Literary Language Meets CEFR: How Mr. Chips Develops Upper-Intermediate Reading Competence in Pakistani Classrooms

Abstract

This paper explores the linguistic and pedagogical correspondence between Good-bye, Mr. Chips the mandatory Book IV of Grade 12 in the Punjab Curriculum in Pakistan and the Common European Framework of Reference to Languages (CEFR), in terms of what it can achieve as far as developing upper-intermediate (B2) reading proficiency in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. Through the mixed-method approach, which is descriptive, the study combines the lexical profiling, syntactic analysis, and the mapping of CEFR descriptors to determine the effectiveness of the novel in teaching CEFR-based instruction. The findings demonstrate a balanced linguistic structure: type-token ratio of 0.27 and lexical density of 59% reflects the controlled diversity and understandable input, whereas 83-88% coverage of high-frequency lexical means that the results would be accessible to B1-B2 learners. At the same time, the novel portrays a steady syntactic complexity that is determined by the mean length of the sentences 18 words and two clauses in each sentence, which can be attributed to the multi-layered sentence structure of B2 reading tasks. These characteristics are very close to the CEFR descriptors like the ability to comprehend a long piece of prose, to grasp the meaning based on the context, and to identify authorial style and attitude. The results put Good-bye, Mr. Chips at the pedagogical threshold stage that can enable both linguistic and affective development. The paper notes that instructional modifications supported by CEFR are necessary, such as pre-teaching of subordinate structures, contextual vocabulary scaffolding, and inferential reading tasks. Furthermore, it suggests the incorporation of CEFR standards at the policy level in the design of textbooks and teacher education in the Pakistani secondary school system. In general, the study confirms that Good-bye, Mr. Chips does not only preserve its cultural and literary significance but also provides empirically based possibilities as the CEFR-B2 aligned tool in promoting reading skills and the comparability of global languages in the EFL curriculum in Pakistan.