A chart makes the CEFR scale easier to hold in your head than a paragraph of description. Below is the full six-level breakdown in a can-do format, plus how each level roughly lines up with IELTS and TOEFL scores.
CEFR levels at a glance
| Level | You can | You can't yet |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Introduce yourself, order food, ask directions | Hold a real conversation beyond fixed phrases |
| A2 | Describe your routine, shop, handle simple travel tasks | Discuss opinions or abstract topics comfortably |
| B1 | Travel independently, express opinions, write simple texts | Follow fast native speech or dense written text easily |
| B2 | Work professionally, follow most media, debate topics in depth | Catch every idiom or highly specialized terminology |
| C1 | Study at university, write complex reports, work in fast-paced roles | Always match a native speaker's cultural nuance |
| C2 | Operate at near-native level in any context | Little to no practical limitation remains at this level |
How CEFR compares to IELTS and TOEFL
| CEFR | IELTS band (approx.) | TOEFL iBT (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| B1 | 4.5-5.5 | 42-71 |
| B2 | 5.5-6.5 | 72-94 |
| C1 | 6.5-8.0 | 95-120 |
Treat these conversions as approximate. Official conversion tables differ slightly between exam boards, and no conversion is perfectly exact since each exam weighs skills differently.
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Common questions
Color makes the progression from A1 to C2 easier to scan at a glance, green for early beginner levels moving through blue and into dark navy for advanced mastery, mirroring how the same color scheme is used across Examinizer's level pages.
IELTS band 5.5 to 6.5 roughly corresponds to CEFR B2, though official conversion tables vary slightly by exam board and should be treated as approximate rather than exact.
The CEFR framework itself is language-neutral, describing ability levels rather than language-specific milestones, so the chart's structure applies the same way whether you're evaluating English, German, or Japanese, even though the exact vocabulary and grammar markers differ by language.
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