The document provides background information on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). It discusses how the CEFR was developed from earlier documents like Threshold Level to standardize language learning across Europe. It describes the objectives of the CEFR in promoting cooperation in language education and its key components like reference levels, descriptive schemes, and the European Language Portfolio. The CEFR aims to provide a common basis for designing curricula and assessing language skills throughout Europe.

1. COURSE DESIGN
and
TEACHING
MATERIALS
Common European
Framework of
Reference (CEFR)

2. Background to the CEFR
 The Council of Europe (CoE) founded in 1949 serves 800 million
people in 47 member states.
 The purposes of the Council of Europe;
 defend human rights
 develop continent wide agreements to standardize member countries`
social and legal practices
 promote awareness of a European identity based on shared values
and cutting across different cultures (Morrow, 2008)

3. Background to the CEFR
 In 1970s, The Threshold Level was developed by John Trim and Jan
van Ek on the basis of preliminary studies by a group of experts
convened by the Council of Europe to investigate the feasibility of a
European unit-credit scheme for adult language learning
 Threshold Level was produced as an attempt to define in
considerable detail the minimum level of language proficiency which
would enable a language learner to act as an independent agent in
transacting the business of everyday living as well as exchanging
information and ideas with other people
 It is the first systematic specification of learning objectives for the
English language

4. Background to the CEFR
 It initiated the functional-notional approach, setting out first what the
learner had to do with the language and secondarily what language
was necessary
 Threshold specified objectives for a broadly intermediate level: a
lower and an upper level were subsequently described, known as
Waystage and Vantage
 In 1990, both Threshold Level and Waystage were revised in the
light of CEFR (Trim, 2001)

5. Why is CEFR needed?
 In the Intergovernmental Symposium held in Rüschlikon,
Switzerland November 1991, Common European Framework of
reference was developed for language learning at all levels, in order
to (Council of Europe , 2001) :
 promote and facilitate co-operation among educational institutions in different
countries
 provide a sound basis for the mutual recognition of language qualifications
 assist learners, teachers, course designers, examining bodies and educational
administrators to situate and co-ordinate their efforts

6. Why is CEF needed?
 CEF is a document published by the Council of Europe`s Language
Policy Division in 2001
 Council of Europe (2001; p.1) describes that the Common European
Framework provides a common basis for the elaboration of language
syllabuses, curriculum guidelines, examinations, textbooks, etc.
across Europe.
 It describes in a comprehensive way what language learners have to
learn to do in order to use a language for communication and what
knowledge and skills they have to develop so as to be able to act
effectively
 Council of Europe (2009; p.3) expresses that the aim of the CEFR is
to facilitate reflection, communication and networking in language
education

7. Oblectives and Principles of the
CEFR
OBJECTIVES
 Promoting plurilingualism
 Developing plurilingual profile
 Defining positive ‘can-do’ descriptors
 Developing textbooks and teaching materials
 Supporting teacher education and cooperation
 Enhancing quality in learning, teaching and assessment
 Facilitating transparency in testing

8. Plurilingualism
 Plurilingualism has grown in importance in the Council of Europe’s
approach to language learning
 Plurilingualism differs from multilingualism
 Multilingualism may be attained by simply diversifying the
languages on offer in a particular school or educational system, or by
encouraging pupils to learn more than one foreign language, or
reducing the dominant position of English in international
communication (Council of Europe, 2001)

9. Plurilingualism
 The plurilingual approach emphasises the fact that as an individual
person’s experience of language in its cultural contexts expands, from
the language of the home to that of society at school or college, he
does not keep these languages and cultures in strictly separated mental
compartments, but rather builds up a communicative competence to
which all knowledge and experience of language contributes and in
which languages interrelate and interact (Council of Europe, 2001)
 Plurilingualism has itself to be seen in the context of pluriculturalism

10. Oblectives and Principles of the
CEFR
PEDAGOGICAL PRINCIPLES
 Learner Autonomy
 Self-assessment
 Cultural Diversity
LANGUAGE LEARNING DOMAINS
 The public domain
 The personal domain
 The occupational domain
 The educational domain

11. Oblectives and Principles of the
CEFR
LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES
 Reception
 Production
 Interaction
 Mediation

12. CEFR
 CEF should be (Council of Europe, 2001);
 multi-purpose: usable for the full variety of purposes involved in the
planning and provision of facilities for language learning
 flexible: adaptable for use in different circumstances
 open: capable of further extension and refinement
 dynamic: in continuous evolution in response to experience in its use
 user-friendly: presented in a form readily understandable and usable
by those to whom it is addressed
 non-dogmatic: not irrevocably and exclusively attached to any one
of a number of competing linguistic or educational theories or
practices

13. CEFR
 CEFR provides a comprehensive theoretical approach to modern
language learning and teaching to help practitioners (learners,
teachers, parents, course designers, administrators, employers etc) to
orientate their options and to inform each other in a comprehensive,
transparent and coherent way (CoE, 2001)
 Council of Europe (2001;p.21) states one of the aims of the
Framework is to help partners to describe the levels of proficiency
required by existing standards, tests and examinations in order to
facilitate comparisons between different systems of
qualifications. For this purpose, the Council of Europe has
developed a European Framework with common reference levels.

