Theme: Accessing learner's writing skills to cefr scales content introduction chapter I. History of cefr

2.2 The time it takes to learn English to a certain level
By itself, the CEFR scale does not give an answer to how long it takes to reach a particular level. Obviously, it depends on a bunch of factors - from the student, from the teacher, from motivation, doing homework, and much more. However, it is still possible to make some assessment. The University of Cambridge (the one that conducts Cambridge exams - FCE, CAE, and so on), for example, claims that the distance between two adjacent CEFR levels can be overcome in 200 hours of guided learning (something like “structured learning”). The first step takes a little less time, the last - a little more. Here is how much, according to these data, it will take to reach each of the levels:

Level	Hours of “guided learning”
A2	180-200
B1	350-400
B2	500-600
C1	700-800
C2	1000-1200

There is no A1 level here - if I understand correctly, because Cambridge does not accept exams at the A1 level. So don't ask.
With all my love for Cambridge and the Cambridge exams, let me offer an alternative point of view. Here are my considerations:
The distance between the steps is not the same. Each next step is twice as high as the previous one. In other words, the further you study, the more difficult it will be to move to the next level. To achieve it, you will need to spend twice as much effort as to achieve the previous one. Techies would call such a scale "logarithmic".
We will set broad boundaries for each step. The lower one is when you barely, with a creak, but reached the cherished level. Upper - when you have already mastered and are ready to move on.
“Training by the program” is, of course, great. But not always learning takes place exclusively in the classroom. In the case of a foreign language, such things as speaking practice and exposure (that is, the time when you are in a language environment) are very important: reading, films and series. But grammar books should also be here - how could it be without them. Therefore, I propose to consider the time of learning a language not the time when you are “learning”, sitting in a classroom or opening a textbook, but in general any activity during which you focus on English - books, series, correspondence, Internet sites in English .
To determine the upper limit, let's take the well-known “10,000 hour principle”, which says that in almost every case, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery.
Here's what I got:

Level	Practice hours
A1	150-300
A2	300-600
B1	600-1200
B2	1200-2500
C1	2500-5000
C2	5000-10000

You know, my modest experience of learning foreign languages ​​tells me that this is very close to the truth.
One interesting observation that can be made by looking at this table. If you really want to achieve mastery, be prepared to spend a lot of time and effort on it. 10,000 hours, so you understand, is an hour a day for 27 years. Another funny calculation: in the time it takes to grow from C1 to C2 (let's say it's about 5,000 hours), you can learn about a dozen other foreign languages, though only up to A2 level.
So, the levels from A1 to C2 that you might have heard about from familiar teachers or representatives of language schools are the levels of language proficiency according to the so-called CEFR scale, or, as it is also called the “Common European Scale of Language Competences”.
This scale is based not on the knowledge of some sets of words or grammatical constructions, but on what a language learner can do at one level or another. That is why the CEFR scale is universal - it can be applied to any language.
What you need to know at each level
An important trend of today is a competency-based approach to the formulation of goals and content of training. In simple words, the main goal of learning a foreign language is not how many foreign words a student knows or the number of grammatical rules that he has learned, but how he can use this knowledge and skills in real life to solve practical, cognitive, communicative tasks (in store, at work, at university, etc.). Briefly, this is called communicative competence . The Council of Europe has just developed a model of foreign language communicative competence and defined a system of threshold levels of language proficiency.
Let's take a closer look at the levels.
A1-beginner

Listening _	You will learn simple words and sentences about you and those close to you if the speech is slow.
Speaking _	You ask simple questions and briefly answer topics that you know, if the interlocutor is ready for a slow pace of conversation and helps you correctly formulate your thought.
Reading _	You understand simple familiar words and short sentences, such as those found on advertisements and posters.
Letter _	You can briefly sign a postcard, write a small congratulation on the holiday, fill out a questionnaire with basic personal data.

You can solve communicative tasks using a foreign language at level A1 in the following situations:
● In stores, you buy clothes, groceries, basic goods, because you already know the numerals and catch the price by ear, ask the seller simple questions, you can return the marriage.
● You are able to make a simple order in a cafe, share your food preferences and favorite dishes.
● You can meet a new interlocutor, say hello and introduce yourself, find out what city he is from, what nationality, tell about yourself. In addition, you are already able to briefly talk about your relatives, describe their appearance and character.
● You keep up conversations about the weather and can invite friends or colleagues to meet based on the forecasts.
● At a meeting with friends, discuss hobbies, share plans.
● You can go to the doctor and describe in simple terms what is bothering you.
● On the streets of your hometown, you are able to give directions to a foreigner or ask how to get to the desired sights in another country.
A2-Elementary

Listening _	You understand sentences about yourself, relatives, locality, shopping, work. You can catch short phrases in ads.
Speaking _	You speak on topics that you understand, about something everyday, share simple information with your interlocutor. Build a speech from a few short sentences, describe in simple terms family, loved ones, education, working day and leisure.
Reading _	You can already read short, simple texts. You understand news feed headlines with words you know.
Letter _	You write short notes and personal letters such as thank you notes.

