Language levels
What does it mean to know a foreign language? Everyone has their own understanding of this notion: someone is satisfied with the level that enables them to travel freely around Europe, but for someone it is not enough to read Shakespeare’s works in original. Subjective criteria vary greatly concerning this point — from knowledge of some key phrases to an intuitive feeling for language (sometimes even those who speak it as a mother tongue can lack this talent). Nevertheless, we all study language for some purpose: to move to another country, to study at a foreign university, to use English at work.It goes without saying that it is impossible to obtain good results at language learning when you don’t have a definite aim. Therefore, no one can go without some objective criteria, i.e. those characteristics that can be used to check your command of a foreign language in practice. That’s why below you may find the English language level scale as it is the most widespread foreign language. This scale corresponds to the CEFR system developed by the Council of Europe. Moreover, comparison between these levels and the most popular international exams (IELTS/TOEFL/Cambridge/PTE) and some advice how to master a foreign language starting from the lowest elementary level up to the highest one are also given below.
Tests and language levels comparison

How to check your foreign language level by yourself?
Today it is possible to find out your level of a foreign language even without leaving home due to many online tests. Below you may see a selection of such several tests. It is necessary to take into account that such tests do not reflect your language level precisely because usually they are found at Internet resources connected with foreign language schools. These schools offer paid or offline resources to assess your language level precisely. So, it means that even receiving results based on CEFR system you should remember about possible online tests inaccuracies. Moreover, some tests based on their content are absolutely unable to assess your language knowledge at advanced levels (C1-C2) objectively.Some of the tests listed below require registration before starting, but there are many tests on the Internet that allow to get results only after registration at a site or after contacts with a foreign language school which is usually very annoying and takes some additional time. That is why such tests are not included in the tables.
Multipurpose online English tests
Tests of this kind include questions from different language knowledge areas: listening, reading, grammar and vocabulary. Thus it is one of the most objective way to learn your English level for free. The only obvious disadvantage is that speaking cannot be tested during these online tests.Test | Questions | Time | Level | Choices | Ranking | Timer | Registration | Listening | Reading |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EF SET Certificate | 42 | 50 min | A2–C2 | 4-5 | 9.7 | + | + | + | + |
Kaplan International | 50 | 20 min | B1–C2 | 5 | 7.4 | - | + | + | + |
LSI | 50 | 20 min | A2–C1 | 3–4 | 7.4 | - | + | + | + |
Oxford Online English | 140 | 70 min | A1–C1 | 4 | 7.2 | - | - | + | + |
Exam English | 30 | 20 min | A2–C1 | 4 | 7.0 | - | - | + | - |
Transparent English | 50 | 20 min | A2–C1 | 4 | 6.8 | - | - | - | + |
EF SET | 20 | 15 min | A2–C2 | 4 | 6.5 | + | - | + | - |
ILAC | 60 | 30 min | A2–C1 | 4 | 6.5 | + | + | - | + |
Grammar and vocabulary online English tests
Knowledge of grammar is essential for any further language study. The following tests give you an opportunity to evaluate your English level without spending a lot of time. The results will not certainly be precise, but they can provide you with some basic information about your English.Test | Time | Questions | Level | Choices | Grammar | Verbs | Vocabulary | Ranking |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cambridge Institute | 35 min | 83 | A2–C2 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8.0 |
St. Gilles | 25 min | 40 | A1–B2 | Write in | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7.3 |
St. George International+ | 10 мин. | 10 | B2–C1 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6.7 |
Englishjet | 35 min | 68 | A2–B2 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6.7 |
Cambridge Assesment English | 10 min | 25 | A1–B2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6.7 |
Englishtag | 20 min | 50 | A1–B2 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6.3 |
ILS English | 20 min | 50 | A1–B2 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6.3 |
ESL | 20 min | 40 | A1–B2 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6.3 |
St. George International | 15 min | 40 | A1–B2 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6.0 |
British Council | 10 min | 25 | A1–B1 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4.3 |
The evaluation is based on ten-point grading scale with reference to five main criteria:
- Grammar — how deeply the English grammar knowledge is checked, including such topics as tense system, if-conditionals, subordinate clauses, sequence of tenses, passive voice;
- Verbs — how detailed a test checks the knowledge of English verbs (irregular, modal, phrasal verbs) is evaluated separately. This point also includes the information if there are tasks checking preposition usage with verbs, infinitive and gerund;
- Vocabulary — the evaluation of vocabulary variety used at tests and the presence of tasks demonstrating its usage;
- Listening — if a test includes this part, then such features as the level of its difficulty, speed, the usage of different voice qualities, accents and the presence of exterior noise etc are evaluated;
- Reading — evaluation of tasks for text perception and comprehension if they are included in a test. Mainly the level of texts difficulty is evaluated.
