THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

AND THE
COMMON EUROPEAN
FRAMEWORK OF REFERENCE
FOR LANGUAGES (CEFR)

Department of English Language and

Literature, University of Athens
The Council of Europe
 The CoE is an Educational/Cultural International
Organisation set up on 5 May 1949 by 10 Member
States with Greece joining three months later.
It is based in Strasbourg, France

 It now has 47 member states,

with Montenegro being the latest to join.
The Council of Europe: main goals
General aim
The Council of Europe was established to defend
human rights, parliamentary democracy and the rule of law.
Main goals
 to develop continent-wide agreements to standardize
member countries’ social and legal practices
 to promote respect for diversity and otherness
 to promote awareness of a European identity that is
based on shared values and which cuts across different
cultures.
The Council of Europe and language learning

The CoE attaches great importance to language learning as a

means of
 preserving linguistic and cultural identity

 improving communication and mutual understanding

 combating intolerance and xenophobia

 promoting social inclusion and social cohesion

 The European Day of Languages: An initiative of the Council

of Europe which is celebrated on the 26th September since
2001
European Day of Languages www.coe.int/edl
 The Council of Europe‘s cultural/educational agenda

 Through the learning of modern foreign languages we can

achieve:
 mutual understanding: the opportunity to learn other
languages is an essential condition for intercultural
communication and acceptance of cultural differences
 democratic citizenship: participation in democratic and social

processes in multilingual societies is facilitated by the

plurilingual competence of individuals
 social cohesion: equality of opportunity for personal
development, education, employment, mobility, access to
information and cultural enrichment depends on access to
language learning throughout life.
 
 COE and modern languages
 The importance of modern languages in the Council of Europe’s
overall strategy is shown in particular by the existence of:

The Language Policy Division The European Centre for Modern

in Strasbourg: www.coe.int/lang Languages in Graz: www.ecml.at

 Responsible for developing key policy documents and instruments

such as the Common European Framework of Reference
The Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages (CEFR)

Two key documents

 Council of Europe (CoE). (2001). Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,
teaching, assessment. Strasbourg: Council of
Europe. https://rm.coe.int/1680459f97

 Council of Europe (CoE). (2020). Common European

Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,
teaching, assessment. Companion Volume with New
Descriptors. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
https://rm.coe.int/common-european-framework-o
f-reference-for-languages-learning-teaching/16809e
a0d4
Video viewing task
 Watch the video and answer the questions on your
worksheet
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=KquYBc11FP0&feature=emb_logo&fbclid=I
wAR0_NzOzSi_s8YkxRv-OM1J4MZeDAnxBB-
wAZM-kMO_EkaWy4eW3euXHLUU
Origins of the CEFR
An intergovernmental Symposium held in Rόschlikon,
Switzerland in November 1991 recommended the
development of a Common European Framework for
Languages to
 promote and facilitate co-operation among educational
institutions in different countries
 provide a sound basis for the mutual recognition of
language qualifications
 assist learners, teachers, course designers, examining
bodies and educational administrators to situate and
coordinate their efforts.
 Mutual recognition of language qualifications:
What? Why?

Why?
Schools, universities, and language academies use many different
methodologies and many ways to describe proficiency levels.
What may be an intermediate level in one country may be an
upper-intermediate level in another. Levels may vary even among
institutions in the same area.
 Mutual recognition of language qualifications:
What? Why?

What?
Consider how you would describe to a learner what you mean by
intermediate:
• What is an intermediate level?
• Does intermediate refer to how a learner communicates in an
everyday situation in an English speaking country, to the
amount of vocabulary a person has learned to use, or to the
grammar items a person at that level understands?
• How can we assess a learner’s achievement at an intermediate
level if we don’t define exactly what we mean by intermediate?
 What is the CEFR?
Full name: The Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages (CEFR): learning, teaching, assessment

 a reference book (not be read from cover to cover)

 represents a logical development of the modern languages
programme of the Council of Europe over the last forty years
 a major ongoing project
 aims to provide a “comprehensive, transparent and coherent
framework for language teaching.”
 aims to describe the levels of proficiency required by existing
standards, tests and examinations in order to facilitate
comparisons between different systems of qualifications
What does the CEFR offer?

The CEFR describes in a comprehensive way what

language learners have to learn to do in order to use a
language for communication, what knowledge and skills
they have to develop so as to be able to act effectively and
it also describes the cultural context in which the language
is set.
Aims of the CEFR
The essential aim of the CEFR is to encourage transparency and
comparability in language teaching arrangements and language
qualifications. To this end, it proposes:
 a common methodology for analysing and describing

situations and choices in language teaching and learning;

 a common terminology for all languages and educational

contexts;
 a common scale of levels of language proficiency to assist

with goal-setting and learning outcome assessment.