With an A2 language proficiency level, you will be able to communicate in the following situations:
● You share plans for your upcoming vacation with friends or talk about your past trip.
● In a conversation with a friend, you can describe your past, talk about important moments.
● You keep up conversations about travel and nature.
● You can invite your friends to the movies, discuss what movie you'll be watching, or talk about your favorite movies.
● You discuss the rules of the game with your friends or explain them to new players.
● You can get medical help, describe an accident or injury to a doctor.
● You participate in discussions at work meetings, use simple phrases in business negotiations, make business proposals for your job responsibilities.
A2+/B1- Pre Intermediate

Listening _	With an average pace of the speaker's speech and familiar vocabulary, you understand colloquial speech. Capture the main idea of ​​a movie or TV show in the original language if you watch it with subtitles.
Speaking _	You have a good pronunciation, speak clearly enough. Tell us about yourself, your tastes, hobbies, family and career. If the interlocutor uses words that are well known to you, you are quite free to conduct a dialogue.
Reading _	You read promotional texts, short magazine articles, adapted literature.
Letter _	You write texts about yourself, congratulations, small personal letters.

Situations in which you are fluent in understanding and using a foreign language at this level:
● In the cafe, you can make a simple order and chat with the waiter.
● Listening to TV shows and movies is still difficult for you, but you can invite your friends to watch a movie with subtitles. ● You discuss the weather and simple facts with your friends.
B1-Intermediate

Listening _	You hear clear speech on topics that you can understand, and catch the main idea of ​​many TV shows about current events.
Speaking _	You are quite comfortable when traveling. Engage in a conversation without additional preparation if the topic is familiar to you. Describe your experiences and dreams in simple words. Retell the plots of films and share your impressions.
Reading _	You understand texts written in simple words, perceive the described feelings and wishes in personal correspondence.
Letter _	You are able to write a short coherent text on topics of interest to you, write letters in which you describe experiences and impressions.

At level B1, you can understand speech and explain yourself in the following situations:
● You are able to pass a job interview in your industry.
● You talk about your education and plans for education.
● It is easy for you to talk about relationships, acquaintances, communication in social networks.
● You are able to give advice about a healthy lifestyle.
● You can plan a trip to a concert for the evening, and discuss musical trends and compositions with your interlocutor.
● In a cafe, you order food, keep up a conversation, and pay the bill.
B2 - Upper Intermediate

Listening _	You can understand long monologues, lectures, even complex arguments if you are familiar with the topic. Can easily hear most news, shows, and movies in standard dialect.
Speaking _	You can communicate quite fluently with an interlocutor when discussing topics familiar to you, defend your views, argue, and also explain the advantages and disadvantages of some solutions.
Reading _	You read articles on current issues in which the authors adhere to certain points of view. Understand modern literature.
Letter _	You are free to write detailed texts, essays, reports on topics that you understand. Argue in support of certain points of view and share experiences in private messages.

Situations in which you can freely express and understand the interlocutor:
● At work, during meetings, you answer questions about your tasks and areas of expertise.
● You freely talk with colleagues and friends about your personal life and career, discuss relationships, cultural norms and deviations from them.
● You can talk about the pros and cons of different educational systems, talk about your education.
● You support conversations about books, recommend friends to read your favorite works, talk about them.
● You are comfortable discussing finances, giving advice on financial planning.
C1-Advanced

Listening _	You understand a long speech, even if it lacks structure. Freely listen to TV shows and watch movies in the original.
Speaking _	You speak without pre-selection of words and can explain a complex topic in detail to your interlocutor.
Reading _	You read fiction and non-fiction books, evaluate the style of the text. You understand the language of technical instructions and articles, even if they do not belong to your area of ​​expertise.
Letter _	You write texts such as essays, reports, letters clearly, structured, detailed, focusing on the important. You choose the writing style for your reader.

Situations in which you are fluent in speech comprehension, speaking and writing at C1 level:
● Discuss with colleagues and management how to build a successful team at work.
● At exhibitions, talk about the details of paintings, while walking around the city - about the architecture of buildings.
● You freely talk about the protection of nature and the environment, social problems, offer ways to solve them and talk about the role of various organizations.
● In conversations about today's events and news, talk about the impact of what is happening on people, talk about risky situations, discuss the quality of life.
● In personal conversations and when watching films, you can freely understand various types of humor - irony, sarcasm, informal and formal speech, implicit hints.
C2 - Proficiency

Listening _	You have no difficulty understanding fast spoken language, whether it's live or recorded, as long as you've had time to get used to the accent.
Speaking _	You are well acquainted with slang and idioms, and you can freely convey even the most elusive shades of meaning in speech. Your speech is appropriate to the context, style and audience, it is fluid, has a logical structure.
Reading _	You easily read almost all textual forms, including abstract or complex structures.
Letter _	You write understandable texts in the chosen style - voluminous letters, reports, articles, reviews. They have a clear structure.

Situations in which you understand and use the language at the C2 level:
● You discuss celebrities, their lives and gossip with your friends.
● You talk or write about doing research in scientific fields.
● You discuss scientific and technical discoveries.
● You talk to friends and colleagues about the impact of stress on your life.