Council of Europe Levels

Description

C2

Mastery

The capacity to deal with material which is academic or cognitively demanding, and to use language to good effect at a level of performance which may in certain respects be more advanced than that of an average native speaker.

Example: CAN scan texts for relevant information, and grasp main topic of text, reading almost as quickly as a native speaker.
 

C1

Effective Operational Proficiency

The ability to communicate with the emphasis on how well it is done, in terms of appropriacy, sensitivity and the capacity to deal with unfamiliar topics.

Example: CAN deal with hostile questioning confidently. CAN get and hold onto his/her turn to speak.
 

B2

Vantage

The capacity to achieve most goals and express oneself on a range of topics.

Example: CAN show visitors around and give a detailed description of a place.
 

B1

Threshold

The ability to express oneself in a limited way in familiar situations and to deal in a general way with nonroutine information.

Example: CAN ask to open an account at a bank, provided that the procedure is straightforward.
 

A2

Waystage

An ability to deal with simple, straightforward information and begin to express oneself in familiar contexts.

Example: CAN take part in a routine conversation on simple predictable topics.
 

A1

Breakthrough

A basic ability to communicate and exchange information in a simple way.

Example: CAN ask simple questions about a menu and understand simple answers.