French Grades – A1 to C2
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, published by the Council of Europe, provides a standard way to measure language ability across all modalities – reading, writing, speaking and listening.
It is graded into six levels, A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.
A good A-level in French is equivalent to B2, and this is the level needed to study at university in France.
However being able to say Encore eût-il fallu que je le susse is not really necessary for everyday speech, so my approach is rather to help you get confident having normal conversations using everyday French – including slang.
For reference, here are the levels:
A1
For beginners. You can introduce yourself, order a coffee and a croissant and figure out which train ticket to buy.
Know the key verbs avoir and être in the present tense.
Be able to conjugate regular -er verbs in the present tense.
Know key phrase such as bonjour, je m’appelle / j’habite à / je voudrais.
Be able to count. Know the names of the days and months, basic everyday items.
A2
Be able to conduct everyday conversations, using the present, perfect and near future tenses.
Know core reflexive verbs such as se lever / s’appeler etc.
Direct and indirect object pronouns.
Express opinion using expressions like à mon avis / je pense que etc.
Make comparisons using plus que / moins que / plus grand que etc.
B1
You can deal with most daily situations, and don’t need to resort to English. If you don’t understand something, or need to have a word explained to you, you can do it all in French.
Be comfortable with the present, perfect, imperfect, conditional and simple future tenses.
Use common contructions such as il faut / on doit etc.
Use conditionals.
Be happy with relative pronouns like dont / qui / que etc.
B2
If you have this level you’re pretty much all set. This is what you need to study at a French university, and I know French people who failed the test!
You can use the common subjunctive constructions like il faut que / bien que / à moins que etc and wonder why we don’t have this in English because it’s kinda cool!
Happy using the conditional imperfect + present constructions.
Be able to structure phrases better using relative clauses with lequel / laquelle / auxquels etc.
Use a variety of common idioms and slang terms.
C1
You’re cool. Everyone knows you’re cool because you told them and they can’t find a way to disagree. They might even ask you where you’re from in France (although accent is another matter entirely…).
You can use all the tenses that matter, and read and understand the ones which only appear in literature.
Technically you only need to know the third conditional (si je avais su … j’aurais fait…) at this level, but you probably knew it at B2.
More precise use of the language, with good mastery of key vocabulary and tone of voice across different contexts.
C2
This is more about general French-ness in the way you speak and write, than about mastery of grammar. At this level you come across as French whatever register you are speaking or writing in; you use a wide range of slang, circumlocutions, idioms, cultural references and more.
If you’re at this level there’s nothing I can do for you. Sorry.
French with Duncan 