Main components of the CEFR
 The Global scale
 Self-assessment grids
 Descriptive scheme/illustrative scales
 (1) The Global scale

Includes levels of proficiency which allow learners’ progress to be

measured at each stage of learning on a lifelong basis. It consists
of 6 different levels of performances grouped into 3 bands:
 basic user (A1 and A2)

 independent user (B1 and B2)

 proficient user (C1 and C2)

The Global Scale: usefulness
The 6 different levels of performance:
 match general concepts of basic, intermediate, advanced

 are not language-specific. They can be used to compare

achievement and learning across languages: an A2 in Spanish

is the same as an A2 in Japanese or English.
 help teachers, academics, and course book writers to decide

on curriculum and syllabus content and to choose

appropriate course books, etc.
 The Global Scale: Basic User
A1 Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very
basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type.
Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer
questions about personal details such as where he/she lives,
people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a
simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and
is prepared to help.

A2 Can 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). Can
communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and
direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.
Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background,
immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.
 The Global Scale: Independent User
B1 Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar
matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal
with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where
the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on
topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe
experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly
give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

B2 Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete

and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of
specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity
that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible
without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a
wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue
giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
 The Global Scale: Proficient User
C1 Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and
recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and
spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can
use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and
professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed
text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational
patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

C2 Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can

summarise information from different spoken and written sources,
reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation.
Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely,
differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex
situations.
Proficiency defined by “can do” descriptors

 It is fundamental to the CEFR’s action-oriented approach that

we use language to do things

 Thus the successive proficiency levels are defined in terms of

what learners can do in the second/foreign language(s) they
know or are learning
 Features of can-do statements
 Positiveness: descriptors should be formulated using positive
descriptions of what learners are able to do; negatively worded
descriptions tend to be demotivating and are more difficult to
scale
 Definiteness: descriptors should describe concrete tasks and/or
concrete degrees of skill in performing tasks
 Clarity: descriptors should be transparent and non-technical –
written in simple syntax, comprehensible without explanation,
usable without training
 Brevity: descriptors should be short
 Independence: descriptors should stand on their own, their
interpretation should not depend on other descriptors, and
they should allow for straightforward yes/no decisions
(2) Self-assessment grids

 This is a tool intended to help learners self-assess their level

of proficiency and chart their progress in the foreign
language.
 It represents all 6 levels and is divided in the four skills
 Understanding (Listening and Reading)
 Speaking (Spoken Interaction and Spoken Production)
 Writing.
 The statements are expressed in terms of what the learner
can do in each skill and for each level
Self-assessment grid
Self-assessment grid
 (3) Descriptive scheme:
illustrative scales

For each level, the full CEFR document complements this by

describing in depth
 Competencies necessary for effective communication.

 Skills and knowledge related to language learning and

competencies.
 Situations (people, place, time, organization, etc.)and contexts

(study, work, social, tourism, etc.) in which communication takes

place.
which make up the abilities of a user of language at a given level
(what the learner needs to learn to do in order to be able to use the
language effectively and what knowledge, skills and strategies the
learner needs in order to use the language effectively).
Illustrative scales
 There are illustrative scales for the “activities” of listening,
reading, spoken interaction, spoken production, written
interaction, written production
 The term "communicative language activity" is defined in the
CEFR as a description of what a language user or learner is
“able to do with a language” (CEFR, p. 43).
 A major part of chapter 4 of the CEFR treats such activities,
specifically by defining them in detailed operational
descriptions in the form of scales or sub-scales.
Example: OVERALL WRITTEN PRODUCTION
(CEFR, p. 61)
C2 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.

Cl Can write clear, well-structured texts of complex subjects, underlining the relevant salient
issues, expanding and supporting points of view at some length with subsidiary points,
reasons and relevant examples, and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion.

B2 Can write clear, detailed texts on a variety of subjects related to his/her field of interest,
synthesizing and evaluating information and arguments from a number of sources.

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

Language competence
 In order to carry out these activities, language users and
learners use a range of competences, which is the second
major meta-category in the CEFR. These competences are
acquired in the course of the user / learner’s previous
linguistic experience, principally as s/he participates in
communicative activities (CEFR p.101).
(described in Chapter 5 of the CEFR)
Language competences
 General linguistic range
 Vocabulary control

 Vocabulary range

 Grammatical accuracy

 Phonological control

 Orthographic control

 Sociolinguistic appropriateness

 Flexibility

 Turntaking

 Coherence/cohesion

 Spoken fluency
Illustrative descriptors for grammatical accuracy

C2 Maintains consistent grammatical control of complex language, even while attention is otherwise
engaged (e.g. in forward planning, in monitoring others’ reactions).

C1 Consistently maintains a high degree of grammatical accuracy; errors are rare and difficult to
spot.

B2+ Good grammatical control; occasional ‘slips’ or non-systematic errors and minor flaws in
B2 sentence structure may still occur, but they are rare and can often be corrected in retrospect.

Shows a relatively high degree of grammatical control. Does not make mistakes which lead to
misunderstanding.
B1+ Communicates with reasonable accuracy in familiar contexts; generally good control though with
B1 noticeable mother tongue influence. Errors occur, but it is clear what he/she is trying to express.

Uses reasonably accurately a repertoire of frequently used ‘routines’ and patterns associated
with more predictable situations.

