Levels of English according to international classifications. How to study English to move from B2 to C1

English language levels are used to divide students into groups with approximately similar knowledge and skills in reading, writing, speaking and writing, and to simplify testing procedures. The level system allows you to evaluate how well a person speaks the language. There are several classifications of language proficiency levels, consider the most common:

• ALTE(The Association of Language Testers of Europe) The European Association of Examination Councils for Foreign Languages ​​is an association of leading national organizations involved in testing knowledge of a language as a foreign language. The standard has 6 levels and it formed the basis CEFR.
• CEFR(Common European Framework of Reference) - a system of levels of foreign language proficiency used in the European Union.
• ILR(Interagency Language Roundtable Scale, United States) is an American classification of language proficiency levels.
• Levels of English language proficiency used in basic training courses.

Approximate correspondence between the "British", Common European (CEFR) and American (ILR) classification of language proficiency:

british	Common European (CEFR)	American (ILR)
Beginner / Starter Elementary Pre-Intermediate intermediate Upper Intermediate Advanced Proficiency	A1 A2 A2/B1 B1 B2 C1 C2	Level 0 Level 1 - Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

English language proficiency levels according to the standard CEFR
(Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)

A1 (Beginner English)

Understanding and ability to use familiar phrases and expressions in speech necessary to perform specific tasks. The ability to introduce himself / introduce others, ask / answer questions about the place of residence, acquaintances, property. Ability to engage in simple conversation if the other person speaks slowly and clearly and is willing to help.

A2 (Elementary English)

Understanding single sentences and common expressions related to major areas of life (for example, basic information about yourself and your family members, shopping, getting a job, etc.). Ability to perform tasks involving the simple exchange of information on familiar or everyday topics. In simple terms, talk about yourself, your family and friends, describe the main aspects of everyday life.

B1 (Pre-Intermediate English)

Understanding the main ideas of clear messages delivered in the standard language on a variety of topics typically encountered at work, school, leisure, etc. Ability to communicate in most situations that may arise during a stay in the country of the language being studied. The ability to write a coherent message on topics of known or particular interest. The ability to describe impressions, events, hopes, aspirations, to state and justify one's opinion and plans for the future.

B2 (Intermediate English)

Understand the general content of complex texts on abstract and concrete topics, including highly specialized texts. Speak quickly and spontaneously enough to constantly communicate with native speakers without much difficulty for either party. Be able to make clear, detailed messages on various topics and state your point of view on the main problem, show the advantages and disadvantages of different opinions.

C1 (Upper-Intermediate English)

Understand large complex texts on various topics, recognize hidden meanings. Speak spontaneously at a fast pace, without difficulty in choosing words and expressions. Flexibly and effectively use the language for communication in scientific and professional activities. The ability to create an accurate, detailed, well-structured message on complex topics, demonstrating mastery of text organization models, means of communication, and the combination of its elements.

C2 (Advanced English)

Understand almost any oral or written communication, the ability to compose a coherent text based on multiple oral and written sources. Speak spontaneously with a high tempo and a high degree of precision, emphasizing nuances of meaning even in the most complex cases.

The ratio of vocabulary between levels of knowledge of the language

*According to Vocabulary size and the CEFR (Milton and Alexiou 2009)

English proficiency levels as recommended by the British Council

Beginner level

Communication: The ability to pronounce your name and personal data, answer elementary questions (what is your name, how old are you, etc.), count to one hundred.

Understanding: Know the alphabet and be able to spell words, understand elementary sentences and questions.

Letter: Lack of skills.

Elementary level

Communication: The ability to present brief information about oneself and others of a personal and non-personal plan. Express your thoughts in a way that others can understand. Express ideas, feelings, resolve life situations in an English-speaking country.

Letter: Ability to make a proposal, write an elementary message by e-mail.

Level Pre-Intermediate

Communication: Ability to speak with clear pronunciation. Clearly express thoughts, resolve communication situations in various life situations without gaps in understanding what is happening.

Understanding: Clearly distinguish intonations, stresses, sounds. Understand the ideas of the texts.

Letter: The ability to describe the appearance of a person, give a short description of his features. Express your attitude to people, problems. Build sentences grammatically correctly, following the rules for arranging words.

