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Free English level test: check your CEFR level

Answer 30 multiple-choice questions on grammar, vocabulary and short reading texts. They get harder as you go, from A1 to C2. At the end you see a rough CEFR level, the IELTS band and PTE score range that level usually links to, and a review of every answer you got wrong.

Takes about 10 to 15 minutes. A rough self-check, not a certificate or an IELTS or PTE score prediction.

0 of 30 answered

Grammar

  1. Question 1

    1.My sister ___ a teacher.

  2. Question 2

    2.There ___ two apples on the table.

  3. Question 3

    3.We ___ to the beach last summer.

  4. Question 4

    4.This book is ___ than the one I read last week.

  5. Question 5

    5.If it rains tomorrow, we ___ the picnic.

  6. Question 6

    6.I've lived in this city ___ 2019.

  7. Question 7

    7.By the time we arrived at the station, the train ___.

  8. Question 8

    8.The report ___ by the committee next month.

  9. Question 9

    9.Not only ___ the deadline, but he also forgot to tell the client.

  10. Question 10

    10.___ the instructions more carefully, she would not have made that mistake.

  11. Question 11

    11.No sooner had we sat down ___ the phone rang.

  12. Question 12

    12.She is said ___ the company's most successful product back in 1998.

Vocabulary

  1. Question 13

    13.The opposite of "hot" is ___.

  2. Question 14

    14.You use a ___ to open a locked door.

  3. Question 15

    15.Can you ___ me your pen? I left mine at home.

  4. Question 16

    16.I'm very ___. I haven't eaten anything since breakfast.

  5. Question 17

    17.Could you ___ a photo of us in front of the castle?

  6. Question 18

    18.The meeting has been ___ until next week because the manager is ill.

  7. Question 19

    19.From January the government will ___ a new tax on sugary drinks, so prices will rise.

  8. Question 20

    20.Despite the heavy rain, the organisers decided to carry ___ with the match.

  9. Question 21

    21.The professor's argument was so ___ that nobody could find a single flaw in it.

  10. Question 22

    22.The new evidence ___ doubt on the witness's version of events.

  11. Question 23

    23.The speech was full of ___ promises that he had no intention of keeping.

  12. Question 24

    24.Her ___ manner put even the most nervous candidates at ease.

Reading

  1. Question 25

    Hi Sam, I can't come to the cinema on Friday because I have to work late. Can we go on Saturday? Maria

    25.Why can't Maria go to the cinema on Friday?

  2. Question 26

    SWIMMING POOL CLOSED for cleaning Monday to Wednesday. Opens again Thursday at 7 a.m.

    26.When can you next swim?

  3. Question 27

    Our café now offers a 10% discount to students who show a valid student card. The offer applies Monday to Friday, but not on public holidays.

    27.Which customer gets the discount?

  4. Question 28

    Although the new bridge has cut journey times by twenty minutes, local shop owners say that fewer people now stop in the old town centre, which the main road used to pass through.

    28.What are the shop owners unhappy about?

  5. Question 29

    The study's authors are careful not to overstate their findings. The link between screen time and poor sleep, they note, may simply reflect the fact that people who already sleep badly reach for their phones.

    29.What do the authors suggest?

  6. Question 30

    To call the reforms a success would be to mistake activity for achievement: a great many committees were convened, yet the problems they were set up to address remain stubbornly in place.

    30.The writer thinks the reforms...

30 unanswered questions count as wrong.

By Fizza Butool Zaidi and Ali Zaidi · Updated 11 November 2026

How the test works

The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) describes language ability in six levels: A1 and A2 for basic users, B1 and B2 for independent users, and C1 and C2 for proficient users (Council of Europe: CEFR global scale). We wrote five questions for each level: two on grammar, two on vocabulary and one on a short text. Every question is our own and has one right answer.

Your level comes from the number you get right, with no hidden weighting. Five questions per level means the cut-offs below roughly say "you answered most questions up to this level correctly". Unanswered questions count as wrong.

Score cut-offs
Correct answersRough level
28–30C2
24–27C1
19–23B2
14–18B1
8–13A2
0–7A1

CEFR levels with IELTS and PTE scores

The IELTS column comes from the chart on ielts.org, which places overall bands 4.0–5.0 at B1, 5.5–6.5 at B2, 7.0–8.0 at C1 and 8.5–9.0 at C2. ielts.org adds that band 8 is borderline C2, that the C1 threshold falls between 6.5 and 7, and that IELTS and the CEFR do not match one to one (ielts.org: IELTS and the CEFR). The PTE Academic column is Pearson's own CEFR mapping on the 10–90 scale (Pearson PTE: Understand your score).

CEFR to IELTS and PTE Academic
CEFR levelIELTS overall (ielts.org)PTE Academic (Pearson)
C28.5–9.085–90
C17.0–8.076–84
B25.5–6.559–75
B14.0–5.043–58
A2Not mapped30–42
A1Not mapped10–29

For more detail, see CEFR to IELTS and PTE score to CEFR.

What this result can and cannot tell you

Thirty questions on grammar, vocabulary and reading give a quick picture of what you know. They do not test listening, speaking or writing, and IELTS and PTE test all four. Many learners read better than they speak, or know grammar rules they cannot yet use under time pressure. So use the level as a starting point: it tells you which grammar lessons to start with, and whether a full mock test is worth taking yet.

If you scored B1 or below and need IELTS 6.5 or PTE 59 or more, spend a few weeks on grammar and vocabulary before moving to full timed tests. At B2 and above, timed practice in all four skills is usually the faster way to improve your score.

Questions and answers

Is this English level test free?
Yes. There is no signup and no payment. Your answers are scored in your browser and are not sent to a server.
Can I use this result as proof of my English level?
No. It is a rough self-check, not a CEFR certificate. Universities, employers and visa offices ask for an official test such as IELTS or PTE.
Does a B2 result mean I will get IELTS 6.5?
No. ielts.org links B2 to overall bands 5.5 to 6.5, but this check does not test listening, speaking or writing, so it cannot predict your band. Take a full mock test for that.
Why does an A1 or A2 result show no IELTS band?
The ielts.org chart starts at band 4.0, which it places at B1. It gives no IELTS band for A1 or A2.
How accurate is it?
With five items per level, one lucky guess or slip can move you across a boundary. Treat a result near a cut-off as either level, and retake it after a few weeks of study rather than straight away.

Keep practising

Sources

Mappings checked on 11 November 2026. BandLadder is an independent preparation platform, not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council, IDP, Cambridge, Pearson or the Council of Europe. This test is a practice self-check, not an official CEFR assessment.