COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK
OF REFERENCE FOR LANGUAGES:
LEARNING, TEACHING, ASSESSMENT
Language Policy Unit, Strasbourg
www.coe.int/lang-CEFR
,CONTENTS
Prefatory Note
Notes for the user
Synopsis
Chapter 1: The Common European Framework in its political and educational context
Chapter 2: Approach adopted
Chapter 3: Common Reference Levels
Chapter 4: Language use and the language user/learner
Chapter 5: The user/learner’s competences
Chapter 6: Language learning and teaching
Chapter 7: Tasks and their role in language teaching
Chapter 8: Linguistic diversification and the curriculum
Chapter 9: Assessment
General Bibliography
Appendix A: developing proficiency descriptors
Appendix B: The illustrative scales of descriptors
Appendix C: The DIALANG scales
Appendix D: The ALTE ‘Can Do’ statements
Index
PREFATORY NOTE
This restructured version of the Common European Framework of reference for language learning,
teaching and assessment represents the latest stage in a process which has been actively pursued
since 1971 and owes much to the collaboration of many members of the teaching profession across
Europe and beyond.
The Council of Europe therefore acknowledges with gratitude the contribution made by:
,• The Project Group Language Learning for European Citizenship, representing all member
countries of the Council for Cultural Co-operation with Canada as a participating observer, for
their general oversight of its development.
• The Working Party set up by the Project Group, with twenty representatives from member
countries representing the different professional interests concerned, as well as representatives
of the European Commission and its LINGUA programme, for their invaluable advice and
supervision of the project;
• The Authoring Group set up by the Working Party, consisting of Dr. J.L.M. Trim (Project
Director), Professor D. Coste (Ecole Normale Supérieure de Fontenay/Saint Cloud, CREDIF,
France), Dr. B. North (Eurocentres Foundation, Switzerland) together with Mr. J. Sheils
(Secretariat). The Council of Europe expresses its thanks to the institutions mentioned for
making it possible for the experts concerned to contribute to this important work.
• The Swiss National Science Foundation for their support of the work by Dr B. North and
Professor G. Schneider (University of Fribourg) to develop and scale descriptors of language
proficiency for the Common Reference Levels.
• The Eurocentres Foundation for making available their experience in defining and scaling
levels of language proficiency.
• The U. S. National Foreign Languages Center for providing Mellon Fellowships to Dr Trim
and Dr North which facilitated their contribution.
• The many colleagues and institutions across Europe, who responded, often with great care and
in concrete detail, to the request for feedback on earlier drafts.
The feedback received has been taken into account in revising the Framework and User Guides
prior to their adoption on a Europe-wide basis. This revision was carried out by Dr J.L.M. Trim
and Dr B. North.
NOTES FOR THE USER
The aim of these notes is to help you to use the Common European Framework for language
learning, teaching and assessment more effectively, either as a language learner or as a member of
one of the professions concerned with language teaching and assessment. They will not be
concerned with specific ways in which teachers, examiners, textbook writers, teacher trainers,
educational administrators, etc. may use the Framework. These are the subject of special guidance
addressed to the particular category of user concerned, contained in a fuller User Guide available
from the Council of Europe, which can also be consulted on its website. These notes are meant as
a first introduction to the Framework for all its users.
You may, of course, use the Framework document in any way you wish, as with any other
publication. Indeed, we hope that some readers may be stimulated to use it in ways we have not
foreseen. However, it has been written with two main aims in mind:
, 1. To encourage practitioners of all kinds in the language field, including language learners
themselves, to reflect on such questions as:
• what do we actually do when we speak (or write) to each other?
• what enables us to act in this way?
• how much of this do we need to learn when we try to use a new language?
• how do we set our objectives and mark our progress along the path from total ignorance
to effective mastery?
• how does language learning take place?
• what can we do to help ourselves and other people to learn a language better?
