What CEFR level is my Swedish?
A2, B1, B2 explained in terms of what you can actually do, plus how SFI and
SAS line up against them, and a two-minute self-check.
Written by NÖVA, a Swedish tutor built around the daily news. Nothing here
needs an account, and nothing here is a test.
What CEFR is, briefly
The Common European Framework of Reference describes language ability in
six levels, A1 and A2 (basic), B1 and B2 (independent), C1 and C2
(proficient). It is deliberately about what you can do, not how
many words you know or how many chapters you finished.
Two things people get wrong about it. First, you are rarely one level: it
is normal to read at B2 and speak at B1, and that gap is the single most
common shape for adults who moved here as adults. Second, the levels are
not evenly spaced. A2 to B1 is a step. B1 to B2 is a staircase, and it is
where most people spend the longest.
What each level looks like in Sweden
Described by everyday situations rather than grammar, because that is how
you will recognise yourself.
| Level | You can | You still can't |
|---|
| A1 |
Greet people, say where you are from, order a coffee, read signs
and a menu. |
Follow a conversation that is not addressed to you. |
| A2 |
Book an appointment, describe your weekend, understand a short
simple notice from förskolan, follow
Klartext if you concentrate. |
Keep up when two Swedes talk to each other. |
| B1 |
Handle most everyday errands unaided, follow a news story on a
familiar topic, explain what you think and give a reason, work in
Swedish for routine tasks. |
Argue a point comfortably, or follow a fast meeting. |
| B2 |
Take part in a work meeting, read ordinary
DN or SVT articles,
disagree with someone and hold your position, understand most TV. |
Catch every joke, or read a novel without friction. |
| C1 |
Work entirely in Swedish, follow rapid group conversation, read
essentially anything, express nuance. |
Pass unnoticed. Idiom and register still occasionally slip. |
| C2 |
Everything, with precision and style. |
Very few second-language speakers claim this, and that is fine. |
How SFI and SAS map onto CEFR
This is the question people in Sweden actually have, and most CEFR pages do
not answer it. The honest version first: Skolverket does not
publish an exact equivalence, because the Swedish courses are
built around their own goals rather than around CEFR bands. What follows is
the approximate correspondence that teachers and course descriptions
generally use. Treat it as a signpost, not a certificate.
| Swedish course | Roughly | What it is for |
|---|
| SFI kurs A / B | ≈ A1 |
First footing, often with limited prior schooling. |
|---|
| SFI kurs C | ≈ A2 |
Everyday situations, simple written Swedish. |
|---|
| SFI kurs D | ≈ A2 to B1 |
The end of SFI. Enough to function, not yet enough for study. |
|---|
| SAS grundläggande | ≈ B1 |
Bridges SFI to upper-secondary work. |
|---|
| SAS 1 | ≈ B1 to B2 |
Gymnasium level, first course. |
|---|
| SAS 2 | ≈ B2 |
Analytical reading and writing. |
|---|
| SAS 3 | ≈ B2 to C1 |
Required for general eligibility for university study. |
|---|
If you need a level for an employer, a university application or a
migration matter, do not rely on a table on the internet, this one
included. Ask the institution what they accept, then sit the test they
name.
A two-minute self-check
Answer honestly about what you can do today, unprepared, without
asking anyone to slow down. Take the lowest level where you can still say
yes to all three.
- A2 — Can you book a doctor's appointment on the phone?
Can you read a note from your child's school and act on it? Can you tell
a colleague what you did at the weekend, in a few sentences?
- B1 — Can you follow a Klartext
broadcast without rewinding? Can you explain why you disagree
with something, not just that you do? Can you get through a whole errand
(bank, Skatteverket, landlord) without switching
to English?
- B2 — Can you follow a work meeting where people
interrupt each other? Can you read an ordinary
SVT article without a dictionary? Can you make a
point in a group and defend it when someone pushes back?
- C1 — Can you work all day in Swedish without it being
tiring? Can you follow a podcast at normal speed while doing something
else? Can you say what you mean with the shade you intended?
Two notes. If your reading answer and your speaking answer disagree, both
are true and you should train the lower one. And "yes, if they speak
slowly" is a no. That is the whole reason the self-check specifies
unprepared.
What actually moves you up
From A2 to B1: volume of comprehensible input. More easy
Swedish, not harder Swedish. 8 Sidor and
Klartext are free and exactly at this line.
From B1 to B2: production, and this is the plateau. More
reading stops paying at B1, because the bottleneck is no longer
understanding, it is retrieval under time pressure. You need to say and
write things and be corrected. A språkcafé, a
tandem partner, an SAS course, or a tutor.
From B2 to C1: living in it. Volume, over months, in real
contexts, plus targeted attention to the specific errors that have
fossilised. At this point generic study material stops helping and
feedback on your own Swedish is the only lever left.