Why is it important to know your language level?
- To define your aims correctly: Only if you know your foreign language level, your may assess your opportunities properly and also set your short-term and long-term goals. It can help you to choose the curriculum correctly and find a qualified teacher;
- It is necessary to indicate your language level in your CV when applying for a job: today many companies ask applicants to indicate their foreign language level confirmed by a special certificate in their CVs. In order to get a high position in a multinational company, it is necessary to have a good command of a foreign language.
- To study abroad: it is impossible to enter a prestigious college or university without a good command of a foreign language. And what's more, members of college admissions office require an official confirmation — a foreign language certificate.
Foreign languages in practice: what is important?
The first thing you need to remember is that foreign language level can only be checked in practice. To define your real language skills by yourself is almost impossible even with the help of Internet-tests as they only define grammar knowledge and very restricted vocabulary. That is why it is better not to trust these results very much as they may differ in real life situations.Identifying any foreign language level including English all experts pay attention to the 4 key skills: listening, reading, speaking and writing. It is these skills that are checked at various international exams. It is obvious that Internet tests can help to assess only the two first criteria, though in real life it is more important to be able to express yourself in speaking and writing.
It is difficult to assess your foreign language level by yourself not only because self-evaluation is difficult but also because the knowledge of a foreign language cannot remain constant all the time. For example, you can understand very complicated texts written at a foreign language that correspond to the advanced level, but you cannot speak fluently. It means that, on the one hand, such a person knows a foreign language at a professional level, but, on the other hand, his or her communicative skills are not developed. So, how in this case can we define our foreign language level? Professional linguists and experts define foreign language mastery according to several levels which can be applied not only to the English language but also to the majority of languages spoken all over the world.
A0 — Zero level of the English language
IELTS | TOEFL | Cambridge | PTE |
---|---|---|---|
0 | 0 | - | 0 |
If we speak about zero level of a foreign language, it means that a person doesn’t know language at all (it is true, for example, if a person speaks English as much as he or she speaks filipino). In this case you may enroll on English classes in your own country. After 3 months of studying your level will raise up to speaking level B1. If a person knows English alphabet more or less and understands what means “Hello! How are you?”, it shows that his or her level of a foreign language is A1.
How to move to the next step: start with lessons for absolute beginners where you can learn alphabet, rules of reading, key words for simple texts comprehension and 300 new words. It will take you about 2 weeks to do these things.
Level A1 — Beginner
IELTS | TOEFL | Cambridge | PTE |
---|---|---|---|
2 | 15 | - | <30 |
Even the most scant language skills enable you to deliver your message to your interlocutor at the very least even if you can’t avoid an active usage of body language. Usually this level have those people who studied English long time ago and without pleasure. Of course, such people lack skills of real language usage, but they have some basic knowledge borne in minds that can become a good foundation in further studying.
A student has a beginner level of a foreign language if:
- can answer some basic questions about his / her name, age, homeland, job;
- can understand familiar phrases provided the other person talks slowly and clearly;
- can understand some words in English texts.
Level A2 — Elementary
IELTS | TOEFL | Cambridge | PTE |
---|---|---|---|
3.5 | 31 | KET | 30 |
If we return to the situation when you find yourself in a foreign English or American city, the situation of communication is better here: with your elementary level of a foreign language you can not only get to the embassy, but also speak with foreigners (for example, tell them about your job or order in a cafe).
There is very little difference between levels A2 and A1 in practice, but the main advantage of the former is higher self-confidence of a speaker and larger vocabulary. Nevertheless, the possibilities for communication remain limited, therefore level A2 can only be used as a foundation for further studying and cannot be applied in practice.
A student has an elementary level of a foreign language if:
- can speak on some everyday topics: can ask for or give directions, tell about him / herself and about things around;
- can understand the other person provided he / she speaks clearly on a familiar topic;
- can read and understand elementary sentences (I have..., You are..., He goes...);
- can make a simple sentence in a written form or fill in a questionnaire in English;
This level is very often singled out between beginner and spoken levels. This level implies that a person already can use English to solve some real life problems, but cannot speak fluently yet. It corresponds to level A2+ or B1- with reference to grading scale of levels from A0 to C2.
In can be identified in the following way:
In can be identified in the following way:
- It is very close to the level B1, but a student lacks practice in some spheres (e.g. in writing) which means that his / her knowledge corresponds to Pre-intermediate level;
- It coincides completely with the description of A2 level and partly with B1 (e.g. speaking is better developed) which indicates that a student knows foreign language at Upper-Intermediate level.