2. To make it easier for practitioners to tell each other and their clientèle what they wish to help
learners to achieve, and how they attempt to do so.
One thing should be made clear right away. We have NOT set out to tell practitioners what to do,
or how to do it. We are raising questions, not answering them. It is not the function of the Common
European Framework to lay down the objectives that users should pursue or the methods they
should employ.
This does not mean that the Council of Europe is indifferent to these issues. Indeed, a great deal of
thought and work has been put into the principles and practice of language learning, teaching and
assessment over the years by colleagues in our member countries working together in the Council
of Europe's Modern Languages Projects. You will find the basic principles and their practical
consequences set out in Chapter 1. You will see that the Council is concerned to improve the quality
of communication among Europeans of different language and cultural backgrounds. This is
because better communication leads to freer mobility and more direct contact, which in turn leads
to better understanding and closer co-operation. The Council also supports methods of learning and
teaching which help young people and indeed older learners to build up the attitudes, knowledge
and skills they need to become more independent in thought and action, and also more responsible
and cooperative in relation to other people. In this way the work contributes to the promotion of
democratic citizenship.
Given these fundamental aims, the Council encourages all those concerned with the organisation
of language learning to base their work on the needs, motivations, characteristics and resources of
learners. This means answering questions such as:
• What will l earners need to do with the language?
• What do they need to learn in order to be able to use the language to achieve those ends?
• What makes them want to learn?
• What sort of people are they (age, sex, social and educational background, etc.)
• What knowledge, skills and experiences do their teachers possess?
• What access do they have to course books, works of reference (dictionaries, grammars,
etc.), audio-visual aids, computer hard - and software, etc.?
• How much time can they afford (or are willing, or able) to spend?
On the basis of this analysis of the learning/teaching situation, it is seen as fundamentally important
to define, clearly and explicitly, objectives which are at once worthwhile in terms of learner needs
and realistic in terms of their characteristics and resources. Many parties are concerned with
organised language learning, not only the teachers and learners in the classroom, but also
OF REFERENCE FOR LANGUAGES:
LEARNING, TEACHING, ASSESSMENT
Language Policy Unit, Strasbourg
www.coe.int/lang-CEFR
,CONTENTS
Prefatory Note
Notes for the user
Synopsis
Chapter 1: The Common European Framework in its political and educational context
Chapter 2: Approach adopted
Chapter 3: Common Reference Levels
Chapter 4: Language use and the language user/learner
Chapter 5: The user/learner’s competences
Chapter 6: Language learning and teaching
Chapter 7: Tasks and their role in language teaching
Chapter 8: Linguistic diversification and the curriculum
Chapter 9: Assessment
General Bibliography
Appendix A: developing proficiency descriptors
Appendix B: The illustrative scales of descriptors
Appendix C: The DIALANG scales
Appendix D: The ALTE ‘Can Do’ statements
Index
PREFATORY NOTE
This restructured version of the Common European Framework of reference for language learning,
teaching and assessment represents the latest stage in a process which has been actively pursued
since 1971 and owes much to the collaboration of many members of the teaching profession across
Europe and beyond.
The Council of Europe therefore acknowledges with gratitude the contribution made by:
,• The Project Group Language Learning for European Citizenship, representing all member
countries of the Council for Cultural Co-operation with Canada as a participating observer, for
their general oversight of its development.
• The Working Party set up by the Project Group, with twenty representatives from member
countries representing the different professional interests concerned, as well as representatives
of the European Commission and its LINGUA programme, for their invaluable advice and
supervision of the project;
• The Authoring Group set up by the Working Party, consisting of Dr. J.L.M. Trim (Project
Director), Professor D. Coste (Ecole Normale Supérieure de Fontenay/Saint Cloud, CREDIF,
France), Dr. B. North (Eurocentres Foundation, Switzerland) together with Mr. J. Sheils
(Secretariat). The Council of Europe expresses its thanks to the institutions mentioned for
making it possible for the experts concerned to contribute to this important work.