A2 Uses some simple structures correctly, but still systematically makes basic mistakes – for
example tends to mix up tenses and forget to mark agreement; nevertheless, it is usually clear
what he/she is trying to say.

A1 Shows only limited control of a few simple grammatical structures and sentence patterns in a
learnt repertoire.
The CEFR: New developments

 The CEFR (2001) has been characterised as “work

in progress” and since its publication and use
requests have been made to complement the
original illustrative scales with descriptors for
mediation, reactions to literature and online
interaction, to produce versions for young learners
and for sign languages, as well as to develop more
detailed coverage in the descriptors for A1 and the
C levels
 The CEFR companion volume (2018/2020)

Aim: to update the CEFR illustrative descriptors by:

► adding new scales with descriptors for
 mediation and plurilingual / pluricultural competence
 Online communication
► adding more elaborate descriptors in existing scales of listening and
reading
► introducing a new ‘Pre-A1’ level
► enriching the description at A1, and at the C levels, particularly C2
CEFR Developments: Mediation
 For mediation, an important concept introduced in the CEFR
which has assumed even greater importance with the
increasing linguistic and cultural diversity of our societies,
no validated and calibrated descriptors existed.
 The development of descriptors for mediation was, therefore,
the longest and most complex part of the project that led to
the production of the CEFR Companion Volume.
 Descriptor scales are provided for mediating a text, for
mediating concepts, for mediating communication, as well as
for the related mediation strategies and
plurilingual/pluricultural competences.
 Overall: Features of the CEFR
The working group of authors state that the CERF sets out to be
 Comprehensive: It tries to specify the full range of language

knowledge, skills and use so that all users are able to describe
their objectives by reference to it.
 Transparent: Information must be clearly formulated, explicit,

available and readily comprehensible to users.

  Coherent: Free from internal contradictions.

  Multi-purpose: Usable for the full variety of purposes involved in

the planning and provision of facilities for language learning

  Flexible: Adapted for use in different circumstances

  Open: Capable of further extension and refinement

  Non-dogmatic: Not irrevocably and exclusively attached to any

 Syllabus design
Examinations
Teaching materials Teacher training

47
 Who is the CEFR for?

National Language
Education &
Learners Course writers
Certification
Authorities

Language
Teachers Publishers
Certification Bodies

Assessors/testers/
Syllabus designers Employers
exam setters
Intended users of CEFR (i)

Curriculum/ • By helping them decide on the

objectives for language learning
Course • By helping decide on the content
developers of language learning programmes

Test • By helping decide on their

developers assessment criteria
and Language • By helping them decide on the
Certification content of their exams
boards
 Intended users of CEFR (ii)

Learners •By helping them identify their present

state of knowledge
(through self- •By helping them set worthwhile and
assessment feasible objectives encouraging thus self
scales) assessment and learner autonomy

Textbook writers • By helping them to decide on the types

and materials of texts, topics and tasks that need to
developers be included in materials
Uses of the CEFR- a road map
 We can view the CEFR as a tool for “mapping” a learner’s
journey in learning a language. In many ways the CEFR is
similar to a road map. A road map shows you how to get from
point A to point B. It presents possible routes but does not
specify which one you should follow, nor does it determine
the length of your journey.
 Similarly, the CEFR shows us a path to follow for learning a
language but doesn’t take us on the journey.
 How learners reach the different levels depends on many
factors, including teaching methodology, students’
motivation, their reason or purpose for learning, the course
book and materials used, time spent, etc.
Defining how long it will take to reach
each CEF level

 A1 Approximately 90 - 100 hours

 A2 Approximately 180 - 200 hours
 B1 Approximately 350 - 400 hours
 B2 Approximately 500 - 600 hours
 C1 Approximately 700 - 800 hours
 C2 Approximately 1,000 - 1,200 hours
Useful websites
 Council of Europe / Conseil de l’Europe www.coe.int
 Language Policy Division www.coe.int/lang
 ECML / CELV www.ecml.at
 Council of Europe. Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2001.
https://www.eui.eu/Documents/ServicesAdmin/LanguageCentre/C
EF.pdf

 CEFR website https://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic//Cadre1_en.asp

 CEFR Companion Volume
 file:///C:/Users/kia/Documents/CEFR-Companion-Volume-with-%20
New-Descriptors_ProvEdition-Sept17.docx.pdf
Other related publications
 Guide for the development and implementation of curricula for plurilingual
and intercultural education (2015), https://rm.coe.int/16806ae621 which
constitutes an operationalization and further development of CEFR Chapter 8
on language diversification and the curriculum.
 ► Competences for Democratic Culture: Living together as equals in
culturally diverse democratic societies (2016), the sources for which helped to
inspire some of the new descriptors for mediation included in the companion
volume. https://rm.coe.int/16806ccc07

 Users concerned with school education may also wish to consult the paper
Education, mobility, otherness: the role of mediation in schools (2015), which
helped the conceptualisation of mediation in the descriptor development
project.
https://rm.coe.int/education-mobility-otherness-the-mediation-functions-of-sc
hools/16807367ee