Abstract
Since its publication in 2001, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has gained a leading role as an instrument of reference for language teaching and certification and for the development of curricula (cf. CEFR 2001). At the same time, there is a growing concern about CEFR reference levels being insufficiently illustrated, leaving practitioners without comprehensive empirical characterizations of the relevant distinctions. This is particularly the case for languages other than English (cf. e.g. Hulstijn 2007, North 2000). The MERLIN project addresses this demand for the first time for Czech, German and Italian by developing a didactically motivated online platform that enables CEFR users to explore authentic written learner productions that have been related to the CEFR levels in a methodologically sophisticated and rigorous way.