CEFR levels are a six-step scale for language ability, from A1 (beginner) to C2 (mastery), published by the Council of Europe. They matter for English tests because universities and employers increasingly state requirements as a CEFR level, usually B2 or C1, and the major tests map their scores onto it. The new TOEFL 1–6 scale is aligned to CEFR directly.

Key takeaways

• Six levels: A1, A2 (basic), B1, B2 (independent), C1, C2 (proficient).
• B2 is the common minimum for undergraduate study; C1 for selective universities and many postgraduate courses.
• IELTS 5.5–6.5 broadly maps to B2 and 7.0–8.0 to C1, per IELTS’s published alignment.
• TOEFL (since 2026): 4 = B2, 5 = C1, 6 = C2.
• Use official concordance tables only. Unofficial charts are often wrong.

What can you do at each CEFR level?

Level	Label	In practice
A1	Beginner	Introduce yourself, and understand and use very simple everyday phrases
A2	Elementary	Handle routine tasks such as shopping, directions and simple descriptions of your background
B1	Intermediate	Deal with most travel situations; describe experiences and give short reasons for opinions
B2	Upper intermediate	Understand complex texts in your field; speak with fluency and spontaneity with native speakers; write clear, detailed text
C1	Advanced	Understand demanding, longer texts and implicit meaning; express ideas fluently and precisely for academic and professional work
C2	Proficient	Understand virtually everything; summarise and argue coherently with fine shades of meaning

The descriptions above are condensed from the Council of Europe’s global scale.

B2 vs C1: the level that matters most

For most test takers, the real question is whether they are at B2 or C1.

• At B2, you can follow a lecture in your field and write a structured essay, but complex arguments take effort and errors still appear.
• At C1, you can read a dense journal article, catch the implied meaning, and write a well-organised argument with a precise, varied vocabulary.

The jump from B2 to C1 is usually the slowest stage of learning, because it depends on range and precision rather than new grammar. It is also roughly the gap between passing an English test and writing comfortably at university; see academic writing skills for university.

How do English test scores map to CEFR?

CEFR	IELTS band (IELTS alignment)	TOEFL iBT (2026 scale)
C2	8.5–9.0	6
C1	7.0–8.0	5
B2	5.5–6.5	4
B1	4.0–5.0	3

PTE Academic and the Duolingo English Test also publish official alignments. Use those official tables rather than estimates, because the relationship is not a simple straight line. For test-specific detail, see the new TOEFL score scale, PTE Academic format and scoring and the Duolingo English Test guide.

How to find your current CEFR level

1. Take a full official practice test for the exam you are likely to sit.
2. Map the result using that test’s own CEFR table.
3. Look at your weakest skill, not just the overall score. Requirements often set per-skill minimums.

Self-assessment against the descriptors helps, but it tends to overestimate speaking and writing. Feedback from a teacher is more reliable for those skills.

How long does it take to move up a level?

Estimates vary by learner and context, but language-teaching bodies commonly cite roughly 150–250 guided learning hours per level in the intermediate range. In practice, that means 8–16 weeks for most working adults who study consistently. Our English test preparation timeline turns this into a weekly plan.

Next step

If you need to move from B2 to C1 for a university offer or a job, structured feedback on writing and speaking makes the biggest difference. Tutopiya is planning live English test and academic English cohorts in small groups. They are not running yet; join the waitlist for English test prep and the most-requested cohorts open first. Not sure which test you need? Start with Which English test should I take?

Sources

• Council of Europe: CEFR global scale
• IELTS: IELTS and the CEFR
• ETS: TOEFL iBT score scale update

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between B2 and C1? +

At B2 you can handle most everyday and academic situations with some effort and occasional errors. At C1 you can use English flexibly and precisely for complex academic and professional work, with little obvious searching for words. Most selective universities ask for C1; many foundation and undergraduate programmes accept B2.

What IELTS score is C1? +

IELTS publishes its own CEFR mapping. Bands 7.0 to 8.0 broadly correspond to C1, and 5.5 to 6.5 to B2. Check the official IELTS page for the current alignment.

What TOEFL score is C1? +

Since January 2026 TOEFL iBT reports a 1–6 score aligned directly to CEFR, so a 5 corresponds to C1 and a 4 to B2.

How long does it take to go up one CEFR level? +

Language-teaching bodies commonly estimate somewhere around 150 to 250 hours of guided learning per level at the intermediate stages, depending on the learner, the starting point and how much English they use outside study.

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