German Levels A1, A2, B1 and B2 Explained: Where Should You Start?

What do the levels tell you?

A1, A2, B1 and B2 belong to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, usually called the CEFR. They describe what you can do with a language.

Broadly, A1 and A2 cover basic communication. B1 and B2 describe increasing independence: handling situations, explaining ideas and taking part in conversations with more confidence. The framework continues to C1 and C2.

Think about an appointment. At first, your goal might be to ask for the time. Later, you want to explain why you cannot attend, suggest another date and respond when the receptionist offers a different option.

That growing ability to manage the whole conversation is a useful way to picture progress.

• Goethe-Institut: official CEFR level descriptions ↗

A1: Your first everyday conversations

At A1, you learn to introduce yourself, ask basic questions and communicate about familiar needs. Conversations usually depend on the other person speaking clearly, slowly and offering help.

A useful practice task is to introduce yourself, then answer a question you have not memorised. Keep your answer simple. Two sentences you can use comfortably are a good starting point. Tap the examples to see their meanings.

A2: Managing familiar situations

A2 develops your ability to exchange information in routine situations, such as shopping, work and daily life. You can give simple descriptions of your background and surroundings.

Try practising the short message below. Then change the reason. Perhaps you have an appointment or need to work. This turns one sentence into something you can adapt to your own life.

If you are preparing to join A2, revisit your A1 basics first. Can you form questions, introduce yourself and talk briefly about your routine without reading everything from a page?

B1: Explaining what happened and why

At B1, you can handle many everyday situations, describe experiences and give brief reasons for your opinions. You begin managing less predictable conversations more independently.

To develop an answer like the example below, ask yourself three questions: What do I think? Why? What example can I give?

You do not need a complicated opinion. Start with something familiar, such as online classes, public transport or your daily routine.

B2: Discussing ideas in more detail

At B2, you can develop viewpoints, weigh advantages and disadvantages, and communicate with greater fluency and spontaneity. Understanding and expressing more complex ideas becomes a larger part of your learning.

For practice, take a question such as: “Should people work from home?”

Give your opinion, explain one advantage, acknowledge a difficulty and suggest a possible solution. Record yourself and listen for places where your meaning becomes unclear.

This gives you something specific to work on in your next attempt.

• Goethe-Institut: official CEFR level descriptions ↗

What if you understand German but cannot speak easily?

Avoid choosing your level from your strongest skill alone.

You might follow a written text comfortably but struggle to understand the same information in a conversation. You might know a grammar rule but need time to use it while speaking.

Before joining a course, try four small tasks. These tasks are a starting point for discussing placement with your teacher. They do not replace a proper level assessment.

• Read a short text and explain its main point.
• Listen to a short recording without reading the transcript first.
• Write a message about a familiar situation.
• Speak about yourself and answer a few follow-up questions.

Should you repeat a level after a long break?

Start by checking what you still remember.

Open your previous course book and attempt a few activities without looking at the answers. Then practise speaking about the same topics. Note the gaps: vocabulary, listening, sentence structure or confidence.

Discuss those gaps before enrolling. Focused revision may be enough, while larger gaps may make repeating a course useful. The decision should reflect what you can currently do.

Choose a starting point you can build on

A course should give you enough support to participate and enough challenge to move forward.

If you are starting from zero, explore A1. If you have studied before, tell your teacher which course you completed, when you last studied and which skills feel difficult now.

You can explore the live online German courses at German with Sajjad and get in touch to discuss your starting point before registering.

• Explore live online German courses ↗
• Discuss your starting level ↗