can be mobilized in concrete situations: understanding a conversation, writing a message, interacting with an interlocutor, or translating information from one language to another. A complementary volume published in 2018 enriched the initial scale, with new descriptors for mediation, plurilingual competence, and a more detailed breakdown of levels A1 (with the addition of pre-A1) and C2.

In France, this scale is incorporated into the education code for pupils in primary, middle, and high schools. 

The CEFR is to be distinguished from the European Language Portfolio, a self-assessment tool linked to the scale but distinct from it. The CEFR scale serves as a common reference; the portfolio is a practical application of it, intended for the learner themselves.

The 3 categories and the 6 levels

The CEFR scale is structured into three general stages, each subdivided into two levels. This continuous progression goes from discovering the language to near-native mastery.

An A0 level, absent from the official Council of Europe scale, has been added by most language schools to designate absolute beginners with no knowledge of the language. In English, an A0 person generally cannot say “I”, “my name is…” or count to five. This level remains rare in France due to English being taught in schools, but it concerns some adults who have never taken courses or been exposed to the language.

A1 level: discovery

The A1 level corresponds to a basic user at the introductory stage. An A1 person can:

• understand and use familiar, everyday expressions aimed at satisfying concrete needs;
• introduce themselves or someone else, ask simple questions and answer them;
• communicate if the interlocutor speaks slowly and clearly and is cooperative.

At this level, traveling abroad remains anxiety-inducing and simple formalities are not straightforward: understanding a tourist guide, booking a room, or following an announcement at an airport requires significant effort. In France, this level remains common among students taking the baccalauréat outside the European section. Professionally, this level remains insufficient regardless of the target job.

A2 level: intermediate or basic

Often called “false beginner” because a substantial vocabulary may already have been acquired without the ability to communicate following suit, the A2 level allows one to:

• understand isolated sentences related to familiar areas (personal information, shopping, immediate environment, work);
• exchange simple and direct information on habitual topics;
• describe their immediate environment and training with limited means.

Travel becomes possible but remains laborious: meeting foreigners, booking a hotel, or ordering at a restaurant are within reach of an A2 person, but understanding a guide during a tourist visit can prove difficult. This level is generally still considered too low by recruiters, regardless of the sector.

B1 level: threshold level

The B1 level marks the transition to real autonomy, although limited on complex topics. A B1 person can:

• understand the main points of clear, standard language on familiar topics, at work, school, or leisure;
• cope with most situations encountered while traveling in a region where English is spoken;
• produce simple, coherent speech, recount an event, an experience, or a dream, and briefly explain the reasons for a project.

Professionally, this level opens access to jobs oriented towards international communication at the bac+2 level: cabin crew, reception roles, restaurant and hotel sectors, technical functions in liaison with foreign counterparts. It is also at this level that a first certification (TOEIC around 700 points, Cambridge Preliminary) becomes relevant.

B2 level: fluent English

The B2 level corresponds to what is commonly called “fluent English”. A B2 person can:

• understand the essential content of a complex text, including technical discussion in their field of specialization;
• converse with a degree of spontaneity and ease such that an exchange with a native speaker involves no strain for either party;
• express themselves clearly and in detail on a wide range of topics, give an opinion on a current issue, and present the advantages and disadvantages of different options.

In France, the B2 level is the official target for the baccalauréat in Language A, according to the texts from the Ministry of National Education. Many professions at the bac+5 level require it as a minimum threshold: engineers, architects, top business schools, corporate lawyers, researchers on international projects, international project managers, export sales representatives. At this level, using English for travel, exchanging orally and in writing, or browsing the internet no longer poses practical difficulty, even if vocabulary and idiom mastery remains perfectible.

C1 level: proficient user

The C1 level corresponds to advanced mastery. A C1 person can:

• understand a wide variety of long, demanding texts, and grasp implicit meanings;
• express themselves spontaneously and fluently, without visibly searching for words;
• use the language effectively and flexibly in their social, professional, or academic life;
• structure complex discourse and demonstrate control of organizational, articulation, and cohesion devices.

At this level, expatriation can be considered with confidence, and not only travel but also long-term settlement in an English-speaking country poses no problem. Few professions require this level, with the exception of specific jobs such as airline pilot, where passenger safety imposes this standard.

C2 level: mastery

The C2 level is the highest on the scale. A C2 person can:

• understand with ease virtually everything they read or hear;
• summarize facts and arguments from multiple written and oral sources, coherently;
• express themselves spontaneously, very fluently, and precisely, distinguishing fine shades of meaning on complex topics.

This level is more often achieved by native speakers than by French-speaking learners, except through in-depth study or extended stays in English-speaking countries. It should not, however, be confused with native competence: the latter lies beyond the scale and, according to the texts from the Ministry of National Education, no longer constitutes the ideal model against which to assess a learner’s competence. Professionally, a C2 person can work equally well in English or in their native language, which opens up all jobs that use English.

Skills assessed by the CEFR

The CEFR breaks down communicative competence into several language communication activities, which replace the older notion of “competence” in the framework’s terminology:

• Reception: listening, reading;
• Production: speaking continuously, writing;
• Interaction: taking part in a conversation;
• Mediation: translating, interpreting, reformulating, facilitating communication between two parties that do not share the same language or code.

The term competence, in the framework, rather designates more general components: the linguistic component (lexicon, grammar, phonology), the sociolinguistic component (markers of social relations, politeness rules, dialects), and the pragmatic component (choice of discursive strategies to achieve a specific goal). The same overall level can thus cover different results depending on the activity: a person can read at a B2 level while interacting orally at a B1 level.

The CEFR also relies on the notion of “task”, inherited from the action-oriented approach: language use is not dissociated from the actions performed by the learner, whether assembling furniture by following instructions or arguing to win a decision.

Equivalences with international certifications

Each CEFR level corresponds to a score range in the main English certifications.

The TOEIC, designed to assess professional English, does not cover the C2 level. For this level, IELTS Academic or Cambridge Proficiency remain more suitable choices. Cambridge certifications have a particular advantage: they are independent of the evaluating organization and transferable to any language, unlike systems specific to a single country or certification. A TOEIC or Linguaskill certification remains valid for two years for inclusion on a CV, while a Cambridge diploma (such as CAE or CPE) is valid for life.

The CEFR in the French school system

The Ministry of National Education sets level objectives at each stage of schooling, detailed in the foreign and regional language curricula. The introductory A1 level is targeted at the end of primary school, and the basic A2 level at the end of middle school. In high school, the threshold B1 level is expected in Language B and the advanced B2 level in Language A. An enhanced high school pathway may target the C1 level, and an international pathway the C2 level.

This progression marks out learning without claiming to replicate the competence of a native speaker: it is a common reference tool for teachers, students, course designers, and certification bodies, enabling efforts to be coordinated and productions to be situated relative to one another. Modern language results in the general and technological baccalauréat are based on continuous assessment and a final exam, with a CEFR level certificate issued in addition to the diploma.

Why precisely determine your level

Determining your level according to the CEFR, rather than based on personal judgment or a number of years of theoretical learning, offers several concrete benefits. It allows you to set realistic goals, choose an appropriate training pathway or certification, and measure progress over time in a way that is comparable across organizations. The same CEFR score, obtained via a Cambridge test or a TOEIC, remains interpretable by any European recruiter or institution, which is not guaranteed with scales specific to a single country or institution.