What’s your ENGLISH LEVEL? A1-A2 Beginner / B1-B2 Intermediate / C1-C2 Advanced

What’s your ENGLISH LEVEL? Take this TEST! A1-A2 Beginner / B1-B2 Intermediate / C1-C2 Advanced

Explanation of the different levels

Here’s a breakdown of the abilities, skills, and grammar points ESL students need to master at each level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR):


A1-A2 (Beginner)

General Abilities:

  • Understand and use everyday expressions.
  • Introduce themselves and others.
  • Ask and answer questions about personal details (name, age, nationality, etc.).
  • Communicate in simple, routine tasks requiring a direct exchange of information.

Listening & Speaking:

  • A1: Can understand slow, clearly articulated speech and basic phrases related to themselves or immediate environment.
  • A2: Can understand phrases and frequently used expressions related to areas of immediate relevance (shopping, family, local geography).
  • Can engage in simple conversations, ask and answer straightforward questions.

Reading:

  • A1: Can understand familiar names, words, and very simple sentences, such as those on signs, posters, or catalogues.
  • A2: Can read short, simple texts like postcards, and find specific information in simple everyday material.

Writing:

  • A1: Can write simple phrases and sentences about themselves (e.g., name, age).
  • A2: Can write short messages and simple notes (e.g., a postcard or an email to a friend).

Grammar Points:

  • A1:
    • Present Simple (for routines and facts)
    • Be, have, there is/are
    • Basic question forms (wh- questions, yes/no questions)
    • Simple adjectives (big, small, etc.)
    • Basic prepositions (in, on, under, at)
  • A2:
    • Present Continuous (for actions happening now)
    • Past Simple (regular and irregular verbs)
    • Future with “going to”
    • Comparatives and superlatives
    • Modals of ability and permission (can, could, may)
    • Countable/uncountable nouns (some, any, much, many)

B1-B2 (Intermediate)

General Abilities:

  • Can deal with most situations while traveling in an English-speaking area.
  • Can produce simple connected text on familiar topics.
  • Can describe experiences, events, dreams, hopes, and ambitions.
  • Can give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

Listening & Speaking:

  • B1: Can understand the main points of clear, standard speech on familiar topics (work, school, leisure).
  • B2: Can understand extended speech and lectures, and follow more complex arguments on familiar topics.
  • Can engage in a conversation on various topics, discussing personal interests, and narrating stories or describing situations in detail.

Reading:

  • B1: Can understand texts with high frequency everyday or job-related language.
  • B2: Can read articles, reports, and literature, and identify the writer’s point of view or tone.

Writing:

  • B1: Can write simple connected text on familiar topics (e.g., an email or essay about personal experiences).
  • B2: Can write detailed texts on a wide range of subjects, explain a viewpoint, and give advantages/disadvantages of various options.

Grammar Points:

  • B1:
    • Present Perfect (for experiences, life events)
    • Past Continuous (for background actions)
    • Future with “will,” “going to,” and Present Continuous
    • First Conditional (if + present, will + verb)
    • Relative clauses (who, which, that)
    • Modals for advice and obligation (should, must, have to)
  • B2:
    • Present Perfect Continuous (for actions with a present result)
    • Passive voice (all tenses)
    • Reported speech (statements, questions, commands)
    • Second Conditional (if + past simple, would + verb)
    • Modals for possibility (might, may, could)
    • Gerunds and infinitives (after verbs, as subjects)

C1-C2 (Advanced)

General Abilities:

  • Can express ideas fluently and spontaneously.
  • Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes.
  • Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts and recognize implicit meaning.
  • Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects.

Listening & Speaking:

  • C1: Can understand extended speech even when it is not clearly structured and relationships between ideas are only implied.
  • C2: Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read, including complex lectures, debates, and technical discussions.
  • Can speak fluently and use the language with a high level of accuracy in both formal and informal contexts.

Reading:

  • C1: Can understand a wide range of demanding texts, including specialized articles and long, complex instructions.
  • C2: Can read virtually all forms of written text, including complex and abstract material like literary works or specialized manuals.

Writing:

  • C1: Can produce clear, well-structured text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors, and cohesive devices.
  • C2: Can write in a well-organized and detailed manner on any subject, producing well-structured, coherent text.

Grammar Points:

  • C1:
    • Future Perfect and Future Continuous (for predictions and ongoing actions)
    • Mixed conditionals (combining different time frames in if-clauses)
    • Complex sentence structures (inversion for emphasis, cleft sentences)
    • Advanced passive structures (get-passive)
    • Advanced relative clauses (with prepositions)
    • Advanced modals (must have, might have, should have for speculation about the past)
  • C2:
    • Subjunctive mood (formal and hypothetical statements)
    • Use of inversion for rhetorical effect (Not only… but also)
    • Advanced discourse markers (on the contrary, in any case)
    • Nominalization (turning verbs into nouns for more formal writing)
    • Idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs at a near-native level
    • Hedging language (might, may, could possibly, etc. for subtlety)

Summary of Skills for Each Level:

  • A1-A2 (Beginner): Simple daily conversations, basic grammar and vocabulary, understanding and producing short texts.
  • B1-B2 (Intermediate): More complex discussions, narrating, and explaining with a deeper understanding of grammar structures.
  • C1-C2 (Advanced): Near-native fluency, understanding nuanced language, producing clear and detailed formal and informal texts.
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