In short
- The six levels describe what a learner can do: A1 and A2 are basic user, B1 and B2 independent user, C1 and C2 proficient user.
- The CEFR is not a test and not a syllabus, and C2 does not mean native speaker.
- The steps are not equal: reaching B1 from A2 takes far longer than reaching A2, so a pupil can read well all year and keep the same letter.
- A level is not a grade, a pupil is rarely at one level in every skill, and a school should report movement inside a level.
The CEFR gives six levels, A1 to C2, and many schools that teach English report in them. The labels are short, and that is the problem. 'B1' tells a parent little, and it misleads a teacher who reads it as a grade. This article gives the official reading descriptor for every level and explains what the framework is and is not. It shows a short text at four levels, and ends with the three misreadings that cause most trouble in schools.
The six levels in one table
The CEFR has six levels in three bands: A1 and A2 (basic user), B1 and B2 (independent user), C1 and C2 (proficient user). The Council of Europe (2020) describes each level with can-do statements for every skill. The table quotes the overall reading descriptor for each level from the Companion Volume, so you can see what each level promises for reading.
| Level | Band | Overall reading comprehension (quoted) |
|---|---|---|
| C2 | Proficient user | "Can understand virtually all types of texts including abstract, structurally complex, or highly colloquial literary and non-literary writings." |
| C1 | Proficient user | "Can understand in detail lengthy, complex texts, whether or not these relate to their own area of speciality, provided they can reread difficult sections." |
| B2 | Independent user | "Can read with a large degree of independence, adapting style and speed of reading to different texts and purposes, and using appropriate reference sources selectively. Has a broad active reading vocabulary, but may experience some difficulty with low-frequency idioms." |
| B1 | Independent user | "Can read straightforward factual texts on subjects related to their field of interest with a satisfactory level of comprehension." |
| A2 | Basic user | "Can understand short, simple texts containing the highest frequency vocabulary, including a proportion of shared international vocabulary items." |
| A1 | Basic user | "Can understand very short, simple texts a single phrase at a time, picking up familiar names, words and basic phrases and rereading as required." |
Two things stand out. The descriptors speak of what the reader can do with texts, not of grammar points or test scores. And the conditions carry as much meaning as the verbs: 'short', 'familiar', 'straightforward', 'provided they can reread'. The Companion Volume also adds a Pre-A1 level below A1, for a reader who can "recognise familiar words/signs accompanied by pictures".
What is the CEFR, and what is it not?
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is a description of language ability. The Council of Europe published it in 2001 and extended it in 2020 with the Companion Volume. It describes what learners can do at six levels, skill by skill. Little (2006) summarises its content, purpose and origins, and traces its impact on teaching and on the assessment of proficiency.
It is not a test. The Council of Europe (2020) calls the descriptor scales "reference tools" and says they "are not intended to be used as assessment instruments". It is not a syllabus either. The Council of Europe (2001) says: "It is not the function of the Common European Framework to lay down the objectives that users should pursue or the methods they should employ." And nobody enforces it. The Companion Volume calls the CEFR "a tool to facilitate educational reform projects, not a standardisation tool", and notes that no body monitors its use.
Figueras (2012) reviews the framework's influence on learning, teaching and assessment ten years after its publication, and calls that influence unquestionable. A CEFR level is a shared description that a coursebook, an exam board and a reading platform can all refer to.
Three bands, six levels and the plus levels
The Council of Europe (2020) says the six levels "are not intended to be absolute". They group into three broad bands, and they are "very often subdivided". For reading, the bands look like this:
- Basic user (A1, A2). Very short, simple texts on familiar, concrete matters, built from the most frequent words.
- Independent user (B1, B2). Straightforward factual texts on topics the reader cares about at B1; at B2, reading with a large degree of independence, with a broad reading vocabulary and some trouble with rare idioms.
- Proficient user (C1, C2). Lengthy, complex texts of many kinds, including literary writing, given the chance to reread and use reference tools.
