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Language tests and levels

CEFR levels (A1 to C2)

Definition

The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is the Council of Europe's six-level scale of language ability, from A1 (beginner) to C2 (near-native). Visa rules and health regulators use it to set the language level you must prove, for example B2 English for a UK Health and Care Worker visa or B2 German for nursing recognition in Germany.

Also called: CEFR, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, GER, Gemeinsamer Europäischer Referenzrahmen, B1, B2, C1, B2+

Checked against official sources on

What are the CEFR levels?

The CEFR groups language ability into three broad bands, each split into two levels:

  • Basic user: A1 and A2.
  • Independent user: B1 and B2. At B1 you can communicate simply and coherently at work and in daily life. At B2 you can take part in discussions fluently and spontaneously and write clear, detailed text on concrete and abstract topics.
  • Proficient user: C1 and C2. At C2 you can understand with ease virtually everything you hear or read.

The CEFR is a scale, not a test. You prove a level with a certificate from a test that is mapped to it, such as telc, Goethe, the Dutch NT2 state exam, or a Secure English Language Test for UK visas.

Which level you need, by country

The level depends on the country, the profession and whether the rule comes from immigration or from the regulator.

  • UK visa: the Health and Care Worker visa requires English at B2 if you prove it by a Secure English Language Test. Health regulators set their own, separate requirements, usually as IELTS or OET scores rather than CEFR levels.
  • Germany, nurses: state offices such as the Bavarian Office for Nursing ask for a certificate at B2, for example telc Deutsch B2 Pflege or Goethe-Zertifikat B2.
  • Germany, doctors: medical chambers ask for a recognised B2 certificate and then a Fachsprachprüfung, a medical language test held at C1 level.
  • Netherlands: the BIG register sets B1 for nursing (secondary vocational level), B2 for higher professional education professions such as physiotherapists and midwives, and B2+ for academic professions such as doctors, dentists and pharmacists. B1 and B2 must be proved with the NT2 state exam.
  • Ireland: NMBI considers evidence equivalent to C1 English only from applicants who qualified under the EU Directive; others use IELTS or OET. The Medical Council accepts Cambridge C1 Advanced at C1 or C2.

How to prove a CEFR level

  1. Find the exact level and the list of accepted certificates on your authority's page. Many accept only named tests.
  2. Check whether all four skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking) must be passed, and whether a partial result counts.
  3. Check how old the certificate may be. The BIG register, for example, does not accept language certificates obtained more than two years ago.
  4. Sit the test at an approved centre and send the certificate (or a certified copy) to the authority.

Common problems

B2 on one test is not always B2 for another authority: the BIG register's B2+ sits between B2 and C1 and must come from listed institutes. A general B2 certificate may also not be enough where a profession-specific test is required, as with the German Fachsprachprüfung for doctors. And a certificate of attendance at a course does not prove a level; authorities want a passed exam.

Finally, check which authority sets the level. In the UK the visa and the regulator are separate, so a B2 visa test does not by itself meet a regulator's IELTS or OET scores.

Questions

UK health regulators state their requirements as IELTS or OET scores rather than CEFR levels, so use the scores on your regulator's page. IELTS publishes its own score descriptions, and OET publishes a comparison table on its results page.

B2+ is a level used by the Dutch BIG register for academic professions such as doctors, dentists and pharmacists. The register describes it as higher than B2 but lower than C1, and only certificates from institutes it lists are accepted.

The medical chambers hold the Fachsprachprüfung at C1 level, and they usually ask for a recognised B2 certificate before you sit it. Check the chamber in the state where you apply.

The state offices we checked ask for B2 for nurses. A B1 certificate is not enough for the permit to use the nursing title.

The CEFR itself has no expiry, but authorities may set one. The BIG register accepts certificates no more than two years old, while the Dutch NT2 diploma itself has no expiry date.

Bavaria lists Goethe-Zertifikat B2 and B2 PRO Pflege, TestDaF level 3, telc B2 and telc B2 Pflege, ÖSD B2, ECL B2, the BAMF Deutsch-Test für den Beruf B2 and others. Other states keep their own lists.

Sources