Sorry if this is the wrong place, what are the A1 B3 C levels about which people talk?

[ironfist]

Is there a test to see how good you are at a language?

[Serpent]

There's no B3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Eu ... _Languages

[lavengro]

....what are the A1 B3 C levels about which people talk?

A1 is the highest rating an English speaker can realistically achieve in Icelandic, and that only with years of sweat equity. As Serpent indicates, there is no B3. As far as my language learning abilities are concerned, C levels are equally imaginary.

[PeterMollenburg]

....what are the A1 B3 C levels about which people talk?

A1 is the highest rating an English speaker can realistically achieve in Icelandic, and that only with years of sweat equity. As Serpent indicates, there is no B3. As far as my language learning abilities are concerned, C levels are equally imaginary.

Ummm, your post makes little sense to me. C2 is the highest level. Perhaps you were joking, but I remain confused.

Edit:

Is there a test to see how good you are at a language?

There are tests. I know they exist for French, German, Spanish and Dutch, as these are languages I’m particularly interested in, and I’ve sat two in French already. (Here’s a link on the French tests I found just now explaining the levels: http://www.delfdalf.fr/index-en.html). I’m almost certain tests would exist for most European languages, but unsure as to what goes on with non European languages.

[Serpent]

AFAIU there are official tests in all EU languages, usually taken at set dates for a fee (can be paid by employer etc).
Outside the EU the tests are not necessarily developed with CEFR in mind, even if there's an official way to convert the scale to CEFR.

[garyb]

It's worth mentioning that there are various online tests to evaluate your level but they're not at all accurate and usually overestimate as they're often based on a "correlation is causation" idea that if you recognise a few cherry-picked words and grammar points typical of a certain level then you must be at that level. "Dialang" is considered one of the better ones, but just in the sense of best of a bad lot and you shouldn't take its results too seriously. The only real tests are the official exams.

[Cavesa]

There's no B3

I wish there was. The journey from B2 to C1 feels too long sometimes

[iguanamon]

First, welcome to the forum, ironfist. All joking aside, the CEFR levels that Serpent linked to are one of the ways we measure abilities in another language. They are not perfect and they are flawed but it's one of the best ways we have to determine our levels.

As has been stated, there are tests for most major languages available for certification. Certification tests are not given online, so there may be considerable expense and travel involved if you don't live in or near a major city. Online tests, also flawed and imperfect are available but they are not certifications. Many people here, if not most, self-evaluate using the CEFR criteria.

[Axon]

And how do people do this kind of self-evaluation?

They might take an online placement exam like the aforementioned Dialang or at the ECML. They might also read up on the detailed explanations of CEFR levels.

For example, I've never taken any exams. Based on the descriptions and from having a look at sample exams, at the moment I think I could maybe pass a C1 exam so I would say my German is "around C1." I passed a B2 course in Indonesian but was never officially evaluated, and I personally think I don't meet all the B2 requirements. So I would say my Indonesian is a "high B1." And so on.

[Xenops]

....what are the A1 B3 C levels about which people talk?

A1 is the highest rating an English speaker can realistically achieve in Icelandic, and that only with years of sweat equity. As Serpent indicates, there is no B3. As far as my language learning abilities are concerned, C levels are equally imaginary.

Ummm, your post makes little sense to me. C2 is the highest level. Perhaps you were joking, but I remain confused.

I think he (she?) is being facetious.