Lexile levels explained

About Lexile® Measures for Reading

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Lexile measures provide educators with an interpretive — not prescriptive — tool for measuring student growth and predicting future success. The idea behind the Lexile® Framework for Reading is simple: if we know how well a student can read and how hard a specific book is to comprehend, we can predict how well that student will likely understand that book.

There are two Lexile measures: the Lexile reading measure and the Lexile text measure.

A student gets a Lexile reading measure from a reading test or program. For example, if a student receives an 880L on their end-of-grade reading test, their Lexile reading measure is 880L. More than 65 popular reading assessments and programs and 25 state assessments report Lexile reading measures.

A book, article or piece of text gets a Lexile text measure when it’s analyzed by MetaMetrics®. For example, the first Harry Potter book measures 880L, so its Lexile text measure is 880L.

The Lexile Scale

The Lexile Framework measures students and texts on the same developmental scale to seamlessly match readers to targeted texts.

You know your shoe size. But imagine how frustrating it would be to try to buy shoes if you couldn’t find out what size they were.

The same goes for non-Lexile reading scores. A student scored “286” in reading, for example— what would that mean? How would that student find materials to match a “286”?

That’s what makes the Lexile Framework for Reading different from other reading scales. It comes to life when you match a Lexile reading measure with a Lexile text measure. The Lexile scale is like a thermometer from below 0L for beginner readers to above 2000L. The Lexile measure is shown as a number with an “L” after it — 880L indicates an 880 Lexile measure. When a Lexile text measure matches a Lexile reading measure, this is called a “targeted” reading experience. The reader will likely have some challenge with the text, but not enough to get frustrated. This is the best way to grow as a reader — with text that’s not too hard but not too easy.

Lexile measures provide educators with valuable information about students’ abilities, as well as the difficulty of a text, such as a book or a magazine article. Here are just a few ways educators use Lexile measures:

• Personalize learning. Educators best serve students when they treat them like individuals. They can personalize learning by using free Lexile resources to connect students with materials in their Lexile range, or reading comprehension “sweet spot,” which is from 100L below to 50L above their reported Lexile measure.
• Differentiate instruction. When all students in a classroom are using the same textbook, Lexile measures help teachers predict which students might need extra help, and which ones might need enrichment (see the following Forecasted Comprehension figure).
• Communicate with parents. Lexile measures offer educators a way to communicate with parents about their children’s progress. When parents know their child’s Lexile measure, they can use that information at home to connect their child with reading material. Educators can direct parents to additional Lexile parent resources.

These are just a few of the ways educators work with Lexile measures. Please read about all the ways that Lexile measures can work for you.

Forecasted Comprehension

The Lexile Framework helps teachers forecast students' comprehension of a text by knowing their Lexile reading measures.

About the Lexile Framework® for Listening

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MetaMetrics® developed the Lexile Framework for Listening as a tool to offer a more complete picture of students’ literacy skills than reading comprehension scores alone can provide. For over 20 years, educators have relied on the Lexile Framework® for Reading to measure student growth and predict future success. Over 35 million students receive a Lexile measure for reading each year. 

Just as the Lexile scale measures both students’ reading abilities and text complexity, it also measures both students’ listening abilities and audio complexity. As a developmental scale, students’ scores can be compared across grade levels and years as students grow. Students’ listening comprehension can be assessed in the early grades and monitored to ensure that growth continues.

Listening is an important piece of the literacy construct – both in the school years and beyond. Findings of the Graduate Management Admission Council’s study show that communication skills top the list – with listening ranked second – of skills and abilities employers look for in new hires. ¹

Educators can use Lexile listening measures to:

• Personalize learning by connecting students to audio materials at their ability level.
• Evaluate if their students can comprehend what they are hearing in class.
• Measure student growth using a scientifically valid, objective approach.
• Prepare students for state exams and for ELL exams that include listening.

The idea behind the listening framework is simple: If we know how well a student can listen and how hard an audio passage is to comprehend, we can predict how well that student will likely understand that audio passage.

There are two types of Lexile measures in the listening framework: the Lexile listening measure for students’ ability and the Lexile audio measure for audio materials. A student gets a Lexile listening measure from a listening test or program. For example, if a student receives a 900L on their listening test, their Lexile listening measure is 900L.

Want to Know More?

Please visit our Lexile Framework for Listening home page.

Have you ever listened to a radio show or podcast and not been able to catch everything that was said? Then it’s easy to see why audio measures differ from text measures even when the text is the same.

Lexile measures for audio materials are determined by the Lexile® Audio Analyzer, which analyzes the content features of what is spoken and the acoustic features of how it is spoken. Variables such as sophistication of vocabulary, amount and length of pauses, and frequency of similar sounding words factor into the Lexile audio measure. The complexity and frequency of grammatical constructions also impact the difficulty of audio passages. 

Educators can help match students with audio content at their listening level. Resources for Lexile-measured content will be quickly growing. Plans are underway for educators, parents and students to be able to find audio content matches much as Lexile® Find a Book  helps students find reading matches.

Educators can now access Lexile-measured podcasts at Listenwise, a subscriber-based listening comprehension platform designed to advance literacy and learning. The Listenwise library includes social studies, science, English Language Arts and current events podcasts.

MetaMetrics is actively in the process of getting more audio materials measured from content publishers. You can be a part of shaping the world’s database for Lexile-measured audio content. Just fill out the form below to indicate the audio book that you’d like to have measured. We’ll contact the publisher and hope to add it to the database soon.

