Self-Assessment
Not a test, and not a score. A list of things you can either do or not do yet — which is far more useful.
About these levels
The labels A1, A2, B1 and B2 are used here as a rough guide to difficulty only. RCF English does not claim formal alignment with the Common European Framework of Reference, and nothing on this page provides an official level or a certificate.
Use it to decide what to study next. Do not use it to decide what you are worth.
How to use this page
- Read each statement and answer honestly: yes, easily / yes, with difficulty / not yet.
- Find the first group in which you have more than two not yet answers. That is where to start work.
- Do not skip a group because it looks easy. Gaps in the earlier groups are what make the later ones difficult.
- Come back in three months and do it again. The change is the point, not the label.
A1 — Beginner
Can you do these?
- Introduce yourself and say where you are from and what you do.
- Understand and use simple greetings and farewells.
- Ask for and give a telephone number, an address and a date.
- Order food or buy something in a shop using simple phrases.
- Understand very slow, clear speech about familiar things.
- Fill in a simple form with your personal details.
- Ask simple questions: Where is…? How much is…? What time…?
- Write a short, simple message such as I will be late. Sorry.
If several are 'not yet'
Start with Practical Grammar — the word-order section — and Everyday English. Learn phrases whole rather than building them from rules.
A2 — Elementary
Can you do these?
- Describe your family, your work and your daily routine.
- Talk about the past: what you did yesterday, last week, last year.
- Make and change an appointment on the telephone.
- Understand the main point of a short, clear announcement.
- Read a short newspaper item and say what it is about.
- Write a short personal email or letter.
- Explain what is wrong when something you bought is faulty.
- Give simple directions to someone who is lost.
If several are 'not yet'
Work on Practical Grammar — the tenses — and Practical Conversations. Begin reading for twenty minutes a day.
B1 — Intermediate
Can you do these?
- Keep a conversation going for several minutes without long pauses.
- Explain a problem clearly and say what you would like done about it.
- Understand most of a news bulletin on a familiar subject.
- Read a newspaper article and follow the argument.
- Write a clear email of about 150 words asking for something.
- Give reasons and opinions, and say why you disagree.
- Understand a telephone conversation with someone you do not know.
- Follow a work meeting and contribute to it.
If several are 'not yet'
Work on Speaking, Listening and Workplace English. This is the level at which regular real conversation matters most.
B2 — Upper intermediate
Can you do these?
- Take part in a discussion with several people speaking at natural speed.
- Argue a case, respond to counter-arguments, and change your position when convinced.
- Understand most television and radio without subtitles.
- Read a full article or a chapter without a dictionary.
- Write a clear, well-organised letter of complaint or application.
- Explain something technical from your own work to someone outside it.
- Recognise when someone is being ironic, or polite rather than sincere.
- Adjust how formal you are according to who you are speaking to.
If several are 'not yet'
Work on Spoken English for natural informal patterns, and Writing for organisation. At this level, wide reading and real conversation do more than any exercise.
The honest measure
Levels matter far less than this question: is there something you can do in English this month that you could not do three months ago?
Write down what it is. That single sentence, repeated every three months, is a truer record of your English than any test result.