English levels · Advanced
C2 English level: what it means
C2 is the highest level on the A1 to C2 scale (CEFR), often called mastery or proficiency. At C2 you understand virtually everything you hear or read, and express yourself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, catching fine shades of meaning. It's close to an educated native speaker, though it doesn't mean perfect.
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What you can do at C2
- Understand virtually everything you hear or read, with ease
- Follow any conversation, film or lecture, including slang, regional accents and wordplay
- Express fine shades of meaning precisely, even on complex subjects
- Summarise and rebuild arguments from several spoken and written sources
- Write complex reports and articles in a style that suits the reader
- Recover from a mistake so smoothly that people barely notice
What C2 English looks like
Sentences you can say and understand
- Far from settling the matter, the report has only muddied the waters.
- I wouldn't go so far as to call it a failure, but it fell short of expectations.
- Little did they know that the deal was already off the table.
- Be that as it may, we can't afford to drag our feet any longer.
Words you know
- notwithstanding
- quintessential
- to all intents and purposes
- ubiquitous
- exacerbate
- a far cry from
- tentatively
- conducive
- by the same token
- muddy the waters
Grammar you use
- Every structure used naturally and accurately, with very few mistakes
- Advanced inversion (Little did they know…, Not only… but also…)
- Formal structures and the subjunctive (It's essential that he be…)
- Ellipsis and substitution for natural flow
- Moving between formal, neutral and casual registers
C2 compared with English exams
Official exams report their scores on the same A1 to C2 scale. These are the score ranges the exam boards publish for C2.
| Exam | Score at C2 |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 8.5 to 9.0 |
| TOEFL iBT | Not measured: the top of the scale is C1 (95 to 120) |
| Cambridge English | C2 Proficiency (CPE), 200 to 230 |
Staying at C2
There's no level above C2, but language you don't use fades. Keeping C2 is about staying surrounded by rich English and stretching yourself in the areas you use less, like a specialist field or a different register.
- 1
Read and listen to demanding material in fields outside your own
- 2
Write for an audience: articles, reports, presentations
- 3
Keep a list of the rare words and idioms you meet, and review them
Questions about C2
Close, but not the same. C2 describes an educated user who understands virtually everything and expresses themselves precisely. Many native speakers wouldn't pass a C2 exam, and many C2 speakers keep an accent.
Yes. It usually takes years of living, working or studying in English. Most learners who need English for work or university stop at B2 or C1, which is enough for nearly everything.
Cambridge English estimates around 1,000 to 1,200 hours of guided study from zero, and in practice a lot of real-world use on top of that.
IELTS maps C2 to band scores 8.5 to 9.0. On the Cambridge English Scale, C2 is 200 to 230, the range of C2 Proficiency.
Take our free English level test: 20 questions in about 5 minutes, with your estimated level from A1 to C2 straight away. For an official certificate, you need a recognised exam such as Cambridge C2 Proficiency.
Are you really C2?
Find out in 5 minutes with our free English level test.