Absolute Beginner – Novice Mid

0

· No ability at all

No Proficiency: Unable to function in the spoken language

No Proficiency: No practical understanding of the spoken language.

Novice High

0+

· Can use 50 words appropriately

Memorized Proficiency: Able to satisfy immediate needs using rehearsed utterances.

Memorized Proficiency:Sufficient comprehension to understand a number of memorized utterances in areas of immediate needs.

Intermediate Low-Mid

1

· Initiate and end conversation

· Order food from a menu

· Tell time, weekday and date

· Make purchases in a store

· Get directions

· Introduce yourself or someone else

· Exchange personal information

Elementary Proficiency: Able to satisfy minimum courtesy requirements and maintain very simple face-to-face conversations on familiar topics.

Elementary Proficiency:Sufficient comprehension to understand utterances about basic survival needs and minimum courtesy and travel requirements.

Intermediate High

1+

· All of the above plus 3 of the following

Elementary Proficiency, Plus: Can initiate and maintain predictable face-to-face conversations and satisfy limited social demands

Elementary Proficiency, Plus: Sufficient comprehension to understand short conversations about all survival needs and limited social demands

Advanced

2

· Discuss weather, you family and home

· Give a simple message over the phone

· Give a brief autobiography

· Pronunciation is always intelligible

· People understand you at least 80% of the time and you understand 80% of this level of conversation

Limited Working Proficiency: Able to satisfy routine social demands and limited work requirements.

Limited Working Proficiency: Sufficient comprehension to understand conversations on routine social demands and limited job requirements.

Advanced Plus

2+

· All of the above plus 3 of the following

Limited Working Proficiency, Plus: Able to satisfy most work requirements with language usage that is often, but not always, acceptable and effective.

Limited Working Proficiency, Plus: Sufficient comprehension to understand most routine social demands and most conversations on work requirements as well as some discussions on concrete topics related to particular interests and special fields of competence.

Superior

3

· Do not avoid grammatical features

· Complete any sentence

· Participate in a conversation between native speakers

· Understand information over the phone

· Take accurate notes from a speech or discussion

· Communicate clearly with a group on a professional subject

· Manage common blunders, surprises or emergencies

· Understand conversation between native speakers

· Could serve as an interpreter on any of the subjects at this level

· Carry out job responsibilities in the new language

General Professional Proficiency: Able to speak the language with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical, social, and professional topics.

General Professional Proficiency: Able to understand the essentials of all speech in a standard dialect including technical discussions within a special field.

3+

· All of the above plus 3 of the following

General Professional Proficiency, Plus: Is often able to use the language to satisfy professional needs in a wide range of sophisticated and demanding tasks.

General Professional Proficiency, Plus: Comprehends most of the content and intent of a variety of forms and styles of speech pertinent to professional needs, as well as general topics and social conversations.

Distinguished

4

· Practically never make grammatical mistakes

· Always understand native speakers talking to each other

· Understand jokes and puns

· Convey exact meaning in a professional context with sufficient vocabulary

· Significant understanding of target language culture

· Adjust speech for different situations

Advanced Professional Proficiency: Able to use to the language fluently and accurately on all levels normally pertinent to professional needs.

Advanced Professional Proficiency: Able to understand all forms and styles of speech pertinent to professional needs.

4+

· All of the above plus 3 of the following

Advanced Professional Proficiency, Plus: Speaking proficiency is regularly superior in all respects, usually equivalent to that of a well-educated, highly articulate native speaker.

Advanced Professional Proficiency, Plus: Increased ability to understand extremely difficult and abstract speech as well as ability to understand all forms of speech pertinent to professional needs, including social conversations.

Native

5

· Treated as an insider by native speakers

· Sometimes more at home in the target language

· Do mental math without slowing down

· Completely bilingual and bicultural

Functionally Native Proficiency: Speaking proficiency is functionally equivalent to that of a highly articulate, well-educated native speaker and reflects the cultural standards of the country where the language is natively spoken.

Functionally Native Proficiency: Comprehension equivalent to that of a the educated native listener