Oh, I think I get it!well no not really that either.
An Echelon change can only happen when a loremaster approves it.
What Im saying is that Echelon is just a ball-park estimate of a relatively arbitrary condition of overall prowess.
Basil may only be 4th Echelon. But hes still an incredible pyromagus. As such, he could very well whoop a 6th Echelon magus who focuses on Thaumaturgy.