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Listed below are the levels recognized by the
European Council, and what you need to be able to do, in order
to reach
each level.
The descriptive names of the levels
have changed,
but I have listed the old names first, so that you
will not be confused.
Click on the links to take you to
your level.
A0 - Beginners
(No English at all)
- You need to start with basic vocabulary, learn as
many words as you can.
- Familiarise yourself with the verbs To Be, To Do and
To Have.
- Learn basic phrases such as : Hello; how
are you; what is your name; etc.
- Study various Nouns, Pronouns, Question words,
Adjectives, etc.
- You need to be able to
understand everyday expressions.
- To be able to introduce yourself
to others.
- To be able to ask and answer
basic questions about where you live, what you do etc.
For example: Ask about food and drink, and order something to
eat in a restaurant.
- To be able to have a simple
conversation as long as the other person speaks slowly and clearly.
-
You need to be able to understand sentences that have to do with daily
life. For example: family information, shopping, work,
leisure
etc.
- You should be able
to have a normal conversation
about
these things even though you don’t have a lot of vocabulary.
- You should be able
to describe what you do and ask questions of the other person.
- You should be able
to do things like rent an
apartment, open a bank account, ask for directions, etc.
- Be able to deal with
most situations when travelling
in a country where the language is spoken.
- Be able to talk and
write about experiences and events,
giving reasons and explanations for the way you think and feel.
- You should be able
to express yourself clearly on most
topics, giving detailed descriptions of people and places where
necessary.
- Be able to hold
technical discussions in your
particular field.
- Be able to converse
normally without any difficulty
with native speakers.
- Be able to write
about a wide range of subjects,
giving opinions and explaining viewpoints.
C1 – Advanced
(Effective Operational Proficiency)
-
You must have the ability to communicate well and be
able to deal with unfamiliar topics, recognizing specific
meaning.
- Express yourself
fluently without spending time trying to
remember the correct words and expressions.
- Be
able to communicate within a group of people. For
example: In a discussion or an argument where you must hold
your own and have your turn to speak.
- Be able to produce
written text on complex subjects.
- You need to be able
to understand easily virtually everything you hear.
- Speak fluently and
spontaneously, as well as a native speaker, in difficult situations.
- Be able to deal with
academic material and summarize information from different sources.
- Be able to read and
understand text as quickly (or more so)than a native speaker.
- At this stage, it
should also be possible to teach the language to others.
These descriptions now refer to any
of the
languages in Europe.
The Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching Assessment has been
developed by the Language Policy Division of the Council of Europe
(Strasbourg) (c) 2001 Council of Europe, Language Policy Division.
The Association of Language Testers
of Europe (ALTE), whose members have aligned their language
examinations with the CEF, provides guidance on the number of guided
teaching hours needed to fulfil the aims of 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 1000 - 1200 hours |
Guided
teaching hours are the hours during which the learner is in a
formal learning context such as the classroom.
The number of hours needed for
different learners varies greatly, depending on a range of factors such
as the amount of prior study and extent of exposure to the language
outside the classroom.
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