14. Common Reference Levels
A
Basic
User
A2
(Waystage)
A1
(Breakthrough)
B
Independent
User
B2
(Vantage)
B1
(Threshold)
C
Proficient
User
C2
(Mastery)
C1
(Effective
operational
proficiency)

15. Common Reference Levels
 The basic user has the most elementary expression, however in
communication is dependent of the willingness on the converser to
adapt to the attain level- conversers assistance is necessary
 The independent user can handle the daily language practice, is
mostly able to interact without too much effort and generally is able to
follow a normal speech tempo- some consideration needs to be taken
into account that is not his/her tongue
 The proficient user has hardly any or no strains in the use of the
target language and no consideration needs to be taken into account
that is not his/her native tongue (Council of Europe, 2001; p.23)

16. Common Reference Levels
 Common Reference Levels are widely used by ministries,
examination bodies and providers, curriculum developers, textbook
writers and publishers.
 One example of this is the objectives set in France by the French
Ministry of Education for the academic year 2007/8 onwards:
 at the end of primary education, learners should reach Level A1 of the CEFR in the
language studied
 at the end of compulsory schooling, learners should reach Level B1 of the CEFR in the first
language studied and A2 in the second language studied
 at the Baccalaureate level, learners should reach Level B2 of the CEFR in the first language
studied and B1 in the second language studied.(Martyniuk, 2005; p.14).

17. Common Reference Levels

18. “Global Scale”
 “Global Scale” is used to compare language skills and certificates
 For example a student who studied French in a high school in
Poland, when applying for an apprenticeship in France, can give a
potential employer a good idea of what such a diploma in French
means (Broeder & Martyniuk, 2008)
“Self-Assessment Grid”

19. “Can Do” Descriptors
 “illustrative descriptors” were developed and validated for the CEF.
“Can Do” descriptors are provided for reception, interaction and
production
 “Can Do” statements bring language learning/teaching and
assessment into a much closer relation to each other than has often
been the case
 Each “Can Do” descriptor implies;
 A learning target
 Teaching/learning activities
 Assessment criteria
(Little, 2007)

20. CEFR 2018 COMPANION
VOLUME
 To produce versions for young learners and sign languages
Main Changes
 The descriptors
 Mediation
 Pluriculturalism
 Literature
 Online Usage
 Sign Language
 Younf learners

21. IMPLICATIONS FOR ELT
 Reference Level Labels
 Learning Outcomes
 Self-evaluation and autonomy
 Testing
 Materials
 Methodology
 Teacher Training

22. ELP and CEF
CEF is the product of the European Language Portfolio (ELP)
developed by the Council of Europe and piloted from 1998 until 2000
for a better learning and teaching process
The ELP is an instrument that facilitates the recording, planning, and
validation of lifelong language learning
The ELP describes;
 how and where a learner has studied languages
 which proficiency level learner has reached
 what plans learner has for developing his language competences

23. ELP and CEF
Components of the ELP
Dossier
Language
Passport
Language
Biograpy

24. Components of the ELP
 Language Passport is learner`s linguistic identity by foreign
language learnt, records formal qualifications, describes language
competencies as well as significant learning experiences
 Language Biography, provides language learning target, monitor
progress and record specially important language learning and
intercultural experiences; learners state what they can do in each
language and include information about experiences
 Dossier collects evidence of foreign language proficiency and
intercultural experience, especially supports portfolio learning
(Council of Europe, 2001)

25. The usage of the ELP in Turkey
 The Turkish Ministry of Education piloted the ELP at first in 2002-
2003 academic years, and since then it has been piloted and used in
many schools and cities in Turkey
 In May 2003 the Turkish ELP model for secondary learners was
validated by the European Validation Committee in Strasbourg
(Demirel, 2005).
 In 2011, 7 ELP models of Turkey were accredited by the European
Language Portfolio Validation Committee
 All over the world 118 ELP models were validated and accredited
by the Council of Europe

26. References
 Broeder, P., & Martyniuk, W. (2008). Language Education in
Europe: The Common European Framework of Reference. In N. Van
Deusen-Scholl & N. Hornberger (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Language
and Education (pp. 208-226). New York: USA.
 Council of Europe. (2001). Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment.
Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
 Council of Europe. (2009). Relating Language Examination to the
Common European Framework Reference for Languages: Learning,
Teaching, Assessment (CEFR)-A Manual, Strasbourg, Council of
Europe.
 Demirel, Ö. (2005). Avrupa Konseyi dil projesi ve Türkiye
uygulaması. MEB Eğitim ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 167 (33).

27. References
 Little, D. (2007, February 6-8). From the Common European
Framework of Reference to the European Language Portfolio. Paper
presented at the CEFR and the development of language policies:
challenges and responsibilities Conference, Strasbourg, France:
Council of Europe.
 Martyniuk, W. (2005). Relating Language Examinations to the
Council of Europe`s Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages (CEFR). In L. Taylor & C. J. Weir (Eds),
Multilingualism and Assessment: Achieving Transparency, Assuring
Quality, Sustaining Diversity. Cambridge University Press, 9-18.
 Morrow, K. (2008). Insights from the Common European
Framework. Oxford University Press.
 Trim, J.L.M. (Ed.). (2001). Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages: learning, teaching and assessment-A
Guide for Users. Strasbourg, France: Council of Europe.