A student corresponding to this level can be admitted to the international exam. PET(Cambridge exam).

Intermediate level

Communication: The ability to find out the opinions of others, to identify emotions, to express their emotions. The ability to use intonation to express their own emotions. Correctly combine words in oral sentences.

Understanding: Understand the ideas of texts, highlight the main points from the context and form a general meaning. Ability to distinguish between informal and formal speech. Distinguish different pronunciations of the English language.

Letter: The ability to fill out questionnaires, documents, write the history of an event, state the situation, accompanying it with personal comments. Be able to express your thoughts briefly and clearly.

Upper Intermediate Level

Communication: Ability to use official language and informal speech in various situations. Capture information and provide it as needed, be able to hold a discussion with several opponents.

Understanding: Immediately understand the ideas of the read texts, capture the emotions read in the text. Determine pronunciation, be able to conduct telephone conversations, read newspapers, be able to draw conclusions from what they read.

Letter: Free literate writing. Ability to write a short instruction, compile an overview of events, use different styles of writing texts. Ability to write complex sentences.

The level gives admission to the exam IELTS, TOEFL.

Advanced level

Communication: Be able to use formal and informal communication styles appropriately. Fluent and easy to carry on a conversation on various topics. The ability to highlight in speech semantic moments that should be paid attention to the interlocutor.

Understanding: Capture the key points of speech, understand the speaker's attitude to the problem. By intonation, it is necessary to understand the emotional state of the speaker.

Letter: Free writing, ability to compose essays, comments, reviews, reports, filling out official documents.

This level of English proficiency gives admission to the exam CAE, CPE.

English proficiency levels according to the American ILR scale

• ILR Level 0 – No proficiency(lack of skills)
  
• ILR Level 1 – Elementary proficiency(Elementary possession)
• ILR Level 2 – Limited working proficiency(Limited working ownership)
• ILR Level 3 – Professional working proficiency(Professional working tenure)
• ILR Level 4 – Full professional proficiency(Full Professional Proficiency)
• ILR Level 5 – Native or bilingual proficiency(Native or bilingual proficiency)

Values 0+ , 1+ , 2+ , 3+ or 4+ are assigned when the level of proficiency significantly exceeds the corresponding level of skill, but does not fully meet the criteria for the next level. So the scale is 11 possible ratings.

Levels can be assigned separately for different skills such as reading, speaking, listening, writing, translation, audio translation, interpretation and intercultural communication. For some of these skills, a level can be referred to as an abbreviation, for example, S-1 for speech level 1 .

English language proficiency levels of basic training courses

Basic English training courses such as Top Notch, true colors, headway, cutting edge, Streamline English, True to Life, reward and others use their scale of English levels. It consists of six levels:

• Beginner (Basic)
• Elementary
• Pre-Intermediate
• intermediate
• Upper Intermediate
• Advanced

These levels do not quite correspond to the common European ( CEFR) classification. Yes, the level Advanced corresponds only to the level B2. And only having reached it, you can take some qualifying exams for knowledge of the English language - Cambridge FCE, British IELTS, american TOEFL.

The level of English B2 is the fourth level of English in the Common European CEFR system, a system for identifying different language levels compiled by the Council of Europe. In everyday speech, this level can be called "confident", for example "I speak English confidently." The official description of the level is "above average". At this level, students can work independently in a variety of academic and professional environments while communicating in English, but their range of topics is limited and speech does not convey all the nuances.

How to determine if you know English at level B2

The best way to determine if your English language skills are B2 level is to take a quality standardized test. Below is a list of the main internationally recognized tests and their respective B2 scores:

What can you do with knowledge of English at level B2

English level B2 will be enough to work in an international company in English, moreover, most professionals who use English at work as a non-native speak it at this level. However, the B2 level may not be sufficient to ensure that nuances are not overlooked when discussing broad topics.

According to official CEFR guidelines, a student with a B2 English proficiency:

1. Understands the main ideas of concrete and abstract messages, including discussion of technical details in his professional field.
2. Can practically freely and without prior preparation discuss various topics with native speakers, without creating additional inconvenience for them.
3. Can produce clear and detailed text on topics unfamiliar to him.
4. Can describe experiences, events, dreams, hopes and aspirations, state and justify opinions and plans.