Between the levels sit the plus levels: A2+, B1+ and B2+. The Council of Europe (2020) describes them as "a very strong competence at a level that does not yet reach the minimum standard for the next criterion level". Features of the level above are starting to appear. They matter in schools, because a pupil can spend a whole year inside one level and still travel a long way.
One correction to a common belief. C2 does not mean native speaker. The Council of Europe (2001) says that C2 "is not intended to imply native-speaker or near native-speaker competence". It describes the precision, appropriateness and ease of highly successful learners.
How long does a level take?
Longer than the labels suggest, and the first steps are the shortest. The Council of Europe (2001) warns against reading the levels "as if they were a linear measurement scale like a ruler". It says experience "suggests that many learners will take more than twice as long" to reach B1 from A2 as they needed to reach A2, and the same again from B1 to B2.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment (n.d.) publishes a guideline in guided learning hours, counted from complete beginner.
| Level | Cumulative guided learning hours |
|---|---|
| A1 | 90 to 100 |
| A2 | 180 to 200 |
| B1 | 350 to 400 |
| B2 | 500 to 600 |
| C1 | 700 to 800 |
| C2 | 1,000 to 1,200 |
Read the table as a shape, not a promise. The hours are counted from zero. On these figures A2 lies about 90 to 100 hours beyond A1, and each later step needs roughly 150 to 200 hours or more. The two sources differ on the size of each step and agree that the first ones are the quickest. Your pupils' ages, timetable and exposure to English outside school will move the figures. Vocabulary tells the same story. Milton (2010) reports scores on a test of the 5,000 most frequent English words, for learners who passed Cambridge exams at each level. The scores were about 1,500 to 2,500 at A2, 2,750 to 3,250 at B1 and 3,250 to 3,750 at B2. He notes individual variation and overlap between the levels. How Many Words Do You Need at Each CEFR Level? looks at those figures in detail.
What does each level look like on the page?
The four texts below were written for this article. The levels are our judgement against the descriptors, and the texts have not been tried with pupils.
A1 (24 words)
This is Sara. She is nine. She has a cat. The cat is black. Its name is Max. Max likes milk. Sara likes Max.
A2 (36 words)
Sara lives in a flat near the park. Every morning she walks to school with her brother. Yesterday it rained, so they took the bus. Sara forgot her umbrella, but her brother gave her his jacket.
B1 (38 words)
Sara had been looking forward to the school trip for weeks, so she was disappointed when the coach broke down. While they waited, her teacher suggested a game, and by the time help arrived nobody wanted to leave.
B2 (39 words)
Sara's school had debated banning phones for months, and the arguments on both sides were familiar. What swung the vote was not a new rule but a survey, in which most pupils admitted they would rather read than scroll.
| Feature | A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentence length | 3 to 4 words | About 9 words | About 19 words | About 20 words |
| Time | Present only | Present habits, past simple events | Past perfect continuous, past simple | Past perfect, past simple, 'would rather' |
| What the reader must work out | Nothing: every fact is stated | Why they took the bus | Why nobody wanted to leave | What 'swung the vote' means, and the writer's attitude |
Notice that the B1 and B2 texts are almost the same length. Each sentence at B2 carries more: an opinion, a contrast, an idiom. Length is one sign of level, and a weak one on its own. What Can an A2 Reader Actually Read? shows one full story at three levels, and Grammar by CEFR Level lists the structures a reader meets at each step.
Three misreadings that cause trouble in schools
A level is not a grade
A grade ranks pupils against each other or against a pass mark. A CEFR level describes what a pupil can do with the language. Two pupils at B1 may be far apart inside the level, and a pupil who stays at B1 all year may have done nothing wrong.
A pupil is not 'at B1' in every skill
The Council of Europe (2020) says that "any simple answer like B2 – or even B2 receptive, B1 productive – hides a complex profile". The CEFR gives separate scales for reading, listening, speaking and writing so that a school can describe a profile, not a single point. A pupil can read at B1 and speak at A2, and a report should say so.
