In this guide
Cambridge Veritas · Original TESOL self-study resources
Understand the idea
Proficiency descriptions focus on what learners can understand and do. A level label is a broad guide, not a complete learner profile. Convert a general description into a modest observable task and check actual performance.
What you will practise
- Explain the key idea in “CEFR and practical can-do objectives” using a concrete example.
- Choose a teaching response that fits the learner and the purpose.
- Identify evidence you could collect to evaluate that response.
A closer look at the teaching
A can-do statement becomes teachable when the task, support and success criterion are specified. Consider topic familiarity, preparation time and interaction demands alongside the level label. A learner may perform differently across skills. Use the description as a planning guide and check the actual performance before drawing broader conclusions.
Proficiency labels are useful starting points but do not describe every demand a learner can handle. Topic knowledge, task familiarity and available support also matter. Define what success would look like for this group and select a manageable language scope. Differentiation can then vary prompts, time or response complexity while retaining a common purpose. Describe observed performance precisely rather than infer a complete level from one activity.
In the classroom
Two learners labelled B1 differ in confidence with presentations.
Before choosing an activity, identify what the learner needs to understand or communicate. Separate the language demand from other demands such as reading instructions, managing equipment or speaking to a large group.
A teaching sequence you can adapt
Use these stages as a starting point for this topic. Keep the language goal visible, and change the support when learner responses show a different need.
- 01
Define a practical can-do outcome and identify the support that will be available.
- 02
Check a short performance sample and distinguish language difficulty from unfamiliar content or procedure.
- 03
Vary prompts or challenge while keeping the intended communicative purpose visible.
- 04
Record what learners achieve and what further support or extension the next task should provide.
Describe exactly what the learner achieved and which support was available.
A common mistake to avoid
Do not use one successful lesson activity as a complete CEFR assessment.
When reviewing the activity, distinguish what you observed from what you inferred. Use the task outcome and a fresh example to decide whether another explanation, a different scaffold or more independent practice is needed.
Adapt it for your learners
Make the task accessible.
Offer a clear model, planning time and a simple record that reduces unnecessary processing demands.
Extend the thinking.
Require precision, justification, adaptation to audience or a response to a counterargument rather than only rarer vocabulary.
Keep the intended outcome consistent when comparing responses. Record which support was available so you do not confuse a supported performance with the same task completed independently.
Try it, then compare.
Take a moment to make your own decision. Compare your reasoning with the example, then adapt it for a teaching context you know.
Try it in a teaching context
Write an objective that can be observed in one lesson.
Your questions, answered.
What is a common mistake with CEFR and practical can-do objectives?
Do not use one successful lesson activity as a complete CEFR assessment.
How can I check whether the teaching worked?
Describe exactly what the learner achieved and which support was available.
How can I support learners who find the task difficult?
Offer a clear model, planning time and a simple record that reduces unnecessary processing demands.
How can I add a useful extra challenge?
Require precision, justification, adaptation to audience or a response to a counterargument rather than only rarer vocabulary.
Quick revision
- The key idea: Proficiency descriptions focus on what learners can understand and do.
- The context to remember: Two learners labelled B1 differ in confidence with presentations.
- A useful next step: Write an objective that can be observed in one lesson.
For your teaching portfolio: keep a brief plan, a note of what learners actually did and one change you would make next time. Use anonymous examples.
Take the module self-checkSources and authorship
This module maps to the supplied syllabus PDF, Teaching at different levels (7 pages). The study notes, examples, application tasks and self-checks on these pages are original Cambridge Veritas resources.
View the supplied PDF ↗ · Publication reference: source chapter
Written by Cambridge Veritas. Updated .
Use these resources for preparation and reflection. Browser self-check results are for personal study and do not award a qualification or replace observed teaching practice.