Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment

 
iv. 
In the absence of a calibrated bank of CEFR illustrative descriptors for young learners, 
such a collation can provide a useful reference document for educators developing 
objectives for language learning curricula for young learners in the age groups 
described. 
Though it can never be fully comprehensive, the project brings together a representative 
selection of young learner ELP samples from a range of Council of Europe member states, 
using in particular materials drawn from accredited models in the Council of Europe ELP bank 
and/or samples registered on the Council of Europe website, along with young learner 
assessment descriptors supplied by Cambridge English Language Assessment and 
LinguaLevel (see a complete list of sources in section 4). The organisation of mapped 
descriptors into two broad age groups reflects the general age emphasis of the ELPs 
themselves (see section 3 of this introduction for an explanation of this), and also permits the 
user to identify areas of competence in the extended set of CEFR illustrative descriptors that 
have not yet been elaborated into young learner ELP descriptors, but feasibly could be.
3.
 
Scope and structure of the collated set of descriptors for young learners taken 
from ELPs 
3.1.
 
Objectives of the document 
With reference to the rationale given above, this collation serves the following functions:
i. 
Provision of a representative range of sample descriptors that may be drawn upon and 
adapted to context, with clear benchmarking to the CEFR reference levels by means of 
qualitative correspondence to the calibrated adult illustrative descriptors. 
ii. 
A ‘heat map’ of existing young learner portfolio descriptors that have such correspondence to 
the CEFR illustrative descriptors. 
iii. 
A qualitative evaluation of the relevance of each of the descriptors of the extended set to the 
broad age groups represented by the collated ELPs. 
iv. 
Through this evaluation, indication of the extent to which the extended CEFR illustrative 
descriptors are relevant to young learners, many of which may be under-represented in 
existing portfolio examples and could be newly adapted.
v.
A road map for educators to identify competences in the CEFR illustrative descriptors that 
may inform young learner syllabus learning objectives, as a consideration for life-long learning 
pathways. 
This collation is documented in 3 ways: 
i.