Oral Comprehension: the Official CEFR Descriptors from B2 to C1
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 B2, the listener follows long discourse and complex argumentation on reasonably familiar subjects. C1 adds understanding discourse that is not clearly structured and whose relationships are only implied, with noticeably less effort required, even on less familiar subjects. This page reproduces every official descriptor for this activity at B2, B2+ and C1, scale by scale.
The official descriptors, scale by scale
5 Companion Volume scales cover oral comprehension between B2 and C1. For each one, the B2 and C1 descriptors are shown side by side; where the CEFR publishes B2+ descriptors, they appear in the amber transition band.
Overall oral comprehension
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.
C1 — proficient user
Can understand enough to follow extended discourse on abstract and complex topics beyond their own field, though they may need to confirm occasional details, especially if the variety is unfamiliar.
Can recognise a wide range of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms, appreciating register shifts.
Can follow extended discourse even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signalled explicitly.
B2+ — transition zone
Can understand standard language or a familiar variety, live or broadcast, on both familiar and unfamiliar topics normally encountered in personal, social, academic or vocational life. Only extreme [auditory/visual] background noise, inadequate discourse structure and/or idiomatic usage influence the ability to understand.
Understanding conversation between other people
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.
C1 — proficient user
Can easily follow complex interactions between third parties in group discussion and debate, even on abstract, complex, unfamiliar topics.
Can identify the attitude of each participant in an animated discussion characterised by overlapping turns, digressions and colloquialisms that is delivered at a natural speed in varieties that are familiar.
B2+ — transition zone
Can keep up with an animated conversation between proficient users of the target language.
Understanding as a member of a live audience
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.
C1 — proficient user
Can follow most lectures, discussions and debates with relative ease.
B2+ — transition zone
Can follow the essentials of lectures, talks and reports and other forms of academic/professional presentation which are propositionally and linguistically complex.
Can understand the point of view expressed on topics that are of current interest or that relate to their specialised field, provided the talk is delivered in standard language or a familiar variety.
Understanding announcements and instructions
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.
C1 — proficient user
Can extract specific information from poor quality, [audibly and/or visually] distorted public announcements, e.g. in a station or sports stadium, or on an old recording.
Can understand complex technical information, such as operating instructions or specifications for familiar products and services.
Understanding audio (or signed) media and recordings
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.
C1 — proficient user
Can understand a wide range of recorded and broadcast material, including some non-standard usage, and identify finer points of detail including implicit attitudes and relationships between people.
B2+ — transition zone
Can understand recordings in the standard form of the language likely to be encountered in social, professional or academic life and identify viewpoints and attitudes as well as the information content.
The Examiner's Perspective
Réda Haiat — CEFR Assessment Expert · 22 Years of Experience
At B2, the listener understands despite degraded conditions. At C1, they understand what isn't said. The boundary is about the implicit: irony, allusion, insinuation, the connotation of one word chosen over another, the weight of a silence.
This is the level where comprehension becomes cultural as much as linguistic. The C1 descriptors call for grasping implicit social relationships, perceiving the speaker's attitude, understanding exchanges between native speakers who make no accommodation at all. A listener can understand every word of a conversation and miss entirely what's going on in it — which is exactly what separates B2 from C1.
B2+ senses that something implicit is going on without always interpreting it correctly. They know a remark was ironic, but not always what it was aimed at. That partial awareness is already a clear step up from B2, where the implicit simply goes unnoticed.
What I listen for at the boundary
- Does the listener pick up on irony and allusion, or only literal content?
- Do they perceive the speaker's attitude and intent behind the words?
- Can they follow an exchange between native speakers with no accommodation?
- Do they understand implicit cultural references, or stumble on them?
- Do they distinguish registers and what the choice of register signals?
Frequently asked questions
How many official descriptors cover oral comprehension between B2 and C1?
25 official descriptors cover this zone: 11 at B2, 5 at B2+ and 9 at C1, spread across 5 scales. All of them are reproduced on this page.
What does the B2+ level mean?
B2+ is a CEFR "plus level": it describes a strong B2 competence, beyond the B2 threshold but not yet meeting the C1 criteria. The Companion Volume publishes specific descriptors for these intermediate bands — that is the transition zone shown between the B2 and C1 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/