CEFR Level Board

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages — from Beginner to Mastery.

A1

Beginner

You can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at satisfying concrete needs. You can introduce yourself and others, ask and answer questions about personal details such as where you live and people you know.

~500 words80–100 hours
  • • Introduce yourself and give basic personal information
  • • Order food and drinks in a café or restaurant
  • • Ask for and give simple directions
A2

Elementary

You can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of immediate relevance such as shopping, local geography, and employment. You can communicate in simple, routine tasks requiring a direct exchange of information on familiar topics.

~1,000 words~200 hours
  • • Handle short social exchanges like greetings and small talk
  • • Describe your background, education, and immediate environment
  • • Shop for everyday items and handle simple transactions
B1

Intermediate

You can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, and leisure. You can deal with most situations likely to arise while travelling in a German-speaking area and produce simple connected text on familiar topics.

~2,000 words~350 hours
  • • Follow the main points of a conversation or news broadcast on familiar topics
  • • Describe experiences, events, hopes, and ambitions
  • • Give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans
B2

Upper Intermediate

You can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in your field of specialisation. You can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party.

~4,000 words~500 hours
  • • Follow extended speech and complex arguments on familiar topics
  • • Read articles and reports on contemporary issues and understand the writer's stance
  • • Present clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects
C1

Advanced

You can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts and recognise implicit meaning. You can express yourself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. You can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes.

~8,000 words~700 hours
  • • Understand long and complex factual and literary texts, appreciating distinctions of style
  • • Follow extended speech even when it is not clearly structured
  • • Express ideas fluently and spontaneously with precise meaning
C2

Mastery

You can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. You can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. You can express yourself spontaneously, very fluently, and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations.

~16,000+ words1,000+ hours
  • • Understand virtually any spoken or written German effortlessly
  • • Summarise and reconstruct arguments from multiple sources coherently
  • • Express yourself spontaneously with great fluency and precision