More about knowledge of English at Level B2

The formal conclusions about the student's knowledge are broken down into smaller sub-points for educational purposes. Such a detailed classification will help you evaluate your own level of English or help the teacher assess the level of students. For example, a student who speaks English at level B1 will be able to do everything that a student at level A2 can do, and, in addition, the following:

• participate in workshops, answering questions within their competence, enlisting the support of colleagues.
• discuss attitudes, cultural norms and deviations from them.
• talk about personal and professional life.
• discuss their education, the pros and cons of different educational systems.
• talk about favorite books and give recommendations for reading.
• talk about financial planning, give and receive advice on personal budgeting.
• talk about relationships and acquaintances, including communication with people on social networks.
• visit a restaurant, order food, engage in small talk at dinner, and pay the bill.
• participate in negotiations in their area of ​​expertise, enlisting help in understanding some issues.
• Discuss workplace safety issues, report injuries and explain rules and regulations.
• Discuss the norms of polite behavior and adequately respond to impolite behavior.

Of course, progress will depend on the type of course and the individual student, however, a student can be expected to achieve a B2 level of English proficiency in 600 hours of instruction (total).

Self-critical people like to repeat that they don't know anything (although in fact they can speak the language at a level closer to the average and continue to regularly enroll in English courses), and conceited people claim in an interview that they speak English perfectly (when in fact, again, they can be “average”).

For the most impatient, who check their level after each cup of coffee, the buttons are displayed at the top. This is done for your convenience: no tedious text searches, click on health and get your certificates - we don't mind.

And for the most assiduous who are not used to guessing on coffee grounds, we offer to plunge into multi-level English. With feeling, sense, arrangement, we will talk about how Elementary differs from Intermediate and whether Advanced is as scary as it is painted.

Basically, he will evaluate the fundamental base - i.e. grammar. However, the degree of proficiency in foreign speech depends on it. Because you can chat incessantly in English, but at the same time make so many mistakes that the interlocutor can hardly guess what the conversation is about. Or you can make sentences slowly in oral speech, weighing each word without making gross mistakes - and thus create the impression of a person who speaks English well.

Level 0 - Complete beginner(or Complete...beginner)

Just don't say now that it's you. If you know the name of the letter "i" or even remember something from the school like "teacher", "book" - feel free to move on. Zero level - only for those who studied another language at school. Or not studied at all.

Level 1 - Elementary(Elementary)

Holmes would be happy with such a name. And the majority of those who graduated from regular high school - too. Because this level, unfortunately, is the most common among those who learned English through a stump-deck and happily got a “three” at the final exam.
What characterizes Elementary: you can quite tolerably read many words (especially without any gh, th, ough), there are mother, father, I am from Russia and other most common phrases in the vocabulary, and you can sometimes catch something from the song that familiar.

Level 2 - Upper-Elementary(Higher Elementary)

A good student of an ordinary school with the study of English can boast of such a level. And also quite often it is on Upper-Elementary for some reason that those who studied the language on their own decide to stop. Why? Because there is an illusion of knowing English: the vocabulary is already decent enough to support some basic topics of conversation (in any case, in a hotel abroad it will already be possible to express oneself without obscene gestures), reading usually goes quite well, and even American films in the original become more or less clear (25 percent).
However, such conclusions are misleading. Especially if you look at other levels of English.
You can jump from the usual Elementary to Upper in 80 hours if you work hard.

Level 3 - Pre-Intermediate(Lower Intermediate)

If you passed the English level test and got such a result - our congratulations. Because it's a very decent command of English. It occurs in ordinary school excellent students, specialized school students and the bulk of those who combine English courses with trips abroad.
What characterizes this level: in pronunciation there are no “f” or “t” instead of [θ] and in general the speech of such a student does not have a strong Russian accent, written speech is quite literate and completely understandable, you can even communicate on unfamiliar topics using simple sentences. In general - among the levels of English, Pre-Intermediate is most often found among serious students.

