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Have you ever wondered where to find real-life examples illustrating the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages?
The merlin project has been launched to address this need!
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has gained a leading role as an instrument of reference for the teaching and certification of languages and for the development of curricula. Practitioners, such as teachers, test developers, or textbook authors, are increasingly required to base their work on the levels of the CEFR. At the same time, there is a growing concern that the CEFR levels have not been sufficiently illustrated in real life, leaving practitioners without reliable information on observable language characteristics that distinguish and characterise levels.
To address this situation, the European Union has now funded the Multilingual Platform for the European Reference Levels: Interlanguage Exploration in Context — merlin in its Lifelong Learning Programme. merlin addresses the demand for real-life illustration of the CEFR levels for Czech, German, and Italian. The didactically grounded merlin web platform will enable users to explore written learner productions from standardised language tests which have been related to the CEFR in a methodologically sophisticated way.
A multifunctional web-based interface will make available a large number of A1-C1 level authentic learner texts in which users will be able to search for particular features of language relevant for practice, research, and intrinsic CEFR perspectives. merlin will allow practitioners to relate tests, curricula, and textbooks to the CEFR standards for German, Czech, and Italian.
merlin will provide for the first time immediate, versatile access to CEFR-related learner productions in context. The project will be of immediate relevance and use for anyone teaching, testing, or learning the three European target languages.
All resources and tools created by merlin will be made freely available through the merlin platform.
Project number:
518989-LLP -1-2011-1-DE-KA2-KA2MP
Project duration:
01.01.2012 - 31.12.2014
Partner contacts
Technical University Dresden (lead partner)
European Academy Bozen
Charles University Prague
telc Frankfurt/Main
Berufsförderungsinstitut Oberösterreich, Linz
Eberhard Karls University Tübingen
Associated partners
The European Centre for Modern Languages, Graz
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Prague