The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is an international standard for describing language ability and is utilised by Renaissance to support English language learners.
The CEFR is a framework, published by the Council of Europe in 2001, which describes language learners’ ability in terms of speaking, reading, listening and writing at six reference levels. These six levels are:
- A1 – Breakthrough (Basic User), focusing on high frequency words, introducing themselves or basic concepts.
- A2 – Waystage (Basic User), working on understanding sentences and frequent phrases as well as communicating where there is a direct and simple exchange of information.
- B1 – Threshold (Independent User), where the student is understanding main points on matters they would regularly come across such as work or school.
- B2 – Vantage (Independent User), learning to understand or communicate on concrete or abstract subjects, and speak with native speakers without strain on either side.
- C1 – Effective Operational Proficiency (Proficient Users), where the student can understand longer and demanding text and recognise implicit meaning.
- C2 – Mastery (Proficient User), where the user is considered to be able to understand anything they read or hear.
The scales in the CEFR are not exhaustive. They cannot cover every possible context of language use and do not attempt to do so. Equally, the CEFR is not language or context specific. It does not attempt to list specific language features (grammatical rules, vocabulary, etc.) and cannot be used as a curriculum or checklist of learning points. Users need to adapt its use to fit the language they are working with and their specific context.
Within myON, Renaissance uses the CEFR framework to level the texts to support both students and educators in understanding the challenge level of the books as they relate to the A1-C2 framework. The primary goal of the Renaissance CEFR level is to facilitate comprehension. Because the authentic texts are not written to a specific CEFR level, the vocabulary, verb tenses, and sentence structures can cross CEFR levels. The Renaissance CEFR level reflects a detailed analysis of the vocabulary, verb tenses, and sentence structure of every book, assigning an overall CEFR level based on the highest of these three. For example, a book with A1 vocabulary, B1 verb tenses, and A2 sentence structures is assigned CEFR B1.
Texts in myON without a CEFR level are considered as exceeding C2, meaning they are intended for readers already working at a mastery level or, in some cases, are intended for a native speaking audience.
Alongside the CEFR level, users may also want to consider other available book information, such as ATOS, Lexile, Genre, Page number or recommended year levels in collaboration with the CEFR level to get a full understanding of the suitability of the book.
Other helpful information:
Turning CEFR levels on your site in the Account Options (Group Administrators)