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SFI and CEFR levels
What Is equivalence of SFI in CEFR level?
- Swedish A1 Swedish for Beginners
- Swedish A2 Pre-Intermediate Swedish
- Swedish B1 Intermediate Swedish
- Swedish A2+/B1+ Intermediate Swedish aka “Swedish for Professionals”
- Swedish B2 Upper-intermediate Swedish aka ”Sverigekurs”
- Swedish: W&S Writing and Speaking course
- Swedish C1 Advanced Swedish aka “Tisus preparation”
One of the most frequent questions is What is my level? And how can I know my level?
Absolute beginner and beginners are in general A0. In other words candidates in these category should take A1 course. By the accomplishment of the course, the level becomes A1.
If you have studied Swedish somewhere, you should then tell us how long and where you have been studying Swedish. You can then do a test or visit our class for the most optimal diagnose of your level.
I have taken SFI course, so which course shall I take?
You shall not confuse SFI scale measurement with CEFR. SFI scale is completely different, you have to keep it in mind.
| CEFR A1 | CEFR A2 | CEFR B1 | CEFR B2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFI A | A1-/A1 | |||
| SFI B | A1/A2 | |||
| SFI C | A2/A2+ | |||
| SFI D | B1/B1+ |
- Swedish A1 Swedish for Beginners
- Swedish A2 Pre-Intermediate Swedish
- Swedish B1 Intermediate Swedish
- Swedish A2+/B1+ Intermediate Swedish aka “Swedish for Professionals”
- Swedish B2 Upper-intermediate Swedish aka ”Sverigekurs”
- Swedish: W&S Writing and Speaking course
- Swedish C1 Advanced Swedish aka “Tisus preparation”
SFI vs CEFR
What is the difference between SFI and CEFR level?
SFI Swedish is divided into four courses/ levels: A, B, C, and D. Depending on your past academic background and personal circumstances, you will begin at one of these levels.
There are three tracks for the SFI courses.
So if we would try to compare somehow SFI and CEFR scale , it it would look like this more or less. The table below shows approximately the correspondence between SFI and CEFR scales, but it is not exact. The reason is that SFI scale is also a “track” that is described above. Let say that you are a beginner but you have been placed in SFI C course Track 3. Then it doesn’t mean that you have automatically A2 CEFR level. According CEFR you are A1.
| The CEFR levels | SFI levels | YKI Finland levels | Level | English language levels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | SFI A, B | 1 | Basic user | BEGINNER |
| A2 | SFI C | 2 | Basic user | ELEMENTARY |
| B1 | SFI D | 3 | Independent user | INTERMEDIATE |
| B2 | SVA grundläggande | 4 | Independent user | UPPER-INTERMEDIATE |
| B2 | SVA 1 | 5 | Independent user | UPPER-INTERMEDIATE |
| C1 | SVA 2 | 6 | Proficient user | ADVANCED |
| C1/C2 | SVA 3 | 6 | Proficient user | ADVANCED |
- Swedish A1 Swedish for Beginners
- Swedish A2 Pre-Intermediate Swedish
- Swedish B1 Intermediate Swedish
- Swedish A2+/B1+ Intermediate Swedish aka “Swedish for Professionals”
- Swedish B2 Upper-intermediate Swedish aka ”Sverigekurs”
- Swedish: W&S Writing and Speaking course
- Swedish C1 Advanced Swedish aka “Tisus preparation”
CEFR - The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
Particularly for the Swedish language, the A2 level can be interpreted as an Intermediate level as well. One can also say that the Swedish language does not have a C2 level in that sense. Overall, one can rely on CEFR-level descriptions that make it possible to compare proficiency in different languages, regardless of the school system or degree:
A1 and A2: Beginners level users
B1 and B2: independent language users
C1 and C2: Advanced language user
- Swedish A1 Swedish for Beginners
- Swedish A2 Pre-Intermediate Swedish
- Swedish B1 Intermediate Swedish
- Swedish A2+/B1+ Intermediate Swedish aka “Swedish for Professionals”
- Swedish B2 Upper-intermediate Swedish aka ”Sverigekurs”
- Swedish: W&S Writing and Speaking course
- Swedish C1 Advanced Swedish aka “Tisus preparation”
