Oral Comprehension: the Official CEFR Descriptors from B1 to B2
Oral comprehension covers situations where the listener understands spoken discourse — live or recorded, a conversation followed from the outside, an announcement, a news bulletin, a lecture. It is a receptive skill: it is measured by what the listener manages to extract from the sound stream, without taking part in the exchange.
At B1, the listener understands the main points of clear standard speech on familiar topics, provided the pace stays moderate. At B2, they follow longer discourse and fairly complex argumentation, provided the subject is reasonably familiar. This page reproduces every official descriptor for this activity at B1, B1+ and B2, scale by scale.
The official descriptors, scale by scale
5 Companion Volume scales cover oral comprehension between B1 and B2. For each one, the B1 and B2 descriptors are shown side by side; where the CEFR publishes B1+ descriptors, they appear in the amber transition band.
Understanding as a member of a live audience
B1 — independent user
Can follow in outline straightforward short talks on familiar topics, provided these are delivered in clearly articulated standard language or a familiar variety.
Can follow a straightforward conference presentation or demonstration with visual support (e.g. slides, handouts) on a topic or product within their field, understanding explanations given.
Can understand the main points of what is said in a straightforward monologue (e.g. a guided tour), provided the delivery is clear and relatively slow.
B2 — independent user
Can follow complex lines of argument in a clearly articulated lecture, provided the topic is reasonably familiar.
Can distinguish main themes from asides, provided the lecture or talk is delivered in standard language or a familiar variety.
Can recognise the point of view expressed and distinguish this from facts being reporting.
B1+ — transition zone
Can follow a lecture or talk within their own field, provided the subject matter is familiar and the presentation straightforward and clearly structured.
Can distinguish between main ideas and supporting details in standard lectures on familiar subjects, provided these are delivered in clearly articulated standard language or a familiar variety.
Understanding conversation between other people
B1 — independent user
Can generally follow the main points of extended discussion around them, provided it is clearly articulated in standard language or a familiar variety.
B2 — independent user
Can with some effort catch much of what is said around them, but may find it difficult to participate effectively in discussion with several users of the target language who do not modify their language in any way.
Can identify the main reasons for and against an argument or idea in a discussion conducted in clear standard language or a familiar variety.
Can follow chronological sequence in extended informal discourse, e.g. in a story or anecdote.
B1+ — transition zone
Can follow much of everyday conversation and discussion, provided it is clearly articulated in standard language or in a familiar variety.
Understanding announcements and instructions
B1 — independent user
Can understand simple technical information, such as operating instructions for everyday equipment.
Can follow detailed directions.
Can understand public announcements at airports, stations and on planes, buses and trains, provided these are clearly articulated with minimum interference from [auditory/visual] background noise.
B2 — independent user
Can understand announcements and messages on concrete and abstract topics delivered in standard language or a familiar variety at normal speed.
Can understand detailed instructions well enough to be able to follow them successfully.
Overall oral comprehension
B1 — independent user
Can understand the main points made in clear standard language or a familiar variety on familiar matters regularly encountered at work, school, leisure, etc., including short narratives.
B2 — independent user
Can understand the main ideas of propositionally and linguistically complex discourse on both concrete and abstract topics delivered in standard language or a familiar variety, including technical discussions in their field of specialisation.
Can follow extended discourse and complex lines of argument, provided the topic is reasonably familiar, and the direction of the argument is signposted by explicit markers.
B1+ — transition zone
Can understand straightforward factual information about common everyday or job-related topics, identifying both general messages and specific details, provided people articulate clearly in a generally familiar variety.
Understanding audio (or signed) media and recordings
B1 — independent user
Can understand the main points of news bulletins and simpler recorded material about familiar subjects delivered relatively slowly and clearly.
Can understand the main points and important details in stories and other narratives (e.g. a description of a holiday), provided the delivery is slow and clear.
B2 — independent user
Can understand most documentaries and most other recorded or broadcast material delivered in the standard form of the language and can identify mood, attitude, etc.
B1+ — transition zone
Can understand the information content of the majority of recorded or broadcast material on topics of personal interest delivered in clear standard language.
The Examiner's Perspective
Réda Haiat — CEFR Assessment Expert · 22 Years of Experience
In listening, the B1/B2 boundary isn't about how much gets understood but about the conditions understanding depends on. At B1, the listener understands when conditions are favourable: clear speech, moderate pace, familiar topic, standard accent. At B2, they understand despite degraded conditions — a fast pace, a regional accent, background noise, an informal register, an implicit line of argument.
It's robustness that separates the two levels, not range. A B1 listener can follow an entire lecture if it's clearly articulated and structured; they lose the thread the moment the speaker speeds up, digresses, or implies. At B2, the descriptors call for following complex argumentation, picking up on implied viewpoints, understanding beyond what's literally said. This is no longer decoding — it's interpreting.
B1+ is the zone where the listener holds up on standard speech but fails as soon as the speaker departs from the norm. They understand the TV news, not a conversation between two native speakers. That's the practical distinction: a B1+ listener still relies on the speaker's cooperation; a B2 listener doesn't need it.
What I listen for at the boundary
- Does comprehension hold up as the pace speeds up, or only at a moderate pace?
- Does the listener pick up on implied meaning and viewpoint, or only explicit content?
- Do they cope with a non-standard accent, or does understanding depend on careful articulation?
- Do they follow an argument that digresses, or lose the thread outside the stated plan?
- Do they distinguish what's stated from what's suggested, or treat everything at the same level?
Frequently asked questions
How many official descriptors cover oral comprehension between B1 and B2?
26 official descriptors cover this zone: 10 at B1, 5 at B1+ and 11 at B2, spread across 5 scales. All of them are reproduced on this page.
What does the B1+ level mean?
B1+ is a CEFR "plus level": it describes a strong B1 competence, beyond the B1 threshold but not yet meeting the B2 criteria. The Companion Volume publishes specific descriptors for these intermediate bands — that is the transition zone shown between the B1 and B2 columns.
Can I reuse these descriptors?
Yes. The CEFR descriptors are published by the Council of Europe under the CC BY 4.0 licence: you may reproduce and adapt them, including commercially, provided you credit the Council of Europe. That is exactly what this page does.
Going further
Sources
- Council of Europe — CEFR Companion Volume (2020): https://rm.coe.int/cefr-companion-volume-with-new-descriptors-2018/1680787989
- The CEFR on the Council of Europe website: https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages
- Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/