CLB-7 ≠ B2
Not everything is as simple as it seems.
⚠️If you’re preparing for language exams to immigrate to Canada, you know this with 100% certainty: CLB-7 is equated with B2 on the European CEFR scale. At least, that’s what all those neatly organized comparison tables tell us. One look, and you’d never doubt it 💯
But then I remembered that, it seems, I didn’t publish one very interesting report from 2018 on the channel. It was written by two researchers (Enrica Piccardo and Brian North), who decided to understand the correspondence of the levels, and at the same time answered how correct it is to identify CLB-7 with the level B2.
And this is what they found out ⤵️
The report, by the way, is impressive - more than 200 pages. The authors took the issue seriously: they compared descriptors, analyzed written and oral work, and conducted cross-sectional studies. If anyone is interested, be sure to scroll through and I’ll add the report in the next post.
❗️The most entertaining thing is their conclusion.
According to the results, CLB-7 is actually somewhere between the levels of B1+ and B2. This is clearly visible in Table 6 of the report, which summarizes the preliminary results for each analysis.
Based on this, the authors ask a completely logical question: should CLB-7 be perceived more as B1+, and not as a full-fledged B2? And it seems the answer is yes. Yes, in CLB-7 you can notice individual elements of B2, but they are not enough to consider that this level fully corresponds to B2.
CLB-7 is either a very strong B1 or a transition stage to B2. Moreover, in the final table No. 7 of the report, everything is formulated quite unambiguously: CLB-7 is the level B1.
And then do what you want with this information 😀 But when I first read this report, my soul became somehow calmer.
And indeed, if everything is exactly as the authors write, then for test takers - especially for those who are just beginning their journey in learning a language or who are literally rebuilding it from the ashes - this information can become, if not consolation, then at least support.
Don't let the goal CLB-7 scare you like the unattainable B2. Maybe it's a little simpler than it seems.
By link you can download the report itself - a comparison of CEFR and CLB/NCLC.
Read other interesting articles:
How not to get confused on Tâche 3
How to answer additional questions in TCF