In short
- The CEFR Companion Volume (2020) gives one overall reading comprehension scale and five more specific reading scales beneath it.
- A descriptor describes a kind of reading, not a test, so you have to add a text, a task and a pass mark.
- The official descriptors were not written for children, but in 2018 the Council of Europe published collections of pupil-friendly versions for ages 7 to 10 and 11 to 15.
- Record a statement as met only after a pupil has succeeded more than once, on different texts.
A can-do statement says what a learner can do with the language, not what they have studied. The CEFR's reading descriptors are the best-known examples, and schools quote them in curricula, reports and certificates. They are also easy to misuse. Little (2006) observed that the framework was widely referred to, yet little known beyond the summaries of its six levels. This article goes one layer deeper. It quotes the overall reading descriptors for A1 to B2, explains the scales beneath them, and shows how to turn a descriptor into a classroom check, a pupil-friendly target and a line in a report.
What are the CEFR reading can-do statements for A1 to B2?
The CEFR reading can-do statements are short descriptors of what a reader can understand at each level. The main scale is called overall reading comprehension. At A1 a learner reads very short, simple texts one phrase at a time. At A2 they read short, simple texts in everyday language. At B1 they read straightforward factual texts on subjects that interest them. At B2 they read with a large degree of independence.
The table gives the official wording. It is quoted word for word from the Companion Volume (Council of Europe, 2020, p. 54). That volume updates the descriptors first published in the framework itself (Council of Europe, 2001).
| Level | Descriptor (quotation) |
|---|---|
| A1 | "Can understand very short, simple texts a single phrase at a time, picking up familiar names, words and basic phrases and rereading as required." |
| A2 | "Can understand short, simple texts containing the highest frequency vocabulary, including a proportion of shared international vocabulary items." |
| A2+ | "Can understand short, simple texts on familiar matters of a concrete type which consist of high frequency everyday or job-related language." |
| B1 | "Can read straightforward factual texts on subjects related to their field of interest with a satisfactory level of comprehension." |
| B2 | "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." |
The same scale also has a Pre-A1 descriptor, about recognising familiar words with the help of pictures, and descriptors for C1 and C2. For the wider picture of all six levels, see CEFR levels explained.
What is a plus level such as A2+?
The A2 band in the table has two descriptors. The Companion Volume separates 'criterion levels' such as A2 from 'plus levels' such as A2+. It defines a plus level as "a very strong competence at a level that does not yet reach the minimum standard for the next criterion level". It adds that features of the level above are generally starting to appear.
Plus levels are useful in a school. The young learner collation (Goodier, 2018) notes how long school learners can take to move from one level to the next. A2+ gives you a step to report between A2 and B1.
Which reading scales sit under the overall one?
The overall scale is a summary. Beneath it the Companion Volume gives five scales, sorted by why a person reads and what they read.
| Scale | What it covers | One A2 descriptor (quotation) |
|---|---|---|
| Reading correspondence | Personal and formal letters, emails and posts | "Can understand short, simple personal letters." |
| Reading for orientation | Skimming and scanning to find something | "Can find specific, predictable information in simple everyday material such as advertisements, prospectuses, menus, reference lists and timetables." |
| Reading for information and argument | Careful reading of a text the reader has judged relevant | "Can understand texts describing people, places, everyday life and culture, etc., provided they use simple language." |
| Reading instructions | Notices, directions, recipes and manuals | "Can follow a simple recipe, especially if there are pictures to illustrate the most important steps." |
| Reading as a leisure activity | Fiction and non-fiction read for interest | "Can understand short narratives and descriptions of someone's life composed in simple language." |
Reading as a leisure activity is the scale closest to story reading. The Companion Volume says it is listed last only because it was added in 2018. At B1 it includes following "the plot of stories, simple novels and comics with a clear linear storyline", given regular use of a dictionary.
If your reading program is built on stories, quote this scale as well as the overall one. What can an A2 reader actually read? looks at one level in detail.
Were the descriptors written for children?
No. The Council of Europe's own young learner collation refers to the calibrated descriptors as "adult illustrative descriptors" (Goodier, 2018). You can see it in the wording. A2+ mentions "job-related language", and one B1 descriptor for correspondence mentions an area of professional interest. A nine-year-old has neither.
The same document states that the descriptors were calibrated "irrespective of specified age groups". So there is no separate, calibrated set for children. What exists is a collection. In 2018 the Council of Europe published two volumes of descriptors for young learners, one for ages 7 to 10 and one for ages 11 to 15. They were gathered from European Language Portfolios written in a range of member states, with assessment descriptors supplied by Cambridge.
The tables set each official descriptor beside versions that schools had already written for pupils. The authors are clear about the limits. They call the work "a selective and illustrative collation", and a first step towards descriptors calibrated for young learners.
How to write pupil-friendly 'I can' statements
The pupil versions in the collation keep the meaning of the official descriptor. They change the person, the context and the support. Here are three from the volume for ages 11 to 15 (Goodier, 2018), each aligned to an official descriptor.
- A1, reading correspondence: "I can understand short, simple messages on postcards, for example holiday greetings."
- A1, reading as a leisure activity: "I can roughly understand short texts in picture stories if the pictures help me to guess many things."
- A2, overall reading comprehension: "I can recognise different types of text and can read a short story with the help of word lists or pictures."
To write your own, follow the same pattern.
- Start from the official descriptor and keep its level. Do not make the reading harder or easier.
- Change 'Can' to 'I can' and use words the pupil already knows.
- Replace adult contexts with school ones: a class notice in place of a business letter.
- Name the support that is allowed, such as pictures, a word list or rereading. The official A1 descriptor itself allows rereading.
