Pro-ELT 2

CEFR Overview

All images © Mat Wright

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 What does it mean if you are at intermediate
level in English?

www.britishcouncil.org 2
Does intermediate refer to …

• how a learner communicates in an everyday situation in English?

• the amount of vocabulary a person has learned to use?

• the grammar items a person at that level understands?

How can we assess a learner’s achievement at an intermediate level?

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BASIC USER

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INDEPENDENT USER

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PROFICIENT USER

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 C2
1000-1200 hrs
C1
700-800 hrs
B2
500-600 hrs
B1
350-400 hrs
A2
180-200 hrs
A1
90-100 hrs
What do these English language levels mean to
you?

• Elementary

• Intermediate

• Advanced

www.britishcouncil.org 8
Do these levels refer to …
• how a learner communicates in English in real life?

• the amount of vocabulary a person has learned to use?

• the grammar items a person at each level understands?

How can we assess a learner’s

achievement at any of these levels?

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 Why CEFR?

• Needs analysis

• Transparency

• Language for a
purpose

• Communication

• Self assessment

British Council – EAQUAL

Core Inventory for General
English
 CEFR - Speaking
C2 Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer
shades of meaning even in more complex situations.

C1 Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled
use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

B2 Can give clear, systematically developed descriptions and presentations on a wide

range of subjects related to her/his field of interest,
with appropriate highlighting of significant points, and relevant supporting detail.

B1 Can reasonably fluently sustain a straightforward description of one of a variety of

subjects
within her/his field of interest, presenting it as a linear sequence of points.

A2 Can give a simple description or presentation of people, living or working conditions,

daily routines likes/dislikes, etc.
as a short series of simple phrases and sentences linked into a list.

A1 Can produce simple descriptions on mainly personal topics.

 CEFR – Writing
C2 Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources,
reconstructing
arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation.

C1. Can write clear, smoothly flowing, complex texts in an appropriate and effective
style and a logical structure which helps the reader to find significant points.

B2 Can write clear, detailed texts on a variety of subjects related to her/his field of
interest and shows an ability to use different registers within written texts.

B1 Can write straightforward connected texts on a range of familiar subjects within

her/his field of interest by linking a series of shorter discrete elements into a linear
sequence.

A2 Can write a series of simple phrases and sentences linked with simple connectors
like ‘and’, ‘but’ and ‘because’.

A1 Can write simple isolated phrases and sentences.

 Proficiency
Advanced
Upper Inter
Intermediate
Pre-inter
Elementary
Beginners
A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2