Movement inside a level is progress
Because the later levels take so long, a report that shows only the letter will show nothing for months. Use the plus levels, or the can-do statements, to show movement within A2 or B1. How to Measure CEFR Progress by Cohort shows how to do this across a term.
Classroom example (an illustration, not a case study)
A parent asks what 'A2' means. The teacher shows the A2 text above and says: 'Your daughter can read a short story like this on her own, and tell me what happened. Next year we are working towards a longer story, with more unknown words and events told out of order.' She keeps one sample text per level for this conversation.
How should a school use the levels?
- Place pupils by what they can read, not by age or year group. How to Assess a Student's English Reading Level describes a simple check.
- Turn the reading descriptors into a checklist for your own classes. CEFR Reading Can-Do Statements, A1 to B2 gives the full set.
- Level the texts as carefully as the pupils. A story labelled B1 should meet the B1 descriptors, not just look about right.
- Report by skill. Give reading its own line, and show plus levels or can-do progress inside the level.
How iRead handles this
In iRead, every story, quiz and game is levelled to the CEFR, from A1 to C2. A pack is a CEFR-levelled set of stories, so a B1 story means the same thing whichever pack it comes from. School leaders see, by class, grade and term, the levels reached, the words retained and the stories completed.
The core principle: A CEFR level describes what a pupil can do with a text. Read the conditions in each descriptor as carefully as the verbs, and report movement inside the level, not just the letter.
See it in iRead: Every story, quiz and game in iRead is levelled to the CEFR, from A1 to C2, so a level means the same thing across every pack.
See CEFR inside iReadKey takeaway
Six levels, three bands, and one rule: a level is a description of ability, not a grade or a test. Use the descriptors, expect the later steps to take longer than the first, and show progress within the level.
Frequently asked questions
What are the CEFR levels A1 to C2?
They are six levels of language ability described by the Council of Europe: A1 and A2 (basic user), B1 and B2 (independent user), C1 and C2 (proficient user). Each level is a set of can-do statements for listening, reading, speaking and writing, not a test score or a syllabus.
What is A2 level English?
A2 is the second level, the upper half of the basic user band. The Council of Europe (2020) describes an A2 reader as someone who can understand short, simple texts built from the highest-frequency vocabulary. Short stories, messages and signs are within reach; simple novels are not.
How long does it take to move up a CEFR level?
Cambridge University Press & Assessment (n.d.) suggests about 180 to 200 guided learning hours to reach A2 from beginner, 350 to 400 for B1 and 500 to 600 for B2. The Council of Europe (2001) warns that many learners need more than twice as long to reach B1 from A2 as they needed to reach A2.
Does C2 mean native-speaker level?
No. The Council of Europe (2001) states that C2 is not intended to imply native-speaker or near native-speaker competence. It describes the precision and ease of highly successful learners. The native speaker was not the reference point when the levels were built.
Sources
- Council of Europe (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Companion volume. Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg. rm.coe.int/common-european-framework-of-reference-for-languages-learning-teaching/16809ea0d4
- Council of Europe (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. rm.coe.int/1680459f97
- Little, D. (2006). The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Content, purpose, origin, reception and impact. Language Teaching, 39(3), 167-190. doi.org/10.1017/S0261444806003557
- Figueras, N. (2012). The impact of the CEFR. ELT Journal, 66(4), 477-485. doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccs037
- Cambridge University Press & Assessment (n.d.). Guided learning hours. Cambridge English Support Site. support.cambridgeenglish.org/hc/en-gb/articles/202838506-Guided-learning-hours
- Milton, J. (2010). The development of vocabulary breadth across the CEFR levels. In I. Bartning, M. Martin & I. Vedder (Eds.), Communicative proficiency and linguistic development (Eurosla Monographs Series 1), 211-232. www.eurosla.org/monographs/EM01/211-232Milton.pdf