A1 (Breakthrough / Beginner)

A1, called Breakthrough in the Council of Europe's own wording, is the first described level of the framework: familiar everyday expressions, very basic phrases, introducing yourself and answering simple questions about where you live and who you know. Lessons assume nothing and build the first few hundred words around the situations you will actually meet. Most of the hour is spent speaking, because listening and pronunciation habits form now and are hard to reshape later. It is the shortest level to pass through and the one where a teacher makes the most difference.