Teacher Discussion Forums

How long does it take to learn English? That’s the general question, now I’d like to refine it a little. I’d like an answer in hours – taking into account class time and time spent studying outside of class. For consistency’s sake, I would like only answers that apply to students who don’t have much opportunity to practice English in their daily lives, ruling out those learning in an English speaking country. Assume also that the school or method the student is using is a good one and that the student’s aptitude is average but his motivation is high. This last would rule out many children learners as they are often in compulsory situations.

Also a little definition on what it means to learn English. I would like answers to have reference to some recognized standard, such as A1 – C2 European Framework, the Cambridge tests or scores on TEOFL or EILTS (spelling?) or other standards that I’m not aware of. Levels should reflect students who have learned a wide range of skills, ie speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Obviously I’m looking for an average, but it would be great if the information was more detailed. Ideally someone knows of a bell curve somewhere with this information plotted on it. (y axis number of students, x axis number of hours spent to reach defined level.)

Another related fact I’d like is average number of known (passive or active) vocabulary words associated with different levels.

Why?

I'm planning a school.

If you Google your questions and choose the answers from other schools, you can put together your brochure or school policy.
There are many answers to "How long does it take to learn English?" and so on.

Here's what I found out so far, based on a handful of school websites, catalogues and the Cambridge website. The last seemed typical and most authoritive. Acording to Cambridge:

A2 KET 180-200
B1 PET 350-400
B2 FCE 500-600
C1 CAE 700-800
C2 CPE 1000-1200