Here at Southbourne School of English, Bournemouth, we grade our student’s level of English using the internationally recognised Common European Framework (CEF) descriptors. These levels are:
Beginner (A0)
Can communicate very basic needs and understand very simple conversational language.
Has a limited vocabulary for everyday situations.
Can read and produce short, simple pieces of writing.
Elementary (A1)
Can communicate basic needs and speak about personal topics.
Has sufficient vocabulary for everyday routines.
Can recognise main grammatical structures.
Can write short personal texts and notes.
Pre-intermediate (A2)
Can communicate in everyday situations and hold short conversations.
Can use main grammatical structures.
Can write texts with some detail.
Intermediate (B1)
Can communicate with some confidence in a reasonable number of situations.
Has good control of main grammatical structures.
Can write longer texts using paragraphs with reasonable accuracy.
Upper-intermediate (B2)
Can communicate effectively and express ideas/opinions in most situations.
Can discuss a range of topical issues.
Can use a wide range of structures, with reasonable accuracy.
Can produce a range of written texts using the correct register.
Advanced (C1)
Can express feelings, opinions and ideas accurately and precisely using a wide range of vocabulary.
Can produce the full range of texts with natural cohesion.
Can understand authentic texts with little difficulty.