The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (Council of Europe 2001; Companion Volume 2020) describes what learners can do with a language at six levels. It is language-neutral, action-oriented and not a syllabus: it tells you outcomes, not what to teach in which order.
Levels in brief (paraphrased from the global scale)
| Level | Name | A learner at this level can... |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-A1 | Use isolated words and formulaic phrases for immediate needs (name, numbers, greetings) | |
| A1 | Breakthrough | Understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases; introduce themselves; ask and answer simple personal questions if the other person speaks slowly and helps |
| A2 | Waystage | Understand frequently used expressions in areas of immediate relevance (family, shopping, work); communicate in simple routine exchanges; describe background and immediate needs simply |
| B1 | Threshold | Understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters; deal with most travel situations; produce simple connected text; describe experiences, hopes, ambitions; give brief reasons |
| B2 | Vantage | Understand the main ideas of complex text, including technical discussion in their field; interact with fluency and spontaneity with native speakers without strain; produce clear detailed text and explain a viewpoint with pros and cons |
| C1 | Effective operational proficiency | Understand demanding longer texts and implicit meaning; express ideas fluently and spontaneously; use language flexibly for social, academic and professional purposes; produce well-structured detailed text on complex subjects |
| C2 | Mastery | Understand virtually everything heard or read; summarise and reconstruct arguments coherently; express themselves spontaneously, precisely and with fine shades of meaning |
"Plus" levels (A2+, B1+, B2+) mark a strong performance within a level and are useful for long courses.
Modes of communication (Companion Volume 2020)
| Mode | Activities |
|---|---|
| Reception | Listening, reading, audio-visual |
| Production | Speaking (sustained monologue, public announcements), writing (reports, essays, creative) |
| Interaction | Conversation, discussion, goal-oriented cooperation, transactions, information exchange, interviews, online interaction |
| Mediation | Mediating texts (relaying, explaining data, translating, summarising), mediating concepts (collaborating, leading group work), mediating communication (facilitating, acting as intermediary) |
Plan a syllabus with all four modes, not only the four skills: interaction and mediation are often missing.
Competences
- Linguistic: range and control of vocabulary, grammar, phonology, orthography.
- Sociolinguistic: register, politeness, idiom, dialect awareness.
- Pragmatic: discourse (cohesion, coherence, turn-taking), functional (fluency, precision).
- Plurilingual / pluricultural: using all one's languages and cultural knowledge.
Guided learning hours (approximate, Cambridge English)
| Level reached | Cumulative hours from beginner |
|---|---|
| A2 | ~180-200 |
| B1 | ~350-400 |
| B2 | ~500-600 |
| C1 | ~700-800 |
| C2 | ~1,000-1,200 |
scripts/cefr_hours.py estimates hours between levels with an L1-distance adjustment. Hours are guides: levels
take longer at higher stages, and learners plateau around B1-B2 without exposure outside class.
Building a syllabus from the CEFR
- Fix the entry and exit level from placement data and the hours available.
- Choose a syllabus type: topic/situation-based (general English), functional-notional, task-based, skills- based (EAP), or a multi-strand mix (most common).
- Write can-do outcomes per unit (see the can-do-statement-writer skill).
- Map language to outcomes: grammar from core-inventory-by-level.md, lexis from topic and frequency lists, functions, pronunciation.
- Sequence: simple to complex, frequent to rare, learner needs first; recycle each item in later units.
- Balance modes (reception, production, interaction, mediation) across units.
- Plan assessment: formative per unit, progress tests every 3-4 units, an exit test aligned to the exit level.
- Check with
scripts/syllabus_check.py.
