{"id":14036,"date":"2026-07-14T11:07:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T09:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/languagepartners.nl\/?p=14036"},"modified":"2026-07-14T11:07:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T09:07:02","slug":"cefr-language-levels-which-level-does-your-team-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/languagepartners.nl\/en\/blog\/business-language-training\/cefr-language-levels-which-level-does-your-team-need\/","title":{"rendered":"Language levels from A1 to C2: which level does your team really need?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Netherlands ranks first out of 123 countries in the EF English Proficiency Index 2025<\/a>. For the seventh year in a row. You would think business English is a solved problem here. Yet almost every HR and L&D professional recognises the same pattern. The emails are fine, the small talk too, but the moment the stakes rise, in a negotiation, a presentation or a difficult client conversation, the team goes quiet or starts avoiding the situation altogether. The same EF research explains why: speaking is the weakest skill in more than half of the countries measured, and it is precisely in high-scoring countries that the differences between people and between skills are largest.<\/p>\n

That is why the conversation about language training should not start with “does the team speak English?”, but with a more precise question: at which language level, and is that enough for the work they do?<\/strong> In this article we explain the language levels from A1 to C2 as they behave in the workplace, and help you determine which level your team really needs.<\/p>\n

What are language levels (CEFR)?<\/h2>\n

In Europe, language levels are expressed using the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)<\/a>, developed by the Council of Europe. In Dutch it is known as the ERK. The CEFR divides language proficiency into six levels: A1 and A2 (basic user), B1 and B2 (independent user) and C1 and C2 (proficient user). Each level describes what someone can actually do with the language, in speaking, listening, reading and writing. It is the standard that language schools, exams and employers worldwide use to mean the same thing when they talk about a level.<\/p>\n

One thing worth knowing: a single person rarely has a single level. Someone can read at B2, speak at B1 and write at A2. For the workplace that distinction is crucial, because most business situations depend on the skill that is, on average, the weakest: speaking under pressure.<\/p>\n

The six language levels translated to the workplace<\/h2>\n

A1 and A2: the basic user<\/h3>\n

At A1 and A2, someone can manage predictable, everyday situations. Think of introducing yourself, sending a short standard email or answering a simple question. This level is not sufficient for international client contact, but for production staff who need to understand safety instructions, for example, A2 can already be a concrete and valuable goal. For international colleagues learning Dutch, A2 is often the level at which participating on the work floor starts to work. You can read more about that on our Dutch as a second language (NT2) course page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

B1: keeping up, but not steering<\/h3>\n

B1 is the level at which someone functions independently in familiar work situations. Following meetings on their own subject area, helping a regular client, writing an internal update: it works. But it takes visible effort, and as soon as the conversation takes an unexpected turn, becomes complex or touches on something sensitive, a B1 speaker loses control of it. Many Dutch professionals sit here, while their role demands more.<\/p>\n

B2: the workhorse of business language<\/h3>\n

There is a reason B2 is so often named as the minimum in international job profiles. At this level, someone holds a fluent, spontaneous conversation with native speakers, defends a position, and writes clear texts on a wide range of subjects. For most roles with regular international contact, from account management to project leadership, B2 is the level at which language stops being a brake on the work.<\/p>\n

C1: persuading, negotiating, adding nuance<\/h3>\n

C1 is the level of professional precision. Someone at C1 reads between the lines, adapts tone and register to the situation and keeps formulating with nuance even under pressure. For roles where language is the tool itself, such as lawyers, consultants, sales directors and spokespeople, C1 is often the realistic goal.<\/p>\n

C2: near-native level<\/h3>\n

C2 approaches the level of a highly educated native speaker. Hardly any business role requires C2. Setting it as a goal is usually not ambition but waste: the investment needed to move from C1 to C2 rarely produces a measurable difference in the workplace.<\/p>\n

Which language level does your team need?<\/h2>\n

The trap is choosing one level as the goal for the entire team. It is more effective to look, per role, at the most demanding language situation someone has to handle regularly. A useful rule of thumb:<\/p>\n