Developer English guide
CEFR for Developers: Which English Level Do You Need for Your Tech Career?
CEFR is the international standard for measuring English ability. But what do A1, B2, or C1 actually mean for a developer's day-to-day work? Here is the practical answer.
CEFR levels in 30 seconds
CEFR has six levels: A1 and A2 (beginner), B1 and B2 (intermediate), C1 and C2 (advanced). Each level defines what you can do with the language, not just what grammar you know.
See the full breakdown of what each level covers for developers →
Which level do you need?
There is no single answer, but here is a realistic map based on common career situations for software developers:
Remote job at a local or regional company
Minimum level: B1You will communicate with your team mostly in writing: Slack, pull requests, Jira tickets. B1 is enough to write clear messages and understand technical documentation. Speaking is occasional, so gaps are less visible.
International team (daily spoken English)
Minimum level: B2Standups, code review discussions, sprint retrospectives, and 1:1s happen in English every day. At B2, you can participate actively, express opinions, and handle most situations without major effort. B1 will work but you will frequently feel limited.
FAANG / Big Tech (US or UK company)
Minimum level: B2+Beyond daily communication, you will need to present to stakeholders, lead technical discussions, and write documents that reach dozens of engineers. Strong B2 gets you through the door. C1 is where it becomes comfortable.
Open source contributions
Minimum level: B1Most open source collaboration is written: issues, pull requests, and review comments. B1 is functional here. The quality of your code matters far more than your grammar.
Conference talks
Minimum level: C1Preparing a 30-minute talk, handling live questions, and networking with international attendees comfortably requires C1. At B2 you can do it, but it will take significantly more preparation.
How to find your current level
You can take the Lingua-e level test for free. It covers reading comprehension and vocabulary in real developer contexts: pull request comments, standup phrases, and technical documentation. It takes about 10 minutes.
Take the free level test →How to improve from A1
If you are at A1 or A2, the most effective path is structured practice on developer-specific content. Abstract grammar exercises will not move you as fast as practicing the exact sentences, patterns, and vocabulary you will use in your actual work.
Start free A1 English lessons for developers →Ready to practice your English at work?
Lingua-e has interactive exercises built around real developer conversations: standups, code reviews, retrospectives, and more. Practice until it comes naturally.
Try Lingua-e for free
Written by
Roxana LafuenteLingua-e's founder
Roxana Lafuente is a software engineer with 8+ years of experience. At the beginning of her career, even though she had already passed the First Certificate in English, she still froze every time she had to speak up in the daily standup. That was a gap nobody was fixing. After 2,000+ standups, she figured out what actually builds fluency: practice that looks like your real work. She built Lingua-e so other developers wouldn't have to take the long road to feel confident working in an international development environment.