Language Proficiency Levels | CEFR, ACTFL & ILR

Language proficiency levels—such as “Intermediate High,” “B1,” or “Professional Working Proficiency”—describe your practical abilities in a language on a clearly defined scale. They’re used by employers and educational institutions to specify language requirements for jobs and academic programs. You can take a standardized test to certify your proficiency level in a language and include the result on your resume.

Levels of language proficiency

Employers and job seekers, as well as education providers and prospective students, need to be able to accurately describe language abilities. Standardized descriptions of levels of language proficiency can be certified through testing or estimated on the basis of self-assessment and are a way of indicating how well you can use a language in real situations—rather than just what you know about it in theory. They are much more meaningful than imprecise terms like “basic,” “conversational,” or “fluent” when describing language skills for a resume.

Formal descriptions of language proficiency levels also enable language learners to set clear goals, measure their progress, and select language learning resources that match their abilities. For instance, a learner can set themself the objective of reaching the next level on a language proficiency scale and estimate how long this will take.

Approximations based on comparisons to CEFR using information from ACTLF (ACTFL vs. CEFR), The Chartered Institute of Linguists (ILR vs. CEFR), ETS (TOEFL iBT vs. CEFR), and IELTS (IELTS vs. CEFR) retrieved on September 25, 2025.

ACTFL proficiency levels

The most commonly used language proficiency scale in the US is the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scale.

Language Testing International offers tests with results on the ACTFL proficiency scale in over 100 different languages.

CEFR proficiency levels

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale is the most commonly used language proficiency scale in Europe but is also becoming widely adopted outside Europe. For instance, many US colleges accept English language qualifications that are aligned to the CEFR scale for admission purposes, such as the Cambridge C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency qualifications.

You can self-assess your proficiency in a language using the CEFR self-assessment grids.

ILR proficiency levels

The Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) language proficiency scale was developed for use within US federal government agencies, but it has also become a widely used benchmark outside those agencies in academia and language training in the US.

Many of the tests provided by Language Testing International can be assessed on the IRL scale.

Frequently asked questions about language proficiency levels

What are the 4 levels of language proficiency?

None of the most commonly used language proficiency scales have 4 levels of language proficiency.

• The CEFR scale has six levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2 (where A1 is the lowest level).
• The ACTFL scale has six levels: Novice (with the sub-levels Novice Low, Novice Mid, and Novice High), Intermediate (with the sub-levels Intermediate Low, Intermediate Mid, and Intermediate High), Advanced (with the sub-levels Advanced Low, Advanced Mid, and Advanced High), Superior, and Distinguished.
• The ILR scale also has six levels: 0 (with the sub-levels 0 [No Proficiency] and 0+ [Memorized Proficiency]), 1 (with the sub-levels 1 [Elementary Proficiency] and 1+ [Elementary Proficiency Plus]), 2 (with the sub-levels 2 [Limited Working Proficiency] and 2+ [Limited Working Proficiency Plus]), 3 (with the sub-levels 3 [Professional Working Proficiency] and 3+ [Professional Working Proficiency Plus]), 4 (with the sub-levels 4 [Full Professional Proficiency] and 4+ [Full Professional Proficiency Plus]), and 5 (Native or Bilingual Proficiency).

If you’re writing your resume and want to include details of your language proficiency levels, QuillBot’s free AI chat can help you formulate the descriptions.

How can I assess my English language proficiency levels?

You can assess your English language proficiency levels using the CEFR self-assessment grids or by doing an online placement test.

If you need official certification of your English language proficiency, you can take a recognized test. Be sure to choose the test that meets the relevant requirements. For example, if you are applying to a university program, the institution may only accept results from specific exams, such as TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge English Qualifications, or ACTFL Test of English Proficiency (TEP).

If you need to include details of your language proficiency levels on your resume, QuillBot’s free AI chat can help you formulate the descriptions.