A1? B2? What is the CEFR?

You may have noticed that many of our blog posts and English classes have strange combinations of letters and numbers on them: B1, C2, A1. These codes can tell you some important information about the level of the class or blog post. They come from a European system called the Common European Framework for Reference (CEFR).

Although the CEFR is “European,” it is used in many countries around the world to talk about language proficiency. Because the CEFR is international, it’s very helpful for language learners and language teachers to talk about levels. There are six levels in the CEFR: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2. If you’re familiar with the idea of English language standards, the CEFR is similar.

The CEFR doesn't describe language in terms of number of vocabulary words or grammar structures. The CEFR focuses on what students can do with the language. For example, students at level B1 can give descriptions on a variety of familiar subjects related to their interests. C1 students can give clear, well-structured descriptions of complex subjects. That's why the CEFR can be used for any language, not just English. Learning your CEFR level can be really helpful to you as an English student!

Soon Ginseng will have a placement test that will help you learn your CEFR level, so watch for that!

CEFR Levels Table

Here is a table with each level in the Common European Framework, along with a description of students at each level.

You can read more about the CEFR at the website of the Council of Europe, which developed the framework between 1989 and 1996. There was also a major update to the CEFR in 2020.

How Long Does it Take to Move to the next CEFR Level?

Many students want to know how long it takes to change from one CEFR level to the next. There is no simple answer to this question, and some of the most important factors that affect how quickly you can learn English are individual factors. But there is some valuable research from Cambridge University that we can point to and make some general statements about how long learners of English tend to stay at each CEFR level. You can see this illustrated in the table below.

Note that the hours each CEFR level in the table above are “Guided Learning Hours”: a combination of classroom study with a teacher, plus guided self-study.