This page contains links to a variety of documents presenting the illustrative scales and descriptors from the CEFR as well as other descriptors that have been produced for other purposes such as ELP models.

If you are developing an ELP model please refer to the Language Biography section in the How to Develop an ELP model. There you will find generic checklists for use in ELPs aimed at older and adolescent learners and guidelines for the development of checklists for younger learners.

Introduction to the bank of descriptors for self-assessment in European Language Portfolios by Günther Schneider and Peter Lenz, University of Fribourg, Switzerland, 2004: This paper explains how the authors created the Bank of descriptors described below.

A bank of descriptors for self-assessment in European Language Portfolios (2004), Günther Schneider and Peter Lenz: these descriptors were drawn from a selection of the first ELP models to be validated. They are categorised by level and language activity.

Expanded set of C1 and C2 descriptors (2007): collected by Brian North, Eurocentres, to supplement the relatively small number of descriptors at these levels in the CEFR.

Self-assessment descriptors for learners in lower secondary education (2009): developed in Switzerland for the Lingualevel project (www.lingualevel.ch), this set of descriptors is divided into sub-levels: A1.1, A1.2, A2.1, A2.2, B1.1, B1.2

Self-Assessment Checklists from the Swiss version of the ELP

EAQUALS descriptors (2008)
This set of descriptors resulted from a revision of the descriptors from the original EAQUALS/ALTE ELP model. It includes descriptors for “plus levels” (A2+, B1+ etc.) and for strategies.”

Collated representative samples of descriptors of language competence developed
- for young learners aged 7-10 years
- for young learners aged 11-15 years