Free English Level Test

CEFR — the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages — is the international standard for describing language ability. It was developed by the Council of Europe and is used by schools, universities, employers, and test providers across more than 40 countries. There are six levels:

• A1
  Beginner. You can handle basic personal information, simple greetings, and very short transactional conversations.
• A2
  Elementary. You can communicate in routine, predictable situations: shopping, asking for directions, simple work tasks.
• B1
  Intermediate. You can handle most travel situations, describe experiences, and give opinions on familiar topics.
• B2
  Upper-intermediate. You can interact fluently with native speakers, understand complex texts, and discuss abstract ideas.
• C1
  Advanced. You can use the language flexibly for social, academic, and professional purposes, including implicit meaning and register awareness.
• C2
  Mastery / near-native. You can understand virtually everything heard or read with ease, and express yourself precisely in complex situations.

IELTS, TOEFL, and Cambridge English exams all map to CEFR. Rough conversion: IELTS 4.0–4.5 ≈ B1, 5.0–6.0 ≈ B2, 6.5–7.0 ≈ C1, 7.5+ ≈ C2.

Yes. This free English test online is a proficiency test: it measures how well you actually use English — grammar, vocabulary, and reading — and places you on the CEFR scale from A1 to C2. "Proficiency" simply means your overall command of the language, which is exactly what the test checks. If you've ever wanted to check your English level without paying for IELTS or TOEFL, this gives you a fast, free estimate in about 12 minutes.

It isn't an official certificate, but it maps to the same framework the big exams use, so you can translate the result: roughly, B1 ≈ IELTS 4.0–5.0 / TOEFL 42–71 / Duolingo 60–85; B2 ≈ IELTS 5.5–6.5 / TOEFL 72–94 / Duolingo 90–115; C1 ≈ IELTS 7.0–8.0 / TOEFL 95–120 / Duolingo 120–140. To check your English level now, start the test above — or first estimate your English vocabulary size.

This is a multi-stage adaptive test: questions adapt to your answers, and the last few sit near the CEFR boundary closest to your score.

The 114 items in the bank are mapped to:

• The CEFR Companion Volume 2020 descriptors (Council of Europe)
• The CEFR-J Vocabulary Profile (Tono Lab, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)
• The Cambridge English Grammar Profile (canonical structures per level)
• The Octanove C1/C2 Vocabulary Profile (low-frequency advanced lexis)

Claude wrote every question to these frameworks, then GPT and Grok independently re-rated each one's difficulty, and the bank was recalibrated on all the ratings combined: 31 questions moved to a different CEFR level and 5 were rewritten.

We don't quote an accuracy percentage: an honest figure would need a large comparison with official exam results. It's a free practice test, not an official certificate.

As soon as you finish, you see:

• CEFR level (A1 to C2) with a plain-language description of what you can do at that level
• 0–100 score for finer granularity within a level
• Skill breakdown radar — separate scores for grammar, vocabulary, and reading, so you can see which one is holding you back
• How you compare — roughly what share of English learners you're ahead of (an estimate, not a count of real test results)
• Shareable image (PNG) — to post on X / WhatsApp / Telegram, or save for your records

Moving up one CEFR level takes roughly 200 hours of focused study at lower levels (A1→A2, A2→B1) and closer to 300–400 hours at higher levels (B1→B2, B2→C1). At a sustainable pace of 4–5 hours per week, that's 12–18 months per level. Anything that promises faster progress is selling, not teaching.

Three things that actually move the needle at any level:

1. Massive comprehensible input — watching, listening, and reading content slightly above your current level. Real video and audio, not textbook dialogues.
2. Spaced vocabulary practice — 15 minutes a day with an SRS app (Anki, Quizlet) on words you've actually encountered in real content, not from a generic frequency list.
3. Output practice — speaking and writing, even alone. Most adult learners under-practice production and over-practice receptive skills. Your test result here measures receptive English; speaking confidence requires its own training.

The single best investment for any level is daily comprehensible input — real video and audio you find interesting, watched without subtitles when possible. A test result is a snapshot; consistent exposure is what actually moves the needle over months.

WhatsMyEnglish builds free English self-assessment tools for adult learners. We don't charge for them, don't gate the result behind an email, and don't sell your data.

If you spot an item that seems mis-calibrated or unfair, please let us know.

Vocabulary tags reference the CEFR-J Vocabulary Profile (© Tono Lab, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies). Grammar references draw on the Cambridge English Grammar Profile (public). CEFR level descriptors © Council of Europe.