Level 4 - Intermediate(Middle level)

A very worthy result. Practically unattainable for schoolchildren in a regular school and quite real for those who did not mess around in English lessons in a specialized school. Among self-learners of English, not everyone reaches this level. They usually give up at the previous one, because you can reach Intermediate in about half a year of foreign courses with accommodation, a year of good courses or a year of classes with a tutor.
What characterizes this level of English: a clear pronunciation, a good vocabulary, the ability to communicate on various topics, the ability to compose complex written appeals (up to official documents), films in English with subtitles go with a bang.
With this level, you can already take international tests TOEFL, IELTS.

Level 5 - Upper Intermediate(Upper middle level)

If you passed the test for the level of English and received such a result, then you can almost without deceit write in your resume for a position: "English is fluent." College graduates at the Faculty of Foreign Languages ​​usually reach this level.
What is characterized by: skillful manipulation of different styles in his speech (business, conversational, etc.), almost flawless pronunciation, the ability to act as a simultaneous interpreter in an informal setting, fluent reading, understanding the most difficult style - the language of newspapers and magazines in English, deft compilation of even particularly complex sentence structures.

Level 6 - Advanced(Advanced)

This is probably the pinnacle that learners of English can reach in a country where it is not official. Those who manage to speak at the Advanced level are usually perceived by interlocutors as people who have lived in the United States or another English-speaking country for several years.
In fact, you can achieve Advanced even at the Faculty of Foreign Languages ​​in a college, not to mention universities. And this proves that 5 years, during which it will be spread out for 1-2 hours a day to study English, is enough. And if you choose intensive courses, the result will be achieved even earlier.
What characterizes the level of English Advanced: by right it is fluency in English. Pronunciation with almost no accent, conducting formal and informal conversations, working as a simultaneous interpreter, fully understanding films / books / songs in the original, no grammatical errors in written speech and minimal presence of errors in oral speech, understanding of idioms and colloquial expressions. You can confidently plan a career abroad, as well as studying in foreign universities.

Level 7 - Super-Advanced(Super advanced)

Are there any here? If yes, then the computer most likely failed on the English level test.) For language proficiency at this level is the lot of natives living in a country where English is the official language.
What characterizes the Super-Advanced level? Imagine… yourself speaking Russian. You will understand any speech, even if it is a conversation between two emo teenagers discussing topics unknown to you. You will understand even jargon. But with all this, you yourself also own the art of the word, deftly operating with terms and folding them into beautiful sentences, without mistakes (including stylistic ones). And now - the same in English. Well, how?

Dia friend! Are you already feeling itchy in your fingers? Are the belts fastened? And are you still here?
Click on the button - and go! Do not forget to insert paper into the printer to print the certificate and proudly show it to everyone interested.

specially for

Make your choice and get a certificate
	If you only know the Terminator phrase in English or decide to test the theory of probability “what if you answer at random” - do not bother, get a novice certificate (“Full Beginner”) and rejoice.		And for all those who suffer, test their knowledge and get documentary evidence of their success - click the "determine your level of English" button and take the test. Be honest with yourself! And may English be with you. Advanced.

Any experienced teacher will tell you that before you start learning a foreign language, you need to determine your level.

This is necessary, first of all, in order not to waste too much time on already familiar material, but to immediately move on in mastering the language. Everyone knows that there is no “ultimate” level of English proficiency unless you live in a language environment.

Any language is a living organism that is constantly changing over time, new words are added to it, and some words, on the contrary, become obsolete. Even grammar rules change. What was considered indisputable 15-20 years ago may no longer be relevant in modern grammar.

That is why the knowledge of a foreign language is never completely complete. Any knowledge requires constant practice. Otherwise, the level you have reached is quickly lost.

What is the "level of knowledge of the English language"?

But what is it, and what are the levels of knowledge of the English language? Let's figure it out.

The level of knowledge is understood as the degree of proficiency in four aspects of languages: speaking, reading and understanding texts, listening to information and writing. In addition, this includes knowledge of grammar and vocabulary and the ability to correctly use lexical and grammatical units in speech.

