What are the CEFR Levels?

CEFR stands for Common European Framework of Reference. The CEFR levels provide a way of describing a person’s language proficiency.

There are six levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.
A1 is the lowest level in terms of ability and C2 is the highest.

Language users at levels A1 and A2 are considered basic users.
Language users at levels B1 and B2 are considered independent users.
Language users at levels C1 and C2 are considered proficient users.

In simple terms, a person at A1 is able only to use simple phrases; a person at A2 is able to use simple sentences; a person at B1 is able to hold limited conversations; a person at B2 can hold longer conversations and is able to function in an English-speaking environment; a person at C1 has begun to master English but lacks knowledge of the subtleties of the language; and a person at C2 can function in the language to the same ability as an educated native speaker.