The English grammar profile of learner competence: Methodology and key findings

Abstract

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) (Council of Europe 2001a) is an established benchmark for language competence (Jones & Saville 2009). It comprises six levels of competence from A1 (lowest) to C2 (highest). Anderson (2007: 660) notes that these levels have become a common currency in language education, prevalent in curricula, syllabuses, textbooks, teacher training courses. In the early 1990s, as part of a Council of Europe project, the CEFR established a set of statements, illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, defining what is minimally required for each stage within the framework in terms of grammar, vocabulary and skills development as well as functional and notional objectives. These performance-based “can-do statements”, or ‘Reference Level Descriptors’, evolved from the collective judgements of a body of experts (Van Ek & Trim 1991a, 1991b).