[Vocabulary] A1 level

[mrmvp]

Is A1 in CEFR called breakthrough stage , starter stage or both?

Which word is better stage or level?

 

[emsr2d2]

I would call it "beginner level". This appears to be backed up by this website, in which you can see "English level A1 is the first level of English in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), a definition of different language levels written by the Council of Europe. In everyday speech, this level would be called “beginner” ..."

 

[jutfrank]

It's very complicated and quite difficult to explain clearly and simply, but I'll try my best.

Use Level to refer to A1, A2, B1, etc. You can understand these as brackets of assessment criteria, as described by the CEFR. That means that when an assessing body has to rate your competence on a scale, it can place you within a particular bracket, which is usually for certification purposes.

Use Stage to talk about where a learner is in his/her learning process. The words Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced all describe stages of learning.

I know that sounds like Level and Stage are the same thing but they aren't quite. A good way to make the distinction is to understand Level as an evaluation of somebody's competence and Stage as describing where somebody is in a process. Another very simple way to think of the difference is to see Level as useful for assessors and Stage as useful for teachers.

Naturally, Level and Stage are matched closely (but not perfectly). Look at the following from the British Council website, which shows how they look at things. I've marked language related to Level in blue and language related to Stage in red.

The "Global scales" have three levels, and each level is divided into two:

A: Basic User

• A1 Breakthrough or beginner
• A2 Waystage or elementary

B: Independent User

• B1 Threshold or intermediate
• B2 Vantage or upper intermediate

C: Proficient User

• C1 Effective Operational Proficiency or advanced
• C2 Mastery or proficiency

Now, to add to the complication, teachers and course providers have their own ways of thinking about this, and these ways don't always match. In the past half decade or so, the idea that there is a useful distinction between a Beginner and an Absolute Beginner has begun to develop among many, in the UK at least. To accommodate this, we have introduced the descriptor A0, which rather obviously can be placed directly before A1. For those of us who do use this distinction, the word Starter would describe a student at A0 Level, not A1.

 

[GoesStation]

For those of us who do use this distinction, the word Starter would describe a student at A0 Level, not A1.

It wouldn't be a tasty but rather small student?

 

[Stanislau]

in fact, when I started in English, I had level A0, because I still couldn’t compose even the simplest sentences, but within 2 weeks with the help of a teacher from the course I reached level A1 exactly thanks to the fact that I was given to understand that in fact everything is not as difficult as it seems at first glance, namely that the language itself can be studied, especially if you do it not from time to time, but at least for half an hour or an hour a day

 

[teechar]

Hello Stanislau, and welcome.
I have edited your post to remove an external link to some course/service.
Please do not include such links in future posts. If you do, you will get banned.

 

[Tarheel]

in fact, when I started in English, I had level A0, because I still couldn’t compose even the simplest sentences,

Say:

When I started studying English, I was at level A0 because I couldn't compose even the simplest sentences.

I suggest that you write shorter, simpler sentences. (You need to walk before you can run.)