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Describing language skills

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Globally understood descriptions of language proficiency

The following terms are commonly used in English job applications to describe language proficiency, starting with the highest level of proficiency. These terms are understood in all English-speaking countries across the world:

Commonly used descriptions for language proficiency:
native speaker
near native / fluent
excellent command / highly proficient in spoken and written English
very good command
good command / good working knowledge
basic communication skills / working knowledge

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

The Council of Europe has introduced the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) to provide a comprehensive and transparent system for describing levels of language proficiency and for the easy comparison of language qualifications. The CEFR is now widely used as a standard by educational establishments, language testing systems and publishers of language-learning materials throughout Europe.

The system describes what a learner should be able to do in listening, speaking, reading and writing at six levels of language proficiency as follows:



A more detailed version of the CEFR is available from the Council of Europe website.

The CEFR enables you to give differentiated descriptions of your individual language skills. You can say, for example, that your level of proficiency in writing English is B2, whereas your spoken English is C1. The CEFR also helps you to give a very detailed description of your language skills if you are applying for a job for which languages are a key aspect of the job.

Remember, however, that companies outside Europe (and many recruiters within Europe) will not be familiar with the CEFR, so, for most English job applications, it's still probably safest to use the "old" descriptions. A comparison of the commonly used descriptions for language proficiency and the CEFR is approximately as follows:

Commonly used descriptions for language proficiency CEFR description
native speaker
near native / fluent proficient user (C2)
excellent command / highly proficient in spoken and written English proficient user (C1)
very good command independent user (B2)
good command / good working knowledge independent user (B1)
basic communication skills / working knowledge basic user (A1 to A2)

If you're applying for a job in English within Europe, you can add the CEFR level in brackets if you think it will be understood.

For example:

English: highly proficient in both spoken and written English (Common European Framework of Reference C1)

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