COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF REFERENCE FOR LANGUAGES

Year: 1971

What is it? The Common European Framework provides a common basis for the elaboration of language syllabuses, curriculum guidelines, examinations, textbooks, etc.
across Europe. It describes in a comprehensive way what language learners have to learn to do in order to use a language for communication and what knowledge and skills
they have to develop so as to be able to act effectively.

Which is its approach?

A comprehensive, transparent and coherent frame of reference for language learning, teaching and assessment must relate to a very general view of language use and
learning. The approach adopted here, generally speaking, is an action-oriented one in so far as it views users and learners of a language primarily as social agents, i.e.
members of society who have tasks (not exclusively language-related) to accomplish in a given set of circumstances, in a specific environment and within a particular field
of action.

CHAPTERS: 9 nine chapters

LEVELS OF PROFICIENCY

Breakthrough, corresponding to what Wilkins in his 1978 proposal labelled Formulaic Proficiency, and Trim in the same publication1 Introductory.

Waystage, reflecting the Council of Europe content specification.

Threshold, reflecting the Council of Europe content specification.

Vantage, reflecting the third Council of Europe content specification, a level described as Limited Operational Proficiency by Wilkins, and adequate response to
situations normally encountered by Trim.

Effective Operational Proficiency which was called Effective Proficiency by Trim, Adequate Operational Proficiency by Wilkins, and represents an advanced level of
competence suitable for more complex work and study tasks.

Mastery (Trim: comprehensive mastery; Wilkins: Comprehensive Operational Proficiency), corresponds to the top examination objective in the scheme adopted by
ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe). It could be extended to include the more developed intercultural competence above that level which is achieved by many
language professionals.