The present study investigates the relationship between productive collocation knowledge and advanced levels on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale. More precisely, the potential progression between the B2 and C1 levels of the CEFR is studied through the development of a productive collocation test in second language (L2) French. The test targets frequent verb-noun collocations in written L2 French, identified using the database Les Voisins de "Le Monde." Three different pilot studies are presented, with both native speakers (NSs) and non-native speakers (NNSs) of French (with different first languages), for a total of 152 participants. The test is validated through a general proficiency test and through a test of reliability. The final testing session, carried out with 47 NNSs of French, yielded a test with a total of 30 items, which showed significantly different results for the B2 and the C1 levels. In addition to constituting a useful tool in language assessment, this study confirms the key place of productive collocation knowledge at high levels of L2 proficiency.