Language Courses | Levels

At Language Links, we plan our spoken language courses in English and in Hebrew according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) which provides a beneficial standardized scale for teaching, learning and assessing language skills in any language. The CEFR deals with REAL COMMUNICATIVE GOALS of "What I can do with the language in real life” and not only details the grammatical subjects or the number of hours to be taught in each level.

This updated approach allows both teacher and student to enjoy a quality language course in a more practical and "HANDS ON” orientation. We are leading an initiative to reform the teaching and language levels in Hebrew as a foreign language (HFL) to fit those of the CEFR in all that it entails: the general approach to language study, learning materials and the assessment of achievements in the learned language. And this for the sake of improving learning and assessment in HFL, by gradually moving towards a more modern, practical and updated curriculum.

The unified scale allows for more efficient evaluation of language achievement, enables a reliable comparison between language speakers, and is also useful in applying for places of work and study abroad. Each level is based on REAL communicative goals the language learner is supposed to be able to achieve upon completion of the courses building up to a level, far beyond knowledge of grammar or reading texts (from introducing myself and comparing prices in clothes stores, looking for- and moving to a new apartment and dealing with the authorities, to expressing positive and negative opinions during a debate dealing with political and social issues). For more details about the language goals in the various levels, press here.

All levels introduce an integration of communicative goals and spoken language with strengthening of the grammar and vocabulary, and enrichment in cultural issues by means of dialogs, pictures, film, songs, newspapers, stories etc. Each session calls for ongoing practice of all language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing, all spiraling upwards with each new level. In addition, in order to implement the material students conduct presentations according to their level and enjoy excursions in course-related topics.

When registering to a course you will undergo a short interview and a written placement test in order to find the right course level suitable for your needs. For your convenience please find below a table with current HFL levels typically used in Ulpans (Hebrew schools). As various Ulpans (University, private, Kibbutz, government funded) use different levels, we will help you in finding your real level in Hebrew. In English Bagrut courses, levels match those set out by the Ministry of Education.

AU = academic unit of 45 minutes.