There are various guides that have attempted to compare the CEFR to the National Standards for Adult Literacy (on which the ESOL Skills for Life qualifications are based) and the NQF/QCF levels more generally - eg http://rwp.excellencegateway.org.uk/resource/Pathways+to+Proficiency%3A+the+alignment+of+language+proficiency+scales+for+assessing+competence+in+English+language+Proficiency/pdf/.
There isn't an exact fit between the CEFR and the Adult Literacy standards, although A1 is generally seen to be comparable with the literacy standard at Entry 1, A2 with Entry 2, B1 with Entry 3, B2 with Level 1 and C1 with Level 2. That's not quite the same as saying the NQF levels are 'equivalent', since different NQF/QCF qualifications will have different purposes and coverage (eg the Adult Literacy standards are not specifically written for second/additional language users) so these comparisons don't necessarily hold true for ESOL International qualifications on the NQF.
The phasing out of Key Skills and introduction of Functional Skills isn't particularly relevant here - whilst both of these qualifications suites have their own standards and spheres of coverage, they're both broadly in line with the Adult Literacy/Numeracy standards (which in turn is aligned with the National Curriculum).
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