4 frameworks · 23 levels
Language proficiency levels explained
CEFR, JLPT, HSK and TOPIK in plain English: what each level means, what you can do at it, and how long it takes to get there.
4 frameworks · 23 levels
CEFR, JLPT, HSK and TOPIK in plain English: what each level means, what you can do at it, and how long it takes to get there.
Pick a framework to see every level, with can-do statements, vocabulary sizes and study-time estimates.
A proficiency framework is a shared scale that describes what a learner can actually do with a language at each stage, rather than how much material they have covered. It lets a school, an employer or an app agree on what "intermediate" means. CEFR is the most widely used; Japanese, Chinese and Korean each have their own established alternative.
CEFR covers most languages, including all the European ones. Japanese uses JLPT, Chinese uses HSK, and Korean uses TOPIK. NativePal levels your practice with whichever framework is standard for your target language.
They are not directly interchangeable, because each was designed around a different language and testing tradition, and mapping between them is approximate at best. As a rough orientation, the lowest levels of each (CEFR A1, JLPT N5, HSK 1, TOPIK 1) describe a beginner handling set phrases, and the highest (CEFR C2, JLPT N1, HSK 6, TOPIK 6) describe someone functioning comfortably in academic or professional settings.
Only if you need the certificate for a university place, a visa or a job. For learning purposes the frameworks are useful purely as a way to pitch material at the right difficulty, which is how NativePal uses them.
NativePal generates reading, vocabulary and speaking practice at the level you choose, in 57 languages.
Free to start. No account needed.