The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is a scale from the Council of Europe that describes language ability in six levels: A1 and A2 (basic user), B1 and B2 (independent user), C1 and C2 (proficient user). Each level is defined by what you can do with the language, not by how much grammar you know. It is a scale, not a test: exams such as IELTS, Cambridge English or Uzbekistan's Multilevel test report results that are linked to it.
Quick self-check: can you explain, without preparing, why you chose your job or university, and answer a follow-up question? If yes, you are probably at least B1. If you can also argue for and against a change at your workplace for two minutes, you are moving into B2.
The six levels in one table
The descriptions below are our paraphrase of the Council of Europe's global scale, with examples from life in Uzbekistan.
| Level | In plain words | You can, for example |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Understand and use very familiar phrases for simple needs, if the other person speaks slowly and helps | Say your name and where you live, order tea, ask the price at a market |
| A2 | Handle short, routine exchanges about familiar things: family, shopping, work, your area | Explain to a tourist which metro line goes to Chorsu; describe your job in simple sentences |
| B1 | Understand the main points of clear speech about familiar matters; cope with most travel situations; describe experiences and give short reasons for opinions and plans | Tell a colleague about your weekend trip to Samarkand; explain why you want to study IT |
| B2 | Follow the main ideas of complex speech and texts, including technical ones in your field; talk with fluent speakers without strain on either side; argue a point with pros and cons | Take part in a work meeting in English; discuss whether a new metro line is worth the cost |
| C1 | Understand long, demanding texts and implied meaning; speak fluently without obvious searching for words; use English flexibly for study and work; write well-organised, detailed texts | Study a master's degree taught in English; give a presentation and handle unexpected questions |
| C2 | Understand almost everything with ease; summarise information from different sources; express fine differences of meaning precisely, even in complex situations | Negotiate a contract; translate a subtle joke; write a report that reads like a native expert's |
The 2020 Companion Volume to the CEFR also describes a Pre-A1 stage and "plus" levels (A2+, B1+, B2+) for learners who are clearly above one level but not yet at the next. You will sometimes see these on course certificates.
One question, four levels
Descriptions are abstract, so here is the same question answered at four levels. These are our own practice examples, not official samples.
Question: "Why did you choose your job?"
A2: I am an accountant. I like numbers. My father is an accountant too. The work is good and the salary is OK.
Short sentences, basic linking (too, and), familiar words. The message is clear.
B1: I became an accountant because I was always good at maths at school, and my father showed me how his work was stable and respected. I also like that every day I solve small problems, although sometimes it is a bit boring.
Reasons with because, a contrast with although, a personal detail. Some range, still fairly safe.
B2: Honestly, it was partly practical: good accountants are always in demand in Tashkent, especially at companies with foreign partners. But what kept me in the job is the detective side of it. When the numbers don't match, you have to work out why, and I enjoy that.
A clear position, a comparison of reasons, a specific example, natural phrases (in demand, work out why).
C1: I'd love to say it was a calling, but it was more of a gradual realisation. I started in audit almost by accident, and it turned out that reading a company through its accounts is a surprisingly human job: every strange figure usually hides a decision someone made. That's what I'd miss if I left.
Flexible, idiomatic, with nuance (more of a gradual realisation), and ideas linked across sentences.
Notice what changes: not just harder words, but longer connected ideas, precision and control of tone.
How long each level takes
Cambridge English gives approximate guided learning hours (with a teacher or a structured course) counted from zero: about 180–200 hours for A2, 350–400 for B1, 500–600 for B2, 700–800 for C1 and 1,000–1,200 for C2. Cambridge presents these as guides; real time depends on your practice outside lessons, your first language and your exposure to English. For these hours converted into months at different study rates, see how long it takes to learn English.
The steps are not equal in feel. A1 to A2 is quick and visible. B1 to B2 is often the slowest, because you already "know" the grammar and progress comes from speed, range and accuracy.
How Uzbekistan uses the CEFR
In Uzbekistan, "CEFR" is often used as the name of an exam, but it is actually the scale behind it. The state national certificate is awarded after the Multilevel test of the Knowledge and Skills Assessment Agency (uzbmb.uz), which places candidates at B1, B2 or C1 in one sitting, or below B1. There is no A1, A2 or C2 on that certificate. Format, scoring and registration are explained in CEFR national certificate in Uzbekistan.
Schools, universities and employers also describe language targets with CEFR letters, for example "B2 required" in a vacancy or a master's programme. Benefits linked to a certificate level are set by government decisions and change, so check the current rule on lex.uz or with the organisation itself.
IELTS and the CEFR. IELTS publishes its own alignment between band scores and CEFR levels on ielts.org, and says the two scales don't line up exactly: some bands, such as 6.5, sit on a border between levels. There is no official table converting a Multilevel score into an IELTS band. If you are choosing between the two exams, our IELTS in Uzbekistan guide compares them.
Myths about CEFR levels
- "B2 means fluent." B2 means you can work and study in English with effort. Many B2 speakers still make regular mistakes and search for words on unfamiliar topics.
- "I finished the B1 textbook, so I'm B1." A coursebook level is the target of the course, not proof you reached it. Only performance shows your level.
- "My level is the same in all skills." Most learners are uneven: B2 in reading, B1 in speaking is very common in Uzbekistan, where reading and grammar get more classroom time.
- "C2 is native level." C2 describes a highly skilled user of the language. Many native speakers don't write at C2, and a C2 learner may still have an accent.
To see where you stand now, try our free English level test. An Uzbek-language overview of each level is in ingliz tili darajalari A1–C2.
Exercise: which level is this?
Read each description of a real learner and decide the most likely CEFR level.
- 1. Kamola can order food and ask where the toilet is, but only if the waiter speaks slowly.
- 2. Sardor reads English documentation for his programming job and discusses solutions in team calls, sometimes searching for a word.
- 3. Laylo can tell a friend about a film she saw and say why she liked it, in simple connected sentences.
- 4. Umid writes long academic essays with a clear structure and understands jokes and irony in lectures.
- 5. Feruza can describe her family, her home in Chilonzor and her daily routine in short sentences.
- 6. Jamshid can summarise three different reports into one clear briefing and choose words with very precise shades of meaning.
- 7. Dildora handles most situations on a trip to London: hotel, transport, a problem with her booking.
- 8. Otabek can argue for and against remote work, giving advantages and disadvantages, in a meeting with international colleagues.
Answers
- 1. A1. Simple needs with help from the other person.
- 2. B2. Technical discussion in his own field, fluent enough for work, occasional searching for words.
- 3. B1. Describing an experience and giving simple reasons.
- 4. C1. Demanding texts, implicit meaning, well-structured writing.
- 5. A2. Familiar topics in simple terms.
- 6. C2. Summarising from several sources and fine shades of meaning.
- 7. B1. Coping with most travel situations is a classic B1 description.
- 8. B2. Explaining a viewpoint with pros and cons on a topical issue.
If you mixed up B1 and B2, look at items 3 and 8: B1 describes and explains simply; B2 argues and weighs up.
Practising the next level up
Moving up a level mostly means speaking at length on topics slightly harder than you are used to. In BandMate you can do that by voice with Bandi, from beginner conversations to B2–C1 discussion topics and an IELTS Speaking mock, with feedback on grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. The app's feedback shows your progress for practice; it is not an official CEFR certificate.
Sources
- Council of Europe: CEFR global scale, Table 1
- Council of Europe: CEFR Companion Volume (2020)
- Cambridge English: Guided learning hours
- IELTS: IELTS and the CEFR
- Knowledge and Skills Assessment Agency: foreign language test formats (gov.uz)
