The official levels of all 27 languages

The spine: CEFR

Most official exams hang on the CEFR scale from the Council of Europe. Six letters, from first words to near native.

A1beginner

A2basic

B1independent

B2confident

C1advanced

C2near native

How our 7 levels line up

🌱 Newcomerfirst steps

🐣 Beginnerabout A1

🧭 Explorerabout A2

💬 Conversationalabout B1

🔥 Confidentabout B2

🚀 Advancedabout C1

👑 Mastertoward C2

A rough guide in our own words. We prepare you. Only the exam bodies certify.

Graded straight in CEFR 13 languages

These exams hand out the A1 to C2 letters directly. Pass the exam, own the level.

EnglishCambridge English · IELTS

A2 KeyB1 PreliminaryB2 FirstC1 AdvancedC2 Proficiency

Cambridge University Press and Assessment · cambridgeenglish.org

IELTS reports a band from 1 to 9 instead of a certificate level.

SpanishDELE · SIELE

A1A2B1B2C1C2

Instituto Cervantes · examenes.cervantes.es

SIELE is the official online multilevel test from the same family.

FrenchDELF · DALF

A1A2B1B2DALF C1DALF C2

France Éducation international · france-education-international.fr

Diplomas of the French Ministry of Education, valid for life.

GermanGoethe-Zertifikat

A1A2B1B2C1C2

Goethe-Institut · goethe.de

C1 renewed and modular since 2024. TestDaF and DSH open university doors.

ItalianCILS

A1A2UNO B1DUE B2TRE C1QUATTRO C2

Università per Stranieri di Siena · cils.unistrasi.it

CELI and PLIDA are also state recognized. B1 is the citizenship level.

PortugueseCAPLE · Celpe-Bras

ACESSO A1CIPLE A2DEPLE B1DIPLE B2DAPLE C1DUPLE C2

University of Lisbon · caple.letras.ulisboa.pt

Brazil runs its own Celpe-Bras with four bands, Intermediário up to Avançado Superior.

DutchCNaVT

INFO A2FORM B1PROF B2STRT B2EDUP C1

Nederlandse Taalunie · cnavt.org

Fully digital from May 2026. In the Netherlands the state route is Staatsexamen NT2 (B1 and B2).

NorwegianNorskprøven

A1A2B1B2C1 test

HK-dir · hkdir.no

Results come straight as CEFR letters. The separate C1 test is pass or not passed.

SwedishSwedex · Tisus

A2B1B2C1Tisus pass

Folkuniversitetet · Stockholm University · folkuniversitetet.se

Swedex ends after 31 December 2026. A new state citizenship test starts from June 2026.

VietnameseState 6 level framework

Bậc 1Bậc 2Bậc 3Bậc 4Bậc 5Bậc 6

Ministry of Education and Training · moet.gov.vn

Built to match A1 to C2, delivered by authorized universities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

ArabicCIMA

A1A2B1B2C1C2

Institut du monde arabe, Paris · imarabe.org

One exam that certifies the level you reach. ALPT also runs, without an official CEFR grade.

KazakhKAZTEST

Қарапайым A1Базалық A2Орта B1Ортадан жоғары B2Жоғары C1

National Testing Center · testcenter.kz

The state system. There is no C2 level.

RussianTORFL (ТРКИ)

Elementary A1Basic A2I B1II B2III C1IV C2

Authorized state universities · testingcenter.spbu.ru

St Petersburg State University is the largest operator.

Their own scale 5 languages

Big official exams that never adopted the European letters. Their numbers are the ones the whole world quotes.

JapaneseJLPT

N5N4N3N2N1

The Japan Foundation and JEES · jlpt.jp

New: since December 2025 score reports also print a CEFR reference, N5 A1 up to N1 B2-C1.

KoreanTOPIK

I · 1I · 2II · 3II · 4II · 5II · 6

NIIED, Ministry of Education of Korea · topik.go.kr

The separate TOPIK Speaking Test grades 1 to 6. Paper and internet based sittings.

ChineseHSK · HSKK

1234567-9 band

CLEC · Chinese Testing International · chinesetest.cn

The advanced band is one test scored 7, 8 or 9. The new 9 level standard rolls out during 2026.

ThaiCU-TFL

NoviceIntermediateAdvancedSuperiorDistinguished

Sirindhorn Thai Language Institute, Chulalongkorn University · sti.chula.ac.th

No national government exam exists. This is the recognized standard, rated per skill.

IndonesianUKBI Adaptif Merdeka

TerbatasMarginalSemenjanaMadyaUnggulSangat UnggulIstimewa

Badan Bahasa · ukbi.kemendikdasmen.go.id

The same official adaptive test for natives and foreigners, seven ranks.

No official exam 9 languages

No country runs an official learner exam for these. Honest levels still exist: the CEFR scale for self assessment, and the ACTFL interview where a rating is needed.

IcelandicNo official exam

Only the pass or fail citizenship test exists · island.is

Otherwise University of Iceland courses and course based assessment.

MalayNo official exam

Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka is the authority, no learner exam · dbp.gov.my

University tests and the ACTFL interview fill the gap.

Filipino · TagalogNo official exam

KWF regulates the language, no learner exam · kwf.gov.ph

ACTFL OPI and Avant STAMP are what people actually use.

BurmeseNo official exam

University course certificates only

No official exam has emerged. ACTFL style ratings where needed.

HindiNone standardized

Kendriya Hindi Sansthan teaches, it does not level-certify · khsindia.org

Closest recognized ladder: the graded exams of Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha.

SwahiliNo official exam

BAKITA certifies teachers, not learners · udsm.ac.tz

University of Dar es Salaam courses, Cambridge IGCSE Swahili at school level, ACTFL OPI.

AmharicNo official exam

ACTFL OPI is the usable rating · actfl.org

Plus university certificates.

YorubaNo official exam

ACTFL OPI is the usable rating · actfl.org

School exams like WASSCE are curriculum subjects, not learner proficiency tests.

ZuluNo official exam

Cambridge IGCSE isiZulu is the one standardized school exam · cambridgeinternational.org

Plus ACTFL OPI for an oral rating.

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Checked August 2026 against the exam bodies linked on each card. Something changed at one of them? Tell us on Messenger and we fix this page.