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A simplified CERF | ||
Tags: CEFR Language Levels | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| kanewai Triglot Senior Member United States justpaste.it/kanewai Joined 4890 days ago 1386 posts - 3054 votes  Speaks: English*, French, Marshallese Studies: Italian, Spanish | Message 1 of 44 08 February 2013 at 8:09pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I set my own personal bar for each CEFR level higher and higher the more I study, and
the more I realize just how much there is to know about a language. Two years ago I might have told you all "I'm B-1 in Arabic!," whereas today, looking back, I was probably only at a solid A-1 level. I now have my own, simplified scale I use: A-1. I can go to a restaurant, ask for directions, and exchange basic pleasantries for about five minutes. A-2. Like A-1, but with more variety and using proper tenses and grammar. B-1. I can flirt, tell stories, have longer conversations, and talk my way out of danger. I can read novels, slowly. B-2. I could hold a job, or understand what people are saying at a loud bar. I can read novels more easily. C-1. I could hold a professional job, or take a university course. Does anyone else do the same? And how does this hold up for those of you who have actually taken a CERF test? 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| tanya b Senior Member United States Joined 4779 days ago 159 posts - 518 votes Speaks: Russian | Message 2 of 44 09 February 2013 at 2:27am | IP Logged | |||||
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I'm embarrassed to admit that I still don't know what all those CEFR levels mean, either objectively or subjectively, but the scale that you have devised could point serious learners in the right direction, as far as speaking and understanding fluently.
I would leave the reading component completely off the list, as I know of students who can read and write Cantonese or Mandarin well but wouldn't even rise to your Level A1. I'll take speaking and understanding over reading and writing any day. I would also include TV watching (no subtitles of course) in the equation as well. I didn't even tell people I was studying my TL until I understood at least 70% of the program content. Nowadays I am treading water at about 90%. Foreign language TV is what inspired me to study in the first place. TV watching cannot be dismissed. The offerings available are just as diverse as the situations you described above, each with their own level of difficulty. Learners can seek out a competent educated native speaker and request a formal evaluation, and even a certificate of fluency if the native speaker is willing to sign it. It might give you a feeling of accomplishment but not much else when it comes to employment. For those that can't talk their way out of danger, there is also pepper spray, etc. Edited by tanya b on 09 February 2013 at 2:43am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| kanewai Triglot Senior Member United States justpaste.it/kanewai Joined 4890 days ago 1386 posts - 3054 votes Speaks: English*, French, Marshallese Studies: Italian, Spanish | Message 3 of 44 09 February 2013 at 4:04am | IP Logged | |||||
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From the source!
A Basic Speaker ; ; ; ; A1 Breakthrough or beginner Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help. A2 Waystage or elementary Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need. B Independent Speaker ; ; ; ; B1 Threshold or intermediate Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. B2 Vantage or upper intermediate Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. C Proficient Speaker ; ; ; ; C1 Effective Operational Proficiency Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices. C2 Mastery or proficiency Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6598 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 4 of 44 09 February 2013 at 5:12pm | IP Logged | |||||
6 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| daegga Tetraglot Senior Member Austria lang-8.com/553301 Joined 4522 days ago 1076 posts - 1792 votes Speaks: German*, EnglishC2, Swedish, Norwegian Studies: Danish, French, Finnish, Icelandic | Message 5 of 44 09 February 2013 at 5:19pm | IP Logged | |||||
At the A1 level, you are probably allowed to insert as many "uhm"s and "uh"s as you like to get to the 5 minutes ;) And you ask to repeat each sentence at least once, ask to slow down etc. Edited by daegga on 09 February 2013 at 5:19pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Julie Heptaglot Senior Member PolandRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6904 days ago 1251 posts - 1733 votes 5 sounds Speaks: Polish*, EnglishB2, GermanC2, SpanishB2, Dutch, Swedish, French | Message 6 of 44 09 February 2013 at 5:33pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I was able to take and pass university courses being at the B1 level. It's actually not that difficult to understand lectures or read textbooks/scientific articles if you have some good basics in a given field. Submitting an acceptable paper would be much more difficult, though.
I pretty often struggle to understand what people are saying at a loud bar even in my most advanced languages (including my native language!). "I could hold a job"/"I could hold a professional job" are still very vague desriptions. It all depends on the specific kind of the job, really. 6 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| hrhenry Octoglot Senior Member United States languagehopper.blogs Joined 5131 days ago 1871 posts - 3642 votes Speaks: English*, SpanishC2, ItalianC2, Norwegian, Catalan, Galician, Turkish, Portuguese Studies: Polish, Indonesian, Ojibwe | Message 7 of 44 09 February 2013 at 5:44pm | IP Logged | |||||
I wonder if there's a different standard for intra-European and extra-European students. As an American who's studied in Italy, most, if not all, universities require the prospective student to pass B2 level exams. My particular university required C1 level. R. == 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Julie Heptaglot Senior Member PolandRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6904 days ago 1251 posts - 1733 votes 5 sounds Speaks: Polish*, EnglishB2, GermanC2, SpanishB2, Dutch, Swedish, French | Message 8 of 44 09 February 2013 at 5:51pm | IP Logged | |||||
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No, there are no different standards, and lots of universities require B2/C1, in some cases even C2. These standards do not usually apply to exchange students, though. Plus, I was an exchange student at a bilingual university. My stronger language was within the C1-C2 range, and if I had wanted it, I could have attended courses in this language only.
1 person has voted this message useful |
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