• The Swiss National Science Foundation for their support of the work by Dr B. North and
Professor G. Schneider (University of Fribourg) to develop and scale descriptors of language
proficiency for the Common Reference Levels.
• The Eurocentres Foundation for making available their experience in defining and scaling
levels of language proficiency.
• The U. S. National Foreign Languages Center for providing Mellon Fellowships to Dr Trim
and Dr North which facilitated their contribution.
• The many colleagues and institutions across Europe, who responded, often with great care and
in concrete detail, to the request for feedback on earlier drafts.
The feedback received has been taken into account in revising the Framework and User Guides
prior to their adoption on a Europe-wide basis. This revision was carried out by Dr J.L.M. Trim
and Dr B. North.
NOTES FOR THE USER
The aim of these notes is to help you to use the Common European Framework for language
learning, teaching and assessment more effectively, either as a language learner or as a member of
one of the professions concerned with language teaching and assessment. They will not be
concerned with specific ways in which teachers, examiners, textbook writers, teacher trainers,
educational administrators, etc. may use the Framework. These are the subject of special guidance
addressed to the particular category of user concerned, contained in a fuller User Guide available
from the Council of Europe, which can also be consulted on its website. These notes are meant as
a first introduction to the Framework for all its users.
You may, of course, use the Framework document in any way you wish, as with any other
publication. Indeed, we hope that some readers may be stimulated to use it in ways we have not
foreseen. However, it has been written with two main aims in mind:
, 1. To encourage practitioners of all kinds in the language field, including language learners
themselves, to reflect on such questions as:
• what do we actually do when we speak (or write) to each other?
• what enables us to act in this way?
• how much of this do we need to learn when we try to use a new language?
• how do we set our objectives and mark our progress along the path from total ignorance
to effective mastery?
• how does language learning take place?
• what can we do to help ourselves and other people to learn a language better?
2. To make it easier for practitioners to tell each other and their clientèle what they wish to help
learners to achieve, and how they attempt to do so.
One thing should be made clear right away. We have NOT set out to tell practitioners what to do,
or how to do it. We are raising questions, not answering them. It is not the function of the Common
European Framework to lay down the objectives that users should pursue or the methods they
should employ.
This does not mean that the Council of Europe is indifferent to these issues. Indeed, a great deal of
thought and work has been put into the principles and practice of language learning, teaching and
assessment over the years by colleagues in our member countries working together in the Council
of Europe's Modern Languages Projects. You will find the basic principles and their practical
consequences set out in Chapter 1. You will see that the Council is concerned to improve the quality
of communication among Europeans of different language and cultural backgrounds. This is
because better communication leads to freer mobility and more direct contact, which in turn leads
to better understanding and closer co-operation. The Council also supports methods of learning and
teaching which help young people and indeed older learners to build up the attitudes, knowledge
and skills they need to become more independent in thought and action, and also more responsible
and cooperative in relation to other people. In this way the work contributes to the promotion of
democratic citizenship.
Given these fundamental aims, the Council encourages all those concerned with the organisation
of language learning to base their work on the needs, motivations, characteristics and resources of
learners. This means answering questions such as:
• What will l earners need to do with the language?
• What do they need to learn in order to be able to use the language to achieve those ends?
• What makes them want to learn?
• What sort of people are they (age, sex, social and educational background, etc.)
• What knowledge, skills and experiences do their teachers possess?
• What access do they have to course books, works of reference (dictionaries, grammars,
etc.), audio-visual aids, computer hard - and software, etc.?
• How much time can they afford (or are willing, or able) to spend?
On the basis of this analysis of the learning/teaching situation, it is seen as fundamentally important
to define, clearly and explicitly, objectives which are at once worthwhile in terms of learner needs
and realistic in terms of their characteristics and resources. Many parties are concerned with
organised language learning, not only the teachers and learners in the classroom, but also
