Levels
Where you are now, and what the next level looks like
SOP grades English into ten levels, each one mapped to CEFR, Cambridge, TOEIC, IELTS and TOEFL. Not to label you — to show you which way is forward.
- Ten levels
- Five standards mapped
- Tested on arrival
- Re-tested weekly
The chart
SOP levels 1–10 against CEFR, Cambridge, TOEIC, IELTS and TOEFL
Every score on one row is the same ability measured a different way. Find the column for a test you have taken, and read across to the left.
| SOP | Level | CEFR | Cambridge | TOEIC (L&R) | IELTS | TOEFL iBT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beginner Low | A1 | KET A1 (100–119) | 120–215 | 3.0–3.5 | 20–41 |
| 2 | Beginner Medium | A1 | KET A1 (100–119) | 120–215 | 3.0–3.5 | 20–41 |
| 3 | Beginner High | A2 | KET pass / PET A2 (120–139) | 225–540 | 3.0–3.5 | 20–41 |
| 4 | Pre-Intermediate Low | A2 | KET pass / PET A2 (120–139) | 225–540 | 4.0–5.0 | 42–71 |
| 5 | Pre-Intermediate Medium | B1 | PET pass / FCE B1 (140–159) | 550–775 | 4.0–5.0 | 42–71 |
| 6 | Pre-Intermediate High | B1 | PET pass / FCE B1 (140–159) | 550–775 | 4.0–5.0 | 42–71 |
| 7 | Intermediate Low | B2 | FCE pass / CAE B2 (160–179) | 785–935 | 5.5–6.0 | 72–94 |
| 8 | Intermediate Medium | B2 | FCE pass / CAE B2 (160–179) | 785–935 | 5.5–6.0 | 72–94 |
| 9 | Intermediate High | C1 | FCE grade A / CAE (180–199) | 945–990 | 6.5–7.5 | 95–120 |
| 10 | Advance | C2 | CAE grade A / CPE (200–230) | — | 8.0–9.0 | — |
TOEIC Writing and Speaking map separately: levels 1–2, writing 30–60 and speaking 50–80; levels 3–4, writing 70–110 and speaking 90–110; levels 5–6, writing 120–140 and speaking 120–140; levels 7–8, writing 150–180 and speaking 150–170; level 9, writing 190–200 and speaking 180–200. Figures in brackets are Cambridge English Scale scores. This is SOP's own internal mapping, offered for guidance; it is not an official conversion published by any of the examining bodies.
How to use the chart
A level tells you where you are, not what you are worth
Most people arrive with a vague impression — "my English isn't good". That sentence cannot be turned into a timetable. This chart turns it into a position.
Knowing your level tells you two things at once: what you can already do, and what the next level asks for. Materials, pace and the way a teacher explains things all follow from it. Not everyone sits the same course.
The chart is also there to be used against us. If someone tells you four weeks will take a beginner to TOEIC 800, come back to this page: TOEIC 785–935 is SOP level 7–8, CEFR B2. That is not four weeks of distance. We would rather you understood the chart first, and talked about weeks second.
Testing
Tested twice, and never once for all time
Your level is not guessed at enrolment, and it is not fixed by a single test.
- A placement test on the day you arrive; the school prepares materials to match the result
- At registration, the number of lessons a day and the subjects are set
- A further test every week, to check progress and adjust the pace
- If you think a test result is wrong, raise it with the office — confirmed errors are corrected and a new report issued
- Missing a test without notice is recorded as a warning, and no lessons are given during the testing period
On campus and online
Both sides use the same ten levels
Our online courses run on the same Cambridge system and the same levels as the campus, so this chart applies to both. If you continue online after going home, you are not re-tested from scratch.
That is also why we are willing to say "the same teachers, the same system" — the levels line up. It is not two schools each describing themselves in their own terms.
Not sure which level you are?
Tell us which tests you have taken and what you scored, or simply when you last studied English, and we will give you a rough position and a sensible place to start.