Knowing the level your learner is currently working at is really important to make sure that the work you set is appropriate and helps them progress. For this reason, the resources listed on this website can be searched by level to make it as easy as possible to find what you need.
The descriptors for someone who is a beginner, or at Pre-Entry level can be found here. However, this is a huge category, and the term ‘beginner’ covers a number of different types of learner who have diverse needs. Daniela Prataviera has compiled a very useful guide to identifying the different type of beginner and useful activities for each group.
Here are the level descriptors in each skill from Entry 1 to Entry 3.
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing.
These were written by Learning Unlimited and are easy to use to gauge what level the learner is at. Part of the criteria for an English at Home learner is that they are working at Entry level 3 or below, so we have not listed level descriptors beyond that. To see the kind of activities appropriate for each level you can view the ESOL Learner Materials here.
When learning English there are a number of different qualifications that can be studied. If you want to understand how these levels compare to each other please see our English Levels Equivalency Chart. This will show you how CEFR, IETLS and NQF levels relate