Syllabus unit template
| Field | Example (A2, unit 4) |
|---|---|
| Topic / situation | Holidays and travel |
| Can-do outcomes | I can talk about a past holiday; I can understand a simple travel blog |
| Grammar | Past simple regular/irregular; was/were |
| Vocabulary | Holiday activities, transport, adjectives for places |
| Functions | Telling a story, showing interest (Really? How was it?) |
| Pronunciation | -ed endings /t/ /d/ /ɪd/ |
| Skills / modes | Reading (blog), speaking (interaction), writing (postcard), mediation (summarise a friend's story) |
| Assessment | Speaking task with checklist; vocabulary quiz |
academic-english-eap-course-planner
Plan English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses: pre-sessional, in-sessional, foundation, IELTS preparation and discipline-specific EAP, with syllabus strands (academic reading, lecture listening and note-taking, essay and report writing, paraphrase, summary and synthesis, referencing and plagiarism, seminars and presentations, academic vocabulary, critical thinking), a 10-week pre-sessional outline, exit assessment, IELTS-CEFR alignment and academic style (formality, hedging, cohesion, reporting verbs). Estimates study hours and weeks to close an IELTS gap from overall or per-skill scores (IELTS rounding, minimum per skill, priority skills, feasibility before a deadline), and checks learner texts for contractions, informal words with academic alternatives, unhedged claims, 'you', And/But/So starts, rhetorical questions and missing citations.
actfl-proficiency-curriculum-mapper
Map world language curricula to the ACTFL framework: proficiency levels (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, Distinguished with sublevels), functions, contexts, text types and accuracy, proficiency vs performance, the three modes of communication (interpretive, interpersonal, presentational), the 5 Cs World-Readiness Standards, backward-designed thematic units with Integrated Performance Assessments, typical programme targets and FSI time estimates. Looks up approximate ACTFL-CEFR-ILR equivalences with what each level can do, and checks a unit map for missing modes, rehearsed skits mislabelled as interpersonal, translation or word lists as interpretive tasks, and units without an integrated performance assessment.
adult-literacy-esl-lesson-builder
Build lessons for adult ESL learners who are developing literacy (LESLLA learners: pre-literate, non-literate, semi-literate, literate in a non-Roman script): learner profiles and sensitive initial assessment, principles (oral language first, known to new, systematic phonics with adult-relevant text, repetition, classroom skills, respect for experience), a lesson routine (oral warm-up, review, new grapheme, blending, segmenting, decodable text, writing, functional literacy, Language Experience Approach), a phonics sequence for adults, sight words, functional literacy targets (forms, signs, medicine labels) and portfolio assessment. Checks whether a reading text is decodable with the letter-sound patterns and sight words taught so far, catching untaught digraphs, listing non-decodable words with the untaught part, and suggesting the most useful next patterns.
authentic-material-lesson-adapter
Turn authentic material (news articles, podcasts, videos, songs, menus, timetables, adverts, social media posts, forms, infographics) into language lessons by grading the task rather than the text. Selects texts for interest, relevance, exploitability, coverage, cultural load and rights; finds the 4-6 words to pre-teach, words to gloss on the page and words learners can ignore, plus names and cultural references to explain, with reading time by level; and builds a lesson shape (lead-in, pre-teach, gist or scanning, graded detail task, language focus on chunks and register, response) with task ideas per material type and level from A1 to C1. Covers copyright, fair dealing and fair use, Creative Commons and attribution.
can-do-statement-writer
Write and review can-do statements for language courses, units, lessons and learner self-assessment, CEFR or NCSSFL-ACTFL style: action (observable verb) + text or situation + level-specific conditions, learner ('I can') and descriptor ('Can') versions, progressions of one activity from A1 to C1, and coverage of reception, production, interaction and mediation. Includes a verb bank by mode and level and condition and text-type banks. Lints statements for teacher-centred phrasing, knowledge instead of use (learn, know, understand the passive), missing context, two skills in one statement, vague quality words, grammar items as outcomes, overlong statements and missing modes in a set.
classroom-management-for-esl-coach
Coach ESL/EFL teachers in classroom management: the instruction sequence (attention, group first, graded imperatives, demonstration, ICQs, hand out, start, check), ICQ examples, online instructions, routines for the first weeks (class agreement, L1 use, phones, lateness, homework, seating), strategies for L1 use in tasks, dominant and quiet learners, mixed levels, large classes, fast finishers, low motivation, disruptive young learners and teens, cultural expectations, classroom language to teach early and teacher presence. Checks planned instructions for length, missing ICQs, useless ICQs like 'Do you understand?', no demonstration, long sentences, filler and missing grouping or timing, and builds seating plans that keep named learners apart, seat learners who need the front, mix first languages and alternate stronger and weaker learners.