Want an Audiobook Measured?

Tell us what audio books you want to have measured. Please provide contact information, so we can communicate our progress.

Want an Audiobook Measured?

A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2 ‹ Ingleks

What grammar and vocabulary students learn at each level of study - from Beginner to Proficiency.

Among philologists and linguists, it is customary to divide the knowledge of a foreign language into six levels. This concept is called the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), and it appeared at the end of the 20th century. In 2001, the Council of Europe decided to use the CEFR to assess language proficiency in any language taught as a foreign language. Following the CEFR system, there are three language proficiency groups - A, B, C, each of which is divided into two subgroups:

We have listed the aspects of English that students learn at each level of education. Vertically there are columns with types of speech activity: listening, speaking, reading, writing. The two extreme columns display what grammar and vocabulary the student should know at a particular stage. The levels of training are shown horizontally - from Beginner to Proficiency. At the intersection of a row and a column, a description is given of what knowledge the student acquires at each level.

Beginner

For clarity, we suggest comparing how students with different levels of English speak on the same topic.

Beginner: I want to eat this tasty chocolate bar. I want to eat this delicious chocolate bar.
Elementary: I would like to eat this delicious chocolate bar. I would like to eat this delicious chocolate bar.
Pre-Intermediate: I feel like eating this yummy chocolate bar. I want to eat this delicious chocolate bar.
Intermediate: I wanna scarf down this yummy chocolate bar. I want to eat this delicious chocolate bar.
Upper-Intermediate: I’d kill for this super delicious chocolate bar. “I would kill for this super delicious candy bar.
Advanced: I’m drooling over this chocolate bar. Yum-yum! “I want this candy bar so much it makes me salivate. Om-Nom-nom!
Proficiency: I wish I could eat this chocolate bar which seems to be finger-licking good. - I would eat this chocolate bar - it seems so tasty that you will lick your fingers.

If you want to learn more about any of the levels of English proficiency, read the corresponding article from our selection:

We also recommend that you watch a video on the topic "How to determine your level of English?".

If you're having trouble figuring out your level using the table, take our online English proficiency test.

European Language Proficiency Levels

(A1) - Beginner
(A2) - Lower Intermediate
(B1) - Intermediate
(B2) - Upper Intermediate
(C1) - Advanced
(C2) - Professional

There are two main recognized English language proficiency scales: International and European. The proposed table gives a description of each of the levels and shows the correspondence between the levels according to the International and European classification.

More information about the European scale can be found on the website of the Council of Europe at (in English): http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Cadre1_en.asp

(A1) – initial

According to the generally accepted method of teaching foreign languages, 4 types of speech activity develop at each level: Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing. Chief among these is speaking, and it is to the goal of speaking fluently and correctly that all other learning is subordinated. Level A1 is the basics of a foreign language. Here they are introduced to the alphabet and the peculiarities of the pronunciation of sounds that have no analogues in our native language. They learn to understand foreign speech and speak within the framework of the studied vocabulary on certain topics.

(A2) - below average

Level A 2 is a kind of "key moment" in the life of a foreign language learner. It is at this level that all the basic grammar is laid down that is necessary to keep a conversation on a certain topic, expressing one's opinion or requirement in a familiar context. You can forget about the expression “I understand, but I can’t say”. Of course, it is important how conscientiously you worked throughout this level of language learning, as well as what knowledge you had at the start.

(B1) - intermediate

B1 - this is the so-called "average" level of language proficiency, but in fact this is already quite a decent level, allowing you to speak a foreign language quite fluently, discuss many professional and everyday topics, understand hearing almost everything said in a foreign language at a normal pace. Students understand what is being discussed in most radio and television programs, know how to express their own opinion, justify their views, retell the content of what they have read or seen, conduct personal and business correspondence of medium complexity, read literature in a foreign language. This level of language proficiency allows you to take entrance exams to Russian universities and preparatory courses abroad.

(B2) - above average

B2 is not just an average level of foreign language proficiency, it is already a serious level of knowledge sufficient for foreign language communication in almost all areas of communication. Knowledge at level B2 is enough to live and communicate in a country where the studied language is considered the main one. Knowledge at this level is consolidated, systematized and expanded by more complex cases of using grammatical structures. At this stage of learning in each of the main activities (Speaking, Reading, Listening, Writing) in more detail.

(C1) - advanced

This is a serious level of knowledge of a foreign language, because it is the level C1 that graduates of the philological faculties of higher educational institutions of our country should master. That is, for the most part, people who teach a foreign language as a foreign language speak it at an advanced level. At this level, a person already spontaneously (that is, without prior preparation) and relatively freely can verbally express his opinion on any topic, including narrowly focused ones. At the same time, he does not have difficulties using complex grammatical constructions and with a large number of synonyms that are used to reinforce his point of view with examples and so on. At this level of learning, the ability to speak about everything will develop, even if you do not know much about the topic of conversation, the main thing is not what you say, but how you say it.

(C2) - professional level

This is the highest level of foreign language proficiency New grammar material at this stage of training, students will not meet, since all the grammar was passed at the previous levels. Grammar is repeated and consolidated on the basis of thematic articles with a large content of specific vocabulary. As for vocabulary , it will be replenished due to specific vocabulary, jargon, terms.

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