Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

Abstract

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) defines six levels of communicative proficiency (A1 and A2, B1 and B2, C1 and C2) in terms of language activities and the competences that the learner needs in order to perform them. Developed by the Council of Europe to provide member states with a common basis for elaborating language education policy, language syllabuses, curriculum guidelines, and examinations, the CEFR is the culmination of thirty years' work on the needs‐based teaching of languages for communication. Its action‐oriented approach to the description of proficiency and its focus on the needs and capacities of the individual learner have unmistakable pedagogical implications. These shaped the design of its companion piece, the European Language Portfolio (ELP). The impact of the CEFR on language testing and certification has been very great; on other areas of language education its influence has been more uncertain.