The CEFR Levels: Key Points and Key
Problems
Brian North
www.eurocentres.com
The World of Eurocentres
Euro pe
Over 20 schools worldwide
> Languages in cultural context
> Educational foundation since
1960
> NGO to Council of Europe
since 1968
> Language proficiency
framework since 1989
> Development of CEFR
descriptors
> Academic excellence
> Quality management
USA
Ja pa n
So uth Africa
Aus tra lia
CEFR Levels: Key Points
> Origin of the CEFR levels and descriptors
> Salient characteristics of the levels
> Life beyond C2
> Validity claim of the illustrative descriptors
> Consistent interpretation of the levels
Levels
Wilkins 1978
ALTE 1992
CoE 1992-6
Ambilingual Proficiency
Comprehensive Operational
Proficiency
Adequate Operational
Proficiency
Limited Operational
Proficiency
(Threshold Level)
Survival Proficiency
Formulaic Proficiency
Proficiency
DALF / CAE
Mastery
EOP
FCE Vantage
Vantage
Waystage
Waystage
Breakthrough
C2
C1
B2
B1
A2
A1
Basic Operational Proficiency
Threshold
Threshold
Descriptors
Intuitive Phase:
Qualitative Phase:
> Creating a pool of classified, edited descriptors
> Analysis of teachers discussing proficiency
> 32 teacher workshops sorting descriptors
Quantitative Phase:
> Teacher assessment of 2800 learners on descriptor-
checklists (500 learners, 300 teachers)
> Teacher assessment of videos of some learners
Interpretation Phase:
> Setting “cut-points” for common reference levels