- Keep one kind of reading in each statement, so a pupil can tick it honestly.
How to turn a descriptor into a classroom check
A descriptor is not a test. Alderson et al. (2006) investigated whether the CEFR could guide the writing of reading and listening tests. They concluded that identifying a CEFR level is at least as much an empirical matter as a question of test content. In plain terms, you cannot read a level off the descriptor alone. You have to try the task with learners.
So a classroom check needs three things that the descriptor does not give you.
- A text. Choose one that fits the descriptor's text type, length and topic. For A2 leisure reading, that means a short narrative in simple language.
- A task. Decide what the pupil must do to show understanding: answer questions, put events in order, match headings to paragraphs.
- A pass mark. Decide before you mark how many correct answers count as success.
Classroom example (one way to do it, not an official test)
Descriptor (A2, reading as a leisure activity): "Can understand short narratives and descriptions of someone's life composed in simple language."
Text: a levelled A2 story of about one page, about a girl's first day at a new school. The class has not read it before.
Task: five questions. Who is the story about? Where does she go? What goes wrong? How does she feel at the end? Put these four events in order.
Pass mark: four out of five, set before marking. This figure is a school convention, not a CEFR rule.
Record: the date, the text and the score. Repeat with a different story two weeks later before you tick the statement.
The pass mark is your decision, because the CEFR does not set one. Agree it across the department, so that a tick means the same in every class. For the wider process, see how to assess a student's English reading level and formative assessment for reading.
Common mistakes with can-do statements
- Treating the descriptor as a test item. 'Can understand short, simple texts' does not say which text, or how you would know.
- Ticking a level after one success. One good result may reflect a familiar topic or a lucky guess. Look for success on several texts over several weeks.
- Using only the overall scale. A pupil may follow a story well and still struggle with instructions or a formal letter.
- Reading a level as a grade. The Companion Volume calls levels "a necessary simplification". A pupil has a profile, stronger in some kinds of reading than in others.
Figueras (2012) reviewed the framework's influence ten years after its publication. She wrote that its levels and scales had become currency in Europe and beyond. Its recommendations, she added, were only slowly finding their way into everyday practice. She also stated that the CEFR is not a model of absolute perfection.
How to report can-do statements to parents
Parents want to know what their child can now read, and what comes next. A level code alone tells them little. A can-do statement with evidence tells them much more.
- Give the level, and say what it means in one plain sentence.
- List two or three statements the pupil has met, in the pupil-friendly wording.
- Add the evidence: the stories read and the checks passed, with dates.
- Name one statement the pupil is working towards.
- Do not promise a date for the next level.
A report line might read: 'Lina is working at A2 in reading. She can read a short story with the help of pictures. She passed two story checks this term. Next, she is working on finding information in a timetable.' Reporting reading progress to parents covers the rest of the report.
How iRead handles this
Every story, quiz and game in iRead is levelled to the CEFR, from A1 to C2. A quiz runs after every session, with questions generated from the story itself, including comprehension of the plot. Vocabulary and quizzes are mapped to CEFR bands, so a B1 story means the same thing whichever pack it comes from. School leaders see levels reached, words retained and stories completed, by class, grade and term.
The core principle: A descriptor tells you what kind of reading to look for. The text, the task and the pass mark are yours to add, and one success is not a level.
See it in iRead: Every story, quiz and game in iRead is levelled to the CEFR, from A1 to C2. A quiz runs after every session, with questions generated from the story itself.
See CEFR inside iReadKey takeaway
Quote the descriptors accurately, rewrite them for your pupils, and check each one with a real text more than once before you report it.
Frequently asked questions
What are CEFR can-do statements for reading?
They are short descriptors of what a reader can understand at each CEFR level, from Pre-A1 to C2. The Companion Volume (Council of Europe, 2020) gives an overall reading comprehension scale and five specific scales, such as reading correspondence and reading as a leisure activity.
What can an A2 learner read according to the CEFR?
The overall A2 descriptor is: "Can understand short, simple texts containing the highest frequency vocabulary, including a proportion of shared international vocabulary items." On the leisure reading scale, A2 includes short narratives and descriptions of someone's life composed in simple language.
What is the difference between A2 and A2+?
A2+ is a plus level. The Companion Volume describes plus levels as a very strong competence at a level that does not yet reach the minimum standard for the next one. An A2+ reader is a strong A2 reader who is starting to show some B1 features.
Are there CEFR can-do statements for children?
There is no separately calibrated set. In 2018 the Council of Europe published two collations of descriptors for young learners, for ages 7 to 10 and 11 to 15. They gather pupil-friendly statements from European Language Portfolios and align them to the official descriptors.
How many times should a pupil succeed before I tick a statement?
The CEFR gives no number. A sensible school rule is success on two or three different texts, on different days, before you record the statement as met. One success can reflect a familiar topic.
Sources
- Council of Europe (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Companion volume. Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg. ISBN 978-92-871-8621-8. 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/16802fc1bf
- Goodier, T. (Ed.) (2018). Collated representative samples of descriptors of language competences developed for young learners. Resource for educators. Volume 1: Ages 7-10; Volume 2: Ages 11-15. Education Policy Division, Council of Europe, Strasbourg. rm.coe.int/16808b1689
- 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
- Alderson, J. C., Figueras, N., Kuijper, H., Nold, G., Takala, S., & Tardieu, C. (2006). Analysing tests of reading and listening in relation to the Common European Framework of Reference: The experience of the Dutch CEFR Construct Project. Language Assessment Quarterly, 3(1), 3-30. doi.org/10.1207/s15434311laq0301_2
- Figueras, N. (2012). The impact of the CEFR. ELT Journal, 66(4), 477-485. doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccs037