Check my Level

Levels

The most common way of assessing French abilities is the Common European Framework (CEF).

One important aspect of this is that once you have achieved a level, you are actually somewhere above it. For instance, if you test as B1, you are now progressing within B2. Because of this, it's a good idea to keep an eye on raw test scores to pick up minor changes.

I am currently developing a new vocabulary test, but in the meantime, there are a number of free assessments online which I think are useful. They don’t involve registering, and all give you an idea of where you are on the CEF.

Link

Structure

Assessments

Comments

Which test?

Any test is just a sample of the language, and inevitably has limited accuracy. I would therefore advise doing all of them (not all at once!) and try to work out a rough average.

This should give a broad idea of how you are doing with Vocabulary, Grammar, and Oral Understanding. The last test above is probably the most complete/accurate (but also the most demanding).

When/How often?

Normally, for a native learner (with complete immersion) language takes many years to develop.

Going from B1 to B2 is a particularly big jump up, and even if you spend a significant amount of time each day, this is still normally going to take a couple of years at least (think GCSE to A level, or even further).

You also need to avoid practice effects – if you do the tests often enough (particularly the ones where the items remain the same), then you will just start to learn the specific answers.

So, my advice is roughly every 6 months.

How else?

Look back at stuff you were reading some time ago. Can you manage them easily now? Are you beyond the ‘Harry Potter’ level (B1 +) yet?

Can you pretty well read most things you come up against (B2 and above)?

(Normally written skills are a couple of years below reading levels, but this could be more if you don’t bother with writing).

What sort of spoken language can you now follow? Can you understand:

 ◦ French-dubbed English films or series? (upper B1)

 ◦ Formal speeches in French? (upper B1)

 ◦ French language films or series (B2 and above)

 ◦ French conversations and informal language

  – either on tv or realistic films/series (C1 and above)

In real-life situations, can you:

 ◦ Manage simple tasks, such as buying a single item in a shop? (B1 and above)

 ◦ Cope with basic structured situations, such as ordering in a restaurant? (upper B1)

 ◦ Carry out a basic conversation, where you understand most of what they say

  - but use simple language yourself (B2 and above)?

 ◦ Converse fairly freely most of the time? (C1 and above)

My Target

Well, independence is when you have passed the B2 level.

You’ll be able to read most things and write down key ideas. You’ll understand most of what people say in formal or structured situations, as well as get your main ideas over.

If you want to study at university in France, this is the minimum level. Incidentally, fees are really low and International students pay the same ones as French students. This site gives a lot of information about this.

In terms of employment, you can do manual work with A2/B, but jobs such as the service industry require B2, and areas where communication is vital need C1 at least.

Progress beyond B2 will be slower, but probably more enjoyable than before. You’ll be learning a wider vocabulary, although grammar will be more a question of refinement (unless you particularly like linguistics).

It’s now all very much a question of culture and context, with idiomatic expressions, multiple contextualised meanings, different accents, and ways of seeing the world.

It’s unlikely you’ll ever completely lose your English accent, even with many years immersion – anyway, what’s wrong with being a bit different?

One final caution is that there is some evidence that after a protracted time away from your first language, it can gradually fade to some extent – god forbid, you might get ‘Frenchified’.