CEFR levels and IELTS band scores comparison

Below you will find how the IELTS is linked to the international six-level scale established by the Council of Europe.

Furthermore, the following table shows the grammar that the students should be able to use appropriately at each of the CEFR levels:

Council of Europe levels	Grammar
A1	Adjectives: common and demonstrative Adverbs of frequency Comparatives and superlatives Going to How much/how many and very common uncountable nouns I’d like Imperatives (+/-) Intensifiers - very basic Modals: can/can’t/could/couldn’t Past simple of “to be” Past Simple Possessive adjectives	Possessive s Prepositions, common Prepositions of place Prepositions of time, including in/on/at Present continuous Present simple Pronouns: simple, personal Questions There is/are To be, including question+negatives Verb + ing: like/hate/love
A2	Adjectives – comparative, – use of than and definite article Adjectives – superlative – use of definite article Adverbial phrases of time, place and frequency – including word order Adverbs of frequency Articles – with countable and uncountable nouns Countables and Uncountables: much/many Future Time (will and going to) Gerunds Going to Imperatives Modals – can/could Modals – have to Modals – should	Past continuous Past simple Phrasal verbs – common Possessives – use of ‘s, s’ Prepositional phrases (place, time and movement) Prepositions of time: on/in/at Present continuous Present continuous for future Present perfect Questions Verb + ing/infinitive: like/ want-would like Wh-questions in past Zero and 1st conditional
B1	Adverbs Broader range of intensifiers such as too, enough Comparatives and superlatives Complex question tags Conditionals, 2nd and 3rd Connecting words expressing cause and effect, contrast etc. Future continuous Modals - must/can’t deduction Modals – might, may, will, probably Modals – should have/might have/etc Modals: must/have to	Past continuous Past perfect Past simple Past tense responses Phrasal verbs, extended Present perfect continuous Present perfect/past simple Reported speech (range of tenses) Simple passive Wh- questions in the past Will and going to, for prediction
B2	Adjectives and adverbs Future continuous Future perfect Future perfect continuous Mixed conditionals Modals – can’t have, needn’t have Modals of deduction and speculation Narrative tenses Passives	Past perfect Past perfect continuous Phrasal verbs, extended Relative clauses Reported speech Will and going to, for prediction Wish Would expressing habits, in the past
C1	Futures (revision) Inversion with negative adverbials Mixed conditionals in past, present and future Modals in the past	Narrative tenses for experience, incl. passive Passive forms, all Phrasal verbs, especially splitting Wish/if only regrets
Source: British Council / EQUALS Core Inventory