What Is A1 English Level? A Complete Guide
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A1 English is the CEFR "beginner" level, the first of six. An A1 speaker can use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases: say who you are, ask simple questions, and talk about where you live and what you have. Conversations work only if the other person speaks slowly and clearly and is ready to help.
A1 is the starting point of the scale. If you can introduce yourself and ask for a coffee in English, you are already here. When you're ready for the next step, see what A2 English means. For the whole scale on one page, see CEFR levels explained. Below: what A1 looks like in practice, which test scores match it, and how to reach A2.
TL;DR:
- A1 is the CEFR "beginner" level, the first of the two "basic user" levels (A1 and A2).
- A1 means understanding and using familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases for concrete needs.
- Typical score matches: Cambridge A2 Key 100-119 (reported as A1), TOEFL 1-1.5 on the 1-6 scale. This guide doesn't map IELTS to A1; IELTS Life Skills is the IELTS test that covers it.
- Cambridge estimates around 90-100 guided learning hours from zero to A1, and 180-200 to A2.
- A1 is built on the most common words and a handful of simple structures, so progress here is the most visible.
What does A1 English mean? The official description
The Council of Europe's global scale describes an A1 user like this:
- Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases that meet concrete needs.
- Can introduce themselves and others, and ask and answer simple questions about personal details, such as where they live, people they know and things they have.
- Can interact in a simple way, provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
Key takeaway: A1 is defined by support. You can communicate, but only when the situation is predictable and the other person helps. The aim of the level is not accuracy. It is to start using English for real needs.
What can an A1 speaker do?
You can:
- Say hello and goodbye, and give your name, age and where you're from: My name is Ana. I'm from Spain.
- Ask and answer simple questions: Where is the bus stop? How much is it?
- Understand numbers, prices, times and days of the week
- Order simple food and drink: A coffee and a sandwich, please.
- Fill in a short form with your name, address and nationality
- Write a short message or postcard with a few simple sentences
You can't yet (that's A2):
- Talk about past events or plans at any length
- Handle a short exchange in a shop or station without rehearsing it first
- Understand fast speech or anything that isn't slow and clear
- Describe your family, job or daily routine in more than a few short sentences
A1 vs A2: what actually changes
At A1 you repeat and recombine phrases you have learned. At A2 you start making your own simple sentences and talk beyond the present moment.
| A1 (beginner) | A2 (elementary) | |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking | Short phrases about yourself | Simple exchanges in routine situations |
| Tenses | Present, simple past, will | Plus present and past continuous, going to |
| Listening | Slow, clear speech with pauses | Main point of short, clear messages |
| Reading | Names, signs, short simple texts | Short simple texts and messages |
| Vocabulary | Concrete basics: people, numbers, food | Everyday topics: work, travel, shopping |
| Support needed | Other person must help and slow down | Familiar routine exchanges work alone |
A1 English test scores: Cambridge, TOEFL and IELTS
Each exam board maps its own scores to the CEFR, so treat these as close equivalents, not exact conversions. Few adult exams target A1 directly.
| Exam | Score that matches A1 |
|---|---|
| Cambridge English Scale (reported on A2 Key) | 100-119 earns an A1 certificate |
| Cambridge Young Learners | A1 Movers is aimed at A1; Pre A1 Starters sits just below |
| TOEFL iBT (1-6 scale from January 2026) | 1-1.5 |
| IELTS | Not mapped in this guide; IELTS Life Skills tests A1-B1 for UK visas |
Our guides to Cambridge English Scale scores and the new TOEFL score scale have the full conversion tables. IELTS offers a separate speaking and listening test, IELTS Life Skills, for UK visa applications at A1, A2 and B1.
How many words do you need for A1?
There is no single agreed number, because it depends on whether you count word families or individual forms. Budling's vocabulary-by-level guide uses a working estimate of roughly 500 words for A1, and CEFR levels explained gives a range of about 500 to 1,000. Both are rough guides, not exam requirements.
At A1 the words are the most common and most concrete in English:
- People and family: mother, friend, teacher, boy, girl
- Everyday objects and places: house, door, table, school, shop
- Food and drink: water, bread, milk, apple, coffee
- Numbers, colours and time: five, twenty, red, Monday, morning
- Basic verbs and adjectives: be, have, go, eat, like, big, small, good
The A1 vocabulary flashcards group sets like these by topic. Good first sets are everyday basics, family and people, food and drink and numbers, time and dates.
What grammar should you master at A1?
A1 grammar is short and repeatable. These topics come up in almost every beginner course:
- The verb to be: I am a student. She is from Italy.
- Present simple: I work in a shop. He likes tea.
- Past simple: I visited my aunt. We went home.
- Future with will: I will call you tomorrow.
- Have got: I've got two brothers.
- There is and there are: There is a park near my house.
- Question words: What is your name? Where do you live?
- Articles a, an and the: a book, an apple, the teacher
- Plural nouns: one cat, two cats
- Imperatives: Open the door. Don't run.
The grammar hub lists every A1 topic with examples and a short quiz.
How long does it take to reach A1?
Cambridge English estimates around 90-100 guided learning hours from zero to A1, and around 180-200 to A2. Guided hours are classroom-style time and don't include homework or listening practice on your own, and Cambridge calls all of its figures a guideline only. Your first language, how intensely you study and how much English you meet outside lessons all change the result. For a longer view, see how long it takes to learn English.
How do you get from A1 to A2?
- Learn the most common words first. Frequency beats topic at this stage. A few hundred of the most common words appear in almost everything you read or hear.
- Review with spaced repetition. A spaced repetition schedule keeps new words from fading after a day.
- Practise one pattern many times. Say I like... ten ways before moving on to I'd like....
- Listen to slow, clear English every day. Beginner podcasts and children's shows work. Ten minutes a day beats one long weekend session.
- Speak from day one. Say your sentences out loud, even to yourself, because speaking is the skill that lags most.
- Check your level every few months. A placement test tells you more than how a conversation felt.
Do you need A1 English?
It depends on your goal. Some visa routes ask for a stated CEFR level. For example, the UK government's family visa guidance asks applicants to show A1 speaking and listening at the first application. Rules change, so always check the current requirement of the organisation you're applying to. Study and work usually need a higher level, so check the requirement for your own course or job.
Not sure whether you're at A1 or already at A2? Take Budling's free English level test for a CEFR estimate in a few minutes, then study the A1 sets that match your real level. Your pixel pet levels up as you study, so the first steps of learning English come with some company.