English levels · assessment · next steps
English levels and assessment
Compare major English tests and language proficiency frameworks. Use comparisons as a starting point, then consider skill-specific results, classroom evidence and learner context before planning support or next steps.
Choose the tests you want to compare.
Select up to four. Filter by assessment family or skill, then read across a CEFR band. The labels show whether the link is a published score alignment, a benchmark or only course guidance.
Overall results are separate from component grades. View the full Cambridge 0510 / 0511 tables ↓
Source review: 11 October 2026. Overall scores, component grades, skill cut scores and research benchmarks are labelled separately. A dash means no value is listed here, not that no research exists.
*A range marked with an asterisk may cross a CEFR boundary or be grouped in the test provider’s guide. Some frameworks are intentionally shown as “no direct conversion”. That is useful information, not a missing score.
Published component and skill tables.
Cambridge 0511 component letters, 0510 speaking endorsements and First Language English are shown separately. Choose a guide to inspect the exact grading route.
Build a Cambridge component profile.
Enter each component grade separately. These results describe the individual skills; they do not calculate an overall qualification grade.
Read the result in its course or school system.
These qualifications have different aims and grading systems. Their evidence is useful for planning and recognition, but a course grade does not always behave like a proficiency-test score.
| Qualification or system | What the official guide says | How to use the comparison |
|---|---|---|
| IB Diploma English B | Ecctis 2023 overall benchmark: B2 at HL 5 / SL 6; B2+ at HL 6 / SL 7; C1 at HL 7. | Research benchmark for overall proficiency. The study does not assign separate CEFR levels to each English B skill grade. IB research and overview ↗ |
| Cambridge IGCSE ESL 0510 / 0511 | Cambridge publishes an older grade-by-skill CEFR crosswalk. Speaking equivalencies differ by syllabus route. | Read the skill and component grade separately; verify current syllabus and recognition rules. Cambridge CEFR equivalency guide ↗ |
| Cambridge IGCSE EAL 0472 / 0772 | Items are designed across A2–B1, but the syllabus has not been CEFR-benchmarked. The 2026–28 syllabus assesses four skills. | Use this as a course-design range, not a CEFR result for a candidate. Cambridge explanation ↗ |
| IB MYP Language Acquisition | Six phases describe a learning continuum; the IB does not give a universal one-to-one CEFR conversion. | Use phase descriptors, criteria and learner evidence for each language mode. |
| IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) | Transdisciplinary curriculum framework for ages 3–12; it is not a language proficiency test. | Use school records and separate evidence by skill. Do not infer a CEFR level from PYP participation. |
| England Key Stage 1 | Ages 5–7 (typically Years 1–2). Curriculum stage, not a language test. | Use age-appropriate curriculum evidence and an individual language assessment. |
| England Key Stage 2 | Ages 7–11 (typically Years 3–6). Curriculum stage, not a language test. | Use curriculum evidence and assess the learner’s skills directly. |
| England Key Stage 3 | Ages 11–14 (typically Years 7–9). Curriculum stage, not a language test. | Do not convert the key stage into a CEFR level. |
| England Key Stage 4 | Ages 14–16 (typically Years 10–11). Curriculum stage, not a language test. | Use the student’s qualification and language evidence; age stage alone gives no CEFR level. |
| Cambridge AS English General Paper 8021 | AS-level comprehension and essay writing; Cambridge states that A/AS qualifications are not benchmarked to CEFR. | The chart’s B2–C1 labels are an explicitly approximate estimate of academic task demand only, not candidate level or grade. |
| NSW EAL/D and HSC EAL/D | Beginning, Emerging, Developing and Consolidating phases describe language development by mode. | Plan from the learner’s current mode and course outcomes, not an assumed CEFR match. |
| WIDA ACCESS / MODEL | ACCESS has WIDA domain levels; MODEL Online has a researched CEFR crosswalk by grade cluster and skill. | Keep ACCESS and MODEL distinct. Use the correct grade cluster and domain table for MODEL. |
The full Cambridge skill tables.
Reading, writing and listening use the same component-grade mapping for both routes. Speaking is included in 0511 and reported as a separate numbered endorsement in 0510. These are component grades, rather than an automatic conversion of the overall qualification grade.
0511: reading, writing, listening and speaking
| Component grade | Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking (0511) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B2 | B2 | B2 | C1 |
| B | B2 | B2 | B2 | B2 |
| C | B2 | B2 | B2 | B2 |
| D | B2 | B2 | B1 | B1 |
| E | B1 | B1 | A2 | B1 |
| F | A2 | A2 | A2 | A2 |
| G | A2 | A2 | A2 | A2 |
0510: reading, writing and listening
| Component grade | Reading | Writing | Listening |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | B2 | B2 | B2 |
| B | B2 | B2 | B2 |
| C | B2 | B2 | B2 |
| D | B2 | B2 | B1 |
| E | B1 | B1 | A2 |
| F | A2 | A2 | A2 |
| G | A2 | A2 | A2 |
0510: separate speaking endorsement
| Endorsement grade | Speaking |
|---|---|
| 1 | C1 |
| 2 | B2 |
| 3 | B1 |
| 4 | A2 |
| 5 | A2 |
A* is not awarded at component level. The numbered 0510 endorsements do not correspond to rows A–E. Source: Cambridge’s published component equivalencies (November 2017) ↗. Overall recognition: 0511 overall C is a B2 benchmark; for 0510 Cambridge’s recognition profile is overall C with speaking endorsement 2. Use the current syllabus for the examination year.
Build a WIDA profile.
What can this mean in a subject classroom? →
Use the assessment and tested grade cluster on the report. Age alone does not determine a CEFR level. The published WIDA link applies to MODEL Online domain scale scores; ACCESS, Screener, MODEL Paper and proficiency levels use their own interpretation.
Enter domain scale scores, not raw scores, composite scores or proficiency levels.
Source: WIDA’s December 2023 MODEL Online–CEFR tables. The comparison estimates each domain separately; it does not produce an overall CEFR level, predict an exam grade or transfer to another WIDA assessment.
Cambridge: read the right kind of result
Skill mapping: choose Reading, Writing, Listening or Speaking and the exact syllabus. The 2024 Cambridge table covers 0510, 0511, 0991 and 0993. Component grades must not be replaced with the overall qualification grade.
Recognition profile: the letter combines an overall result with a speaking or speaking/listening condition. First Language English B2 and C1 profiles require both parts. A single overall grade does not establish the same level in all four skills.
Source differences: the supplied 2017 skill table is retained as a historical reference. The letter uses a numeric speaking condition for its ESL B1 profile and prints 0900 for the numeric First Language route; check the actual syllabus and report rather than transferring those labels automatically.
Turn a current result into a study route.
Enter a score where a published score link is available, or choose the learner’s current CEFR stage yourself. Set a CEFR goal, choose an exam route and weakest skill, and get staged practice ideas. For mapped tests the page shows the linked score band; for course grades and frameworks it uses the exam’s own guidance.
Add a four-skill CEFR planning profile
Enter reported skill levels or estimates supported by recent work. Leave unknown skills unassessed. The tool does not average these into an overall level.
Sources and score guidance.
Mappings and descriptions can change. These links lead to test providers, awarding bodies and official programme guidance.
Core IELTS, TOEFL 2026, Cambridge Scale and IGCSE source links checked 13 October 2026. Other assessments retain their individual source notes. Check the test edition, syllabus year and score-report date before using a comparison for decisions about an individual student.