Understanding CEFR – and the CasaLingua Way of Learning

“So… how good is my French?” It’s a question language learners often ask.

You might be able to order dinner in Spanish, have a conversation in French or understand quite a lot of Italian – but how do you actually describe your level?

That’s where the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – usually shortened to CEFR – can be really useful.

At CasaLingua, we use CEFR levels as a guide to help learners understand where they are and how their language skills are developing.

But there’s an important distinction – we’re not an exam school and our teaching does not need to ‘fit’ with any set course!

Our classes are first and foremost about enjoying languages, building confidence and developing the ability to actually use the language you’ve learned.

Getting every accent, verb ending and piece of grammar exactly right can be important if you’re preparing for a formal qualification, but we don’t believe you should have to pass an exam to enjoy speaking another language.

What is CEFR?

CEFR is an internationally recognised way of describing someone’s ability in another language.

Rather than saying you’re a “beginner”, “intermediate” or “advanced” learner – descriptions that can mean very different things to different people – CEFR uses six main levels:

A1 – Beginner
You can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases. You might introduce yourself, ask simple questions and have a very basic conversation when someone speaks clearly and slowly.

A2 – Elementary
You can communicate in straightforward, everyday situations. You can talk about things such as family, shopping, where you live and other familiar subjects.

B1 – Intermediate
You’re becoming an independent language user. You can deal with many of the situations you’re likely to encounter while travelling and can talk about familiar subjects, experiences, interests and plans.

B2 – Upper Intermediate
You can communicate with a good degree of fluency and spontaneity and understand the main ideas of more complex conversations and texts.

C1 – Advanced
You can use the language fluently and flexibly across a wide range of social, professional and academic situations.

C2 – Proficient
You can understand virtually everything you hear or read and communicate fluently, spontaneously and with considerable precision.

The official CEFR framework groups A1 and A2 as Basic User, B1 and B2 as Independent User, and C1 and C2 as Proficient User.

Where does CasaLingua fit in?

We know that some of you use the CEFR framework as a way of understanding approximately where you are on your language-learning journey. We label our courses in a different way to show the different stages of being a ‘beginner’ but if you’re joining a CasaLingua course at 1A, 1B or 1C level you can see that these are all aligned to the A1-A2 levels on the CEFR framework.

But – and this is important – a CasaLingua class isn’t the same thing as preparing for a formal CEFR-aligned examination or qualification.

There is a difference between learning at a particular CEFR level and preparing to demonstrate every skill required for a formal assessment at that level.

Formal assessment can require a much greater focus on areas such as written accuracy, grammar, reading, structured writing and demonstrating particular competencies under examination conditions.

If gaining a formal qualification is your objective, you’ll need learning specifically geared towards the requirements of that examination.

And while we might be able to help those looking for a qualification, it’s not the reason that most people come to CasaLingua for.

At CasaLingua, we’d much rather you had the confidence to have that conversation – mistakes and all – than know every grammatical rule but feel too nervous to open your mouth.

That doesn’t mean grammar and accuracy aren’t important. Of course they are, and they’re part of learning any language.

They’re simply not the reason we want you to learn one. Communication is…

Fun isn’t an added extra

There’s something else at the heart of CasaLingua that you won’t find on a CEFR chart: Enjoyment.

We believe people learn better when they’re relaxed, interested, involved and having fun.

Language learning shouldn’t feel like returning to a school classroom you couldn’t wait to leave.

It should mean conversation, discovering new words and learning about different cultures.

Just as importantly, it’s about laughing when somebody says something completely different from what they intended.

Having that wonderful moment when someone speaks to you in another language – and you suddenly realise you understood them.

Those experiences build confidence. And confidence makes you want to use the language more.

Progress without the pressure

That’s why we think the CEFR model is useful but that the CasaLingua approach is more aligned with the needs of our adult learning community.

CEFR gives you the roadmap. CasaLingua makes the journey enjoyable.

You can understand roughly where you are – A1, A2, B1, B2 and beyond – and have a sense of what you’re becoming capable of doing.

But it isn’t a race and you don’t need to feel as though you’re constantly preparing for a test.

For some learners, a formal language qualification is important. If that’s your goal, an examination-focused course with the necessary emphasis on written and grammatical accuracy is the right route.

For many other people, the goal is different. They want to speak Spanish on holiday. Or they may want to chat with French friends or family and rediscover the Italian they learned years ago.  Lots of the learners in the Casalingua community are just with us for the fun, socialising and mental stimulation that our language classes provide.

Where are you on your language journey?

Whether you’ve never spoken a word of the language before or already have years of experience, finding the right class is sometimes quite the challenge with practical factors such as location and time playing a role in where you end up.

The level of difficulty of the class is, however, a very important consideration.  A class that is too easy or too hard may negatively impact on enjoyment and make you question the value of your lessons; understanding the CEFR levels can help you find a class that’s right for you.

But don’t worry if you don’t know whether you’re A1, A2 or B1. That’s what we’re here to help with. The level gives us a starting point. Where the language takes you next is the fun part.