Level B1 — Intermediate level
IELTS | TOEFL | Cambridge | PTE |
---|---|---|---|
4 | 60 | PET | 43 |
A student has an intermediate level of a foreign language if:
- can support conversations on any everyday topic pronouncing words correctly, but at the same time may stumble or make some mistakes;
- can understand the other person and also catch main points of more complicated speech (such as lecture) or during conversation between native speakers (in films);
- can read adapted texts for Intermediate level with a dictionary and understand the meaning of simple texts;
- can produce some written texts, e.g. essays about him / herself or about the world around using widespread constructions and vocabulary.
Level B2 — Upper-intermediate level
IELTS | TOEFL | Cambridge | PTE |
---|---|---|---|
6 | 90 | FCE | 59 |
A student has an upper-intermediate level of a foreign language if:
- can easily speak on almost any topic, express his or her own opinion and attitude. Nevertheless, some mistakes are possible at this level, including problems with verb conjugation, usage of tense-aspect forms and complex words;
- can understand oral remarks on any everyday topic and nearly 80% of more complicated speech (lectures, films, interviews);
- can understand the meaning of informative English texts well and get information from English resources almost without loss of meaning (at the same time it is allowed to use dictionaries while reading texts on some unknown topics);
- can explain his or her viewpoint in written form, using the most widespread constructions (although some not very serious mistakes are possible here).
Level C1 — Advanced level
IELTS | TOEFL | Cambridge | PTE |
---|---|---|---|
7.5 | 100 | CAE | 76 |
A student has an advanced level of a foreign language if:
- can speak on any topic without problems, express shades of emotions in foreign language;
- can understand any oral speech;
- can easily read English texts of different genres (articles, newspapers, interviews as well as scientific articles in journals, textbooks, philosophical, critical works etc) and only seldom come across some unknown words;
- knows how to write an application form and covering letters and clearly understands the difference between formal and informal styles.
Level C2 — Proficient
IELTS | TOEFL | Cambridge | PTE |
---|---|---|---|
8.5 | 118 | CPE | 85 |
Any linguists or scholars of language and literature can confirm that only a few people have perfect command of a foreign language and they become outstanding writers and great communicators. But if we look at the most obvious example — an educated London citizen — it also lies outside the scope of level C2 (usually those people who speak English since their childhood are called native speakers, and this is definitely outside the gradation level scale of English as a foreign language).
You should always remember that there is no limit to perfect your language skills further, although language knowledge of level C2 is a great result that not everyone can achieve. If you have this level, you can enter any postgraduate programme, public your works in English, deliver lectures and take part in scientific conferences. i.e. this level is enough for any professional sphere.
A student has a proficient level of a foreign language if:
- has acquired almost authentic pronunciation as native speakers have;
- knows how to translate idioms drop a dime, chew the fat and kick the bucket;
- can read the first act of Romeo and Juliet play, without referring to dictionary;
- can write meaningful text of two pages concerning the topic of unemployment in Cambodia;
What should we know about learning foreign languages?
Study foreign language by yourself is quite possible, but such learning process requires from a student a lot of strength, energy and time as well as such traits of character as being diligent, hard-working and single-minded. At first these lessons seem to be interesting but as time goes by a lack of precise curriculum, correctly set aims, time limits and a teacher who controls the process and motivates a student lead to the next failure and lack of desire to continue learning foreign language.This is why it is better to start learning new language together with a teacher during private or group lessons. When the core material is already studied, to improve your communication skills and to expand your vocabulary you can go abroad. Without studying some time in a country where the studied language is the main one it is impossible to achieve a perfect command of it even if you use the most advanced and cutting-edge textbooks.
Contemporary language tends to change and develop every day and no study book can reflect these rapid changes. It is mainly referred to slang, borrowed words, variety of dialects etc that change the language on regular basis. It is possible to know foreign language at the level of native speakers, but in order to achieve that you should find yourself in necessary language and cultural environment, where a student will need to become a part of a foreign society, to keep up on news that appear in print media or on the Internet.
How much time do you need to learn a foreign language?
The answer to this question depends on several factors: on student’s aims, his / her diligence and industriousness and ability to pay. It is quite logical that it is possible to learn foreign language more quickly only with a help of a qualified teacher (or maybe, even native speaker). It is a good contribution to your future that will be definitely paid off but requires quite big investment.The more quickly student wants to learn a language, the more he or she needs to pay. In theory you may need about 2,5-3 years to go through all levels (without living abroad). And in order to do this you need to attend special language courses several times a week. If you choose self-education, in this case you will need more time to learn a language. Studying abroad a student receives the same amount of knowledge but during less period of time.
Don't expect miracles
Beginners should clearly understand that learning process takes much time and effort to overcome the desire to postpone a lesson or put off doing homework. Studying is hard and demanding work! That's why it is impossible to learn a language during one month with the help of unique teacher’s method or using subliminal stimuli technique. Don’t expect miracles! Only the mistakes analysis and consecutive learning of new material can be helpful at needed level achievement.Time needed for level advances
