How to check your English speaking level (A1 to C2)

The six speaking levels in plain words

These are our own short summaries, not the official text.

• A1, beginner: you can say hello, introduce yourself and answer very simple questions, slowly, with help.
• A2, elementary: you can talk about your family, work, daily routine and simple plans, in short sentences. You often stop to find words.
• B1, intermediate: you can keep a simple conversation going on familiar topics, tell a story, and give a short reason for your opinion. You still make mistakes, but people understand you.
• B2, upper intermediate: you can talk with some speed about many topics, explain your view, and agree or disagree. Conversations with native speakers are possible without much strain.
• C1, advanced: you speak easily and flexibly, for work or study, with little searching for words, and you can explain complex ideas clearly.
• C2, proficient: you speak almost like an educated native speaker, with precise meaning and natural style.

A 10-minute self-check

Set a timer and answer these out loud. Do not prepare. If you can, record yourself and listen back.

1. Introduce yourself for 30 seconds. (A1 to A2)
2. Describe what you did yesterday, from morning to night, for 1 minute. (A2 to B1)
3. Tell a story about a problem you had and how you solved it, for 2 minutes. (B1)
4. Give your opinion: is it better to live in a city or a village? Give reasons and an example, for 2 minutes. (B1 to B2)
5. Explain a topic you know well to someone who knows nothing about it, for 2 minutes. (B2 to C1)

How to read your result

Find the hardest task you could do without long stops and without switching to your own language. That is close to your speaking level today. If you could do task 3 easily but task 4 was hard, you are probably around B1.

Be kind to yourself: many learners find they speak at a lower level than they read. That gap closes with speaking practice, not with more reading.

How to move up a level

• Speak a little every day. Daily practice beats long conversations once in a while.
• Practice the next task up from your result, again and again, until it feels easy.
• Learn phrases, not only words: "In my opinion...", "For example...", "On the other hand...".
• Use new words in a real sentence the same day.

Get your speaking level in bule.ai

Talk with Bule, our AI conversation partner, about anything. After 3 conversations of about a minute or more, bule.ai estimates your CEFR speaking level (A1 to C2) from your grammar, vocabulary and fluency, with examples of what you said. Your level comes from your last 5 conversations, so one good or bad day does not move it.

After each conversation, Bule's check on your Recap shows how that one conversation went: Grammar, Vocabulary and Fluency, with an estimated CEFR range.

The level and Bule's check are part of Premium (free trial included) in bule.ai on the web, at app.bule.ai. They are estimates, not a certificate.

Practice the self-check with bule.ai

You can also do every task above with Bule. Say "Ask me to tell a story about a problem I solved", talk, and let Bule ask follow-up questions. After each conversation, the Recap shows the new words you used and your longest stretch of speaking, so you can see your long answers grow. Voice practice is free.