Historical perspective

The origins of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) date back to the early 1970s when the Council of Europe sponsored work within its Modern Languages Project to develop two levels (Waystage and Threshold) as sets of specified learning objectives for language teaching purposes.

Waystage and Threshold were both relatively low proficiency levels designed to reflect achievable and meaningful levels of functional language competence. They were also to form part of a European unit/credit system for adult language learning. In 1977 David Wilkins (author of The Functional Approach) first proposed the concept of a set of ‘Council of Europe levels’, which could provide an explicit pathway for language teaching and learning with opportunities to accredit achievement outcomes along the way.

Cambridge ESOL exams, starting with Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) in 1913, followed by LCE – now Cambridge English: First (FCE)  in 1939, and then Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) in 1980, were all designed to offer learners and teachers useful curriculum and examination levels. In the late 1980s Cambridge ESOL was one of several stakeholder organisations to provide funding and professional support for revising Threshold and Waystage (Van Ek and Trim 1998a, 1998b). These revised level descriptions underpinned test specifications for a revised PET in the mid 1980s and a new Cambridge English: Key (KET) in the early 1990s. In 1991 the new Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) helped bridge the gap between FCE and CPE. By the early 1990s, therefore, the Cambridge ESOL’s KET, PET, FCE, CAE and CPE were providing well-established and recognised accreditation ‘stepping stones’ along the language teaching/learning pathway. The concept of a ‘framework’ of reference levels for English language learning, teaching and assessment was beginning to take on a more concrete form and the scene was set for the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework Project.