In short
- At A2 the official descriptors speak of short, simple texts, familiar and concrete topics, and high-frequency everyday language.
- Short stories, comic strips, personal messages, menus and illustrated instructions are within reach; simple novels and texts that give opinions belong to B1.
- Estimates of A2 vocabulary size differ with the test and with how words are counted, so treat any figure as a rough guide.
- The step from A2 to B1 is longer than the step before it, so plan to report progress inside A2.
Teachers meet 'A2' on coursebooks, exam certificates and library shelves. The label is less clear when you have to choose a book. Can this class read a long story? A news article? This article answers from the official descriptors of the Council of Europe. It then shows one short story at A2, with the same story at A1 and at B1, so you can see the steps. It ends with vocabulary size and the long road from A2 to B1.
The short answer
An A2 reader can understand short, simple texts on familiar, concrete matters, written in high-frequency everyday language. The CEFR Companion Volume (Council of Europe, 2020) describes A2 reading in those terms. In practice that means short stories and comic strips, short personal letters and messages, signs, menus and timetables, and simple descriptions of people and places.
An A2 reader cannot yet read a simple novel alone, follow an argument, or cope with a text on an unfamiliar subject. Those abilities appear in the B1 descriptors. Three words carry most of the meaning of A2: short, simple and familiar.
What do the official descriptors say?
The Companion Volume has one overall scale for reading and five scales for kinds of reading. A2 is a wide band, so most scales give several descriptors for it. The table quotes three of the scales.
| Scale | What an A2 reader can do |
|---|---|
| Overall reading comprehension | "Can understand short, simple texts containing the highest frequency vocabulary, including a proportion of shared international vocabulary items." |
| Reading for information and argument | "Can understand texts describing people, places, everyday life and culture, etc., provided they use simple language." |
| Reading as a leisure activity | "Can understand short narratives and descriptions of someone's life composed in simple language." |
| Reading as a leisure activity | "Can understand enough to read short, simple stories and comic strips involving familiar, concrete situations described in high frequency everyday language." |
Look at the conditions attached. 'Provided they use simple language.' 'Familiar, concrete situations.' 'Short.' The descriptors do not say that an A2 reader understands stories. They say that an A2 reader understands stories of a certain kind.
Now compare the level on each side. At A1, the leisure reading scale speaks of "short, illustrated narratives about everyday activities described in simple words". At B1, the reader "can follow the plot of stories, simple novels and comics with a clear linear storyline and high frequency everyday language, given regular use of a dictionary". For the full set, see CEFR Reading Can-Do Statements, A1 to B2.
What can an A2 reader read alone, with support, and not yet?
The table turns the descriptors into shelves. The first column follows the A2 descriptors and the last follows the B1 descriptors. The middle column is our classroom reading of the gap between them. It is not an official category.
| Kind of text | Can read alone | With support | Not yet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stories | Short, simple stories and comic strips about familiar, concrete situations | A longer levelled story, read in parts, with pictures, audio or a word list | Simple novels |
| Information | Short texts on everyday topics such as hobbies, sports and weather | A short news report on a familiar kind of event, where the title, names and pictures help | Straightforward factual texts on school subjects; texts in which people give their points of view |
| Messages and letters | Short, simple personal letters, emails and posts about friends or family | A routine formal letter on a familiar topic, read with the teacher | Letters that give a detailed account of events and experiences |
| Practical texts | Signs, notices, menus and timetables; brief instructions with pictures | Rules or a recipe in simple language, with some words taught first | Instructions written as continuous text, as in a manual |
Unknown words follow the same pattern. At A2, the descriptors expect a reader to use the overall meaning of a short, concrete text to guess a word. At B1, the reader works out occasional unknown words when the topic is familiar. Neither level is expected to cope with many unknown words at once.
One story at three levels
The three texts below tell the same story. They were written for this article, and the levels are our judgement against the descriptors. They have not been tried with pupils. Start with the A2 version.
A2 version (91 words)
Omar lives in a small town near the sea. Every Saturday he helps his uncle at the fish market. Last Saturday Omar got up late and missed the bus, so he walked to the market. When he arrived, his uncle was not angry. He gave Omar a cup of tea and said, 'You are here now. That is the important thing.' Omar worked hard all morning. He sold more fish than ever before. In the afternoon his uncle gave him a new bicycle. 'Now you don't need the bus,' he said.
A1 version (53 words, with a picture for each step)
Omar helps his uncle. They sell fish at the market. It is Saturday. Omar is late. There is no bus. He walks to the market. His uncle is not angry. He gives Omar tea. Omar sells a lot of fish. His uncle is happy. He gives Omar a bicycle. Omar is happy too.
B1 version (93 words)
Omar had helped at his uncle's fish stall every Saturday since he was ten, and he had never been late. That morning, however, he overslept and missed the only bus into town. By the time he reached the market, he was out of breath and expected his uncle to be furious. Instead, his uncle handed him a cup of tea. Omar was so relieved that he worked harder than ever, and by noon the stall had sold out. That afternoon his uncle, who had been saving for months, surprised him with a bicycle.
| Feature | A1 | A2 | B1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average sentence | About 4 words | About 9 words | About 16 words |
| Time | Present only | Present for habits, past simple for the events | Past simple and past perfect |
| Joining words | None | and, so, when | since, however, by the time, so ... that, who |
| Feelings | One plain word: 'happy' | Stated plainly: 'was not angry' | Named and explained: 'so relieved that' |
| Help the reader needs | A picture for each step | A title or one picture | A dictionary for 'overslept' or 'furious' |
The B1 version is no longer than the A2 version. Each sentence carries more: two or three ideas, and a look back in time. Length is only one sign of level. How Is a Story Levelled to the CEFR? explains the checks behind these choices.
