CEFR Levels Explained: What A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2 Mean

The CEFR, or Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, is a scale the Council of Europe published in 2001 to describe language skills. The same six levels work for Spanish, Korean or any other language. Each level is a set of "can do" statements, such as being able to introduce yourself or follow the main points of a talk. A 2020 update, called the Companion Volume, added new statements, such as ones for chatting online.

Bubblegum has lessons at your level in dozens of languages. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes them, and each exam guide below has one you can read.

What Do A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2 Mean?

The six levels come in three pairs. A1 and A2 are a basic user, B1 and B2 an independent user, and C1 and C2 a proficient user.

1. A1

   Basic user

   You can use everyday phrases, introduce yourself, and answer simple questions about where you live and who you know. You can talk with someone who speaks slowly and helps you.

2. A2

   Basic user

   You can understand common phrases about shopping, family, work and your local area, and handle short, routine exchanges about familiar things.

3. B1

   Independent user

   You can follow the main points of clear speech or writing about work, school and free time, and get by in most situations while you travel. You can describe your plans and give short reasons.

4. B2

   Independent user

   You can understand the main ideas of complex texts, including ones about your own field, and talk with speakers of the language easily enough that neither side has to work hard.

5. C1

   Proficient user

   You can read long, demanding texts and notice what they mean without saying it. You speak smoothly without much hunting for words, at work, at school and with friends.

6. C2

   Proficient user

   You can understand almost everything you hear or read, sum up what several sources say, and show small differences in meaning even on hard topics.

The CEFR also has a self-assessment grid that splits each level into listening, reading, speaking and writing. You might be at B1 in reading and A2 in speaking.

Which Exams Give You a CEFR Level?

An official CEFR level comes from an exam. Exam makers link their own tests to the CEFR, and the Council of Europe says checking that link isn't its job. Here is how the main exams line up with it.

Two big exams don't list CEFR levels. TOPIK for Korean and the HSK for Mandarin list their own levels with no CEFR level beside them.

How to Find Your CEFR Level

• 📋Read the Level LinesRead the six descriptions above and stop at the first one that sounds harder than what you can do now. Your level is the one before it.
• 🔀Check Each SkillAsk yourself the same question for reading, listening, speaking and writing. It's normal to land on two different levels.
• 📝Try an Exam SampleEach exam guide linked above points to free sample papers. A sample at your level should feel hard but possible.

To move up a level, you need lots of comprehensible input: reading and listening to the language at a level where you follow nearly everything. There's no official number of study hours for each level.

Frequently Asked Questions About the CEFR