Modern Languages
Linking CfE Outcomes to other
languages frameworks
(Common European Framework of
Reference)
Common European
Framework of Reference for
Languages (CEFR)
Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages
The Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages (CEFR) has been produced by the Council of
Europe and it aims to provide a “comprehensive,
transparent and coherent framework for language
teaching.”
The Framework also defines levels of proficiency which
allow learners’ progress to be measured at each stage
of learning on a life-long basis.
Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages
The framework emphasises the most relevant contexts for
language use particularly in the following areas:
•to deal with the business of everyday life in another country,
and to help foreigners staying in their country to do so;
•to exchange information and ideas with young people and
adults who speak a different language and to communicate
their thoughts and feelings to them;
•to achieve a wider and deeper understanding of the way of
life and forms of thought of other nations and of their cultural
heritage.
A scale of Common Reference levels describes
learner performance at six levels (from a
‘basic’ to a ‘proficient’ user) and five kinds of
skill ( listening / spoken interaction / spoken
production / reading / writing ). The
descriptors encourage self-assessment and
have been integral to the development of the
European Language Portfolio.
European Language Portfolio (ELP)
The ELP in its current form consists of three obligatory
components:
• Language passport (summative) – which provides an overview
of the individual’s proficiency in language at a given time and
which records the owner’s self-assessment against the Selfassessment Grid in the CEFR
• Language biography (formative) – which provides a reflective
accompaniment to the ongoing processes of learning and using
second languages and engaging with the cultures associated
with them and which uses “I can” checklists for goal setting
and self-assessment
• Language dossier (experiential) – which offers the learner the
opportunity to select materials to document and illustrate
achievements and intercultural experiences.
The six levels of CEFR:
A
A1
A2
B
B1
B2
C
C1
C2
Basic User
Breakthrough
Waystage
Independent User
Threshold
Vantage
Proficient User
Effective Operational Proficiency
Mastery