Testing for the level of English proficiency is usually carried out in one form or another, wherever you go to study the language. On any training site, in courses, in private classes with a teacher - everywhere, before determining further actions and selecting the necessary training materials, you will be tested for the level of knowledge. Moreover, these levels are very conditional, their boundaries are blurred, the names and number of levels differ in different sources, but, of course, there are common features in all types of classifications.

In this article, we will present the levels of English on the international scale, comparing it with the British version of the classification.

English Proficiency Levels

There are two main classifications of English proficiency levels.

The first belongs British Council is an international organization that provides assistance in learning the language and in establishing intercultural communication. This distribution of competencies in language could be found most often in textbooks produced at Cambridge and Oxford.

The second and main one is called CEFR or The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. It is translated into Russian as "The Common European Scale of Language Competence". It was created by the Council of Europe in the second half of the 90s.

Below is CEFR:

The gradation of English levels in the table differs from the British version in the following:

• the British Council does not have a designation for Pre-Intermediate as such, it is at the A2/B1 junction;
• there is everything here 6 levels of English: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2;
• the first two levels are elementary, the second two are sufficient, the last two are considered levels of fluency in the language.

Correspondence table of levels for different assessment systems

International exams

To obtain a place in a foreign university, to work abroad or to successfully find employment in Russia, certain certificates are required. Consider two of the most popular and well-known of them.

TOEFL exam

Upon successful completion, you can enroll in educational institutions in the United States and Canada. The certificate of completion is valid in 150 countries for 2 years. There are several versions of the test - paper, computer, Internet version. All types of skills are tested - writing and speaking, reading and listening.

The main feature is that it is impossible not to pass it, the student who completed the tasks still receives some score that corresponds to a certain level:

1. 0-39 in the Internet version and 310-434 in the paper version shows the degree of knowledge of English on the bar A1 or "Beginner".
2. When getting a result in the range 40-56 (433-486) you can be sure - you have Elementary (A2), that is, basic English.
3. Intermediate (translated as "intermediate, transitional") - these are TOEFL scores in the region of 57-86 (487-566). Do you want to know what level it is, "Intermediate"? It corresponds to B1. You can talk on familiar topics and catch the essence of the monologue / dialogue, you can even watch films in the original, but the material is not always completely captured (sometimes the meaning is guessed from the plot and from individual phrases). You are already able to write short letters and essays in the language.
4. Upper, pre-intermediate would require the following scores: 87-109 (567-636). It means "medium-advanced" in translation. What level is this, Upper intermediate? For the owner, a relaxed, detailed conversation on a specific or abstract topic is available, including with a native speaker. Movies are watched in the original, talk shows and news are also well received.
5. An order of magnitude higher, namely 110-120 for the Internet version and 637-677 for the paper version, required if Advanced English is required.

IELTS exam

The certificate for its passage is quite popular in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Also relevant in case of professional migration to these countries. The test is valid for 2 years. The range of grades that can be obtained for the test is from 0.0 to 9.0. AT A1 scores from 2.0 to 2.5 are included. AT A2- from 3.0 to 3.5. step B assumes scores from 4.0 to 6.5, and for the level C1- 7.0 - 8.0. Language in perfection - these are marks 8.5 - 9.0.

What level of proficiency should be indicated in the resume?

When writing a resume, you must correctly indicate at what stage in learning the language you are now. The main thing is to choose the correct designation of the level of English (english level). The following are usually used: Basic(basic knowledge), intermediate(middle stage), Advanced(proficiency at an advanced level), Fluent (fluency).

If there was an exam, be sure to indicate its name and the number of points received.

Tip: No need to overestimate your level, because any inaccuracy can be revealed quickly enough.

Why is it important to determine your level of language proficiency?

Why does a non-specialist need information about the level of language proficiency, and is it needed at all? If you are planning to start or resume learning a foreign language, then it is simply necessary to determine your level of knowledge, of course, if you are not an absolute beginner and have previously studied English. Only in this way will you be able to understand at what stage you stopped and where to move on.

Choosing a course of study, you will need to focus on your level. So, for example, on the site you can take various courses: from a course for beginners - Beginner, to a course for students with an Intermediate level.

In order to navigate which course to choose for training, the site provides. The system will accurately determine your level of language proficiency and suggest the appropriate course to make learning as effective as possible.