How many words does an A2 reader know?
Researchers give different figures, because they test and count in different ways. Milton (2010) reviews results from a test of the 5,000 most frequent English words. The learner sees a word and says whether they know it. A base word and its regular inflected forms count as one word.
On that test, learners who took Cambridge exams at A2 scored about 1,500 to 2,500. Those at B1 scored about 2,750 to 3,250. Milton (2010) also reports Milton and Alexiou (2009), who tested learners placed at CEFR levels by their teachers. In one Greek language school, the A2 learners of English averaged 2,156 words and the B1 learners 3,263.
- The test has a ceiling. It samples only the 5,000 most frequent words, not a learner's whole vocabulary.
- Counting changes the number. Milton (2010) explains that some counts use the word family, which also groups derived forms under one word.
- Levels overlap. Milton (2010) notes individual variation and overlap between the scores at different levels.
Size matters for reading because of coverage. Hu and Nation (2000) found that adult readers needed to know around 98% of the words in a story to read it without help. An A2 reader meets that condition only in texts written with a small, common vocabulary. For more on the figures, see How Many Words Do You Need at Each CEFR Level?.
Why does the step from A2 to B1 take so long?
The levels look like equal steps on a ladder. They are not. The CEFR (Council of Europe, 2001) warns against reading the levels like a ruler. It says experience suggests that "many learners will take more than twice as long" to reach B1 from A2 than they needed to reach A2. The reason it gives is the broadening of the range of activities, skills and language.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment publishes a guideline in guided learning hours, counted from beginner level. It suggests about 180 to 200 hours to reach A2 and 350 to 400 to reach B1. On those figures, the step from A2 to B1 needs about as many hours as the whole road to A2. Cambridge calls the figures a guideline only.
The two sources differ on the size of the gap and agree on its direction. The descriptors show what has to be added:
- Longer texts. From short stories to simple novels.
- Less familiar topics. From everyday matters to straightforward factual texts.
- More vocabulary. On the figures in Milton (2010), roughly a thousand more of the most frequent words.
So a pupil can read well all year and still be 'A2' in June. The Companion Volume describes a plus level, such as A2+, as a very strong competence that does not yet reach the next level. Moving from A2 to A2+ is real progress, and a school report should show it.
What should you give an A2 class to read?
The descriptors and the research point to a few working rules.
- Choose short texts. If a story is long, read it in parts.
- Keep to familiar, concrete topics: family, school, animals, sport, food, journeys.
- Look for stories told in order, with feelings stated and not hinted at.
- Check the unknown words. Hu and Nation (2000) point to about two in a hundred for reading alone. With more, plan guided reading.
- Add support before you drop a good story: pictures, a short word list, or audio to follow.
Classroom example (an illustration, not a case study)
A Year 6 class is placed at A2. The teacher wants to use a long adventure story labelled A2+. She splits it into six parts. Before each part she teaches five words and shows a picture of the setting. Pupils read each part while listening to the audio, then retell it in pairs.
How to Match Students to the Right Graded Readers covers how to pair each pupil with a book. For what audio adds, see Reading While Listening: What It Does for English Learners. If you are not sure that a class is A2, start with How to Assess a Student's English Reading Level.
How iRead handles this
In iRead, a pack is a CEFR-levelled set of stories. The A2 band holds short, simple stories on familiar topics with high-frequency vocabulary. Many stories have narrated audio synced to the text, so a pupil can follow the words while listening. A quiz runs after every session, with questions generated from the story itself. Teachers see retention per word, per game and per class.
The core principle: A2 means short, simple and familiar. Choose texts that meet all three conditions, and add support when one of them is missing.
See it in iRead: Every story in iRead is levelled to the CEFR, from A1 to C2. Many stories have narrated audio synced to the text, so a pupil can follow the words while listening.
See how iRead worksKey takeaway
Give A2 readers many short, simple stories on familiar topics, support the harder ones, and report progress inside the level, because the road to B1 is long.
Frequently asked questions
What is A2 reading level?
A2 is the second of the six CEFR levels. An A2 reader can understand short, simple texts on familiar, concrete topics written in high-frequency everyday language. That includes short stories, personal messages, signs, menus and simple descriptions. Simple novels and texts on unfamiliar subjects come later, at B1.
How many words does an A2 learner know?
Estimates differ. Milton (2010) reports scores of about 1,500 to 2,500 out of the 5,000 most frequent English words for learners at A2. The test checks recognition only and counts base words. Other tests and other ways of counting give other figures, so use any number as a rough guide.
How long does it take to go from A2 to B1?
Longer than most teachers expect. The CEFR (Council of Europe, 2001) warns that many learners take more than twice as long to reach B1 as they took to reach A2. Cambridge suggests about 180 to 200 guided hours to reach A2 and 350 to 400 to reach B1, as a guideline only.
Can an A2 reader read a novel?
Not alone, according to the descriptors. Following the plot of simple novels appears at B1 in the Companion Volume, and even there with regular use of a dictionary. An A2 reader is better served by short levelled stories, with pictures or audio where they help.
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
- 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
- Milton, J., & Alexiou, T. (2009). Vocabulary size and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. In B. Richards et al. (Eds.), Vocabulary Studies in First and Second Language Acquisition, 194-211. Palgrave Macmillan. doi.org/10.1057/9780230242258_12
- Hu, M. H.-C., & Nation, P. (2000). Unknown vocabulary density and reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 13(1), 403-430. doi.org/10.64152/10125/66973
- Cambridge University Press & Assessment (n.d.). Guided learning hours. Cambridge English Support Site. support.cambridgeenglish.org/hc/en-gb/articles/202838506-Guided-learning-hours