SELF-ASSESSMENT OF SPEAKING PROFICIENCY

Yes

No

S-1

I can tell/ask someone how to get from here to a nearby hotel, restaurant, or post office.




I can order a simple meal.




I can arrange for a hotel room or taxi
ride.




I can buy a needed item such as bus or train ticket, groceries, or
clothing.




I can ask and answer simple questions about date and place of birth, nationality, marital status,
occupation, etc.




I can make social introductions and use greeting and leave-taking
expressions.



S-2

I can handle conversations about familiar topics in an organized way.




I can produce speech with some organization on familiar topics that extend beyond my daily routine.




I can describe my present or most recent job or activity in some detail.




I can give detailed information about my family, my house, and my
community.




I can interview an employee, or arrange for special services (taking care of details such as
salary, qualifications, hours, specific duties).




I can give a brief autobiography including immediate plans and hopes.




I feel confident that when I talk with native speakers on topics such as those mentioned above,
they understand me most of the time.




I can take and give simple messages over the telephone, or leave a message on voice mail.




I can describe in detail a person or place that is very familiar to me.




I can report the facts of what I have seen recently on television news or read in the newspaper.




I can talk about a trip or some other everyday event that happened in the recent past or that will
happen soon.



S-3

I feel that I have a professional command, rather than just a practical one, of the language.




There are few grammatical features of the language that I try to avoid.




I rarely find myself unable to finish a sentence because of linguistic limitations (grammar or
vocabulary).




I find it easy to follow and contribute to a conversation among native speakers.




I can speak to a group of educated native speakers on a professional subject and be sure I am
communicating what I want to, without obviously irritating them linguistically.




I can, on a social occasion, defend personal opinions about social and cultural topics.




I can cope with difficult situations such as broken-down plumbing, an undeserved traffic ticket, or
a serious social or diplomatic blunder made by a colleague or me.




I can use the language to speculate at length about abstract topics such as how some change in
history or the course of human events would have affected my life or civilization.




In professional discussions, my vocabulary is extensive and precise enough to enable me to convey
my exact meaning.




I am able to adjust my speech to suit my audience, whether I am talking to university professors,
close friends, employees, or others.




S-4

I consistently use the language in a sophisticated and nuanced way to effectively communicate with
great precision.





I practically never make a grammatical mistake.





I can carry out any job assignment as effectively as if in my native language.





I can persuade someone effectively to take a course of action in a sensitive situation such as to
improve his/her health, reverse a decision or establish a policy.





I can prepare and give a lecture at a professional meeting about my area of specialization and
debate complex aspects with others.





I naturally integrate appropriate cultural and historical references in my speech.





I can eloquently represent a point of view other than my own.





I can lead the direction of the discussion (friendly, controversial, collaborative).




S-5

My language proficiency is functionally equivalent to that of a highly articulate well-educated
native speaker and reflects the cultural standards of a country where the language is natively
spoken.





I can use the language with complete flexibility and intuition, so that speech on all levels is
fully accepted by well-educated native speakers in all of its features, including breadth of
vocabulary and idiom, colloquialisms, and pertinent cultural references.





My pronunciation is typically consistent with that of well-educated, highly articulate native
speakers of a standard dialect.





My vocabulary is extensive and precise, allowing me to consistently convey complex ideas and
details.




 SELF-ASSESSMENT OF LISTENING PROFICIENCY

Yes

No

L1

In everyday conversation with people speaking the standard dialect, I can understand speech that is
slow and clear.



I can understand basic directions and instructions, such as how to get to a local store.



I can understand questions and answers about basic survival needs, such as meals, lodging,
transportation and time.



I can understand routine questions about my job, my immediate family and myself.



I can understand simple statements about a person’s background and occupation.
If I cannot understand what a speaker tells me, I can understand the statement after it has been
repeated or rephrased slowly and clearly.



L2

When people are speaking the standard dialect at a normal rate, I can understand their speech when
it is spoken with some repetition and rephrasing, can understand speech about everyday topics, for
example common personal and family news, well-known current events, and routine situations at work.



I can understand spoken descriptions of different places, for instance the geography of a country
or location that is familiar.



I can understand uncomplicated stories about current, past and future events.



I can understand at least some details from announcements made over a loudspeaker.



I can usually understand the main idea and basic facts from a short news report on the radio or
television.



L3

I can accurately follow all conversations among native speakers who are speaking at a normal rate
of speech.



I rarely, if ever, have to ask speakers to paraphrase or explain what they have said.



I can correctly infer meanings that are not directly stated.



I can understand discussions of ideas and concepts, including proposals and speculation.



I can understand someone’s opinion and the points used to support the opinion.



I can often, if not always, detect the attitudes and feelings of a speaker.



I can understand speech in a professional setting concerning my field of expertise or some
technical subjects, such as a lecture or a panel discussion.



L4

I can understand almost all forms and styles of speech pertinent to professional needs.



I can fully understand all speech that involves the use of extensive and precise vocabulary,
including subtle distinctions between word choices.



I can follow arguments with unpredictable presentation, for example, in informal and formal
speeches covering editorial and literary material.



I can understand language adjusted for different audiences and for different purposes.



I can readily and accurately infer meanings and implications.



I am able to understand the main ideas of speech in some non-standard dialects.



I can fully understand spoken interactions among native speakers at public gatherings, such as
meetings, seminars, task groups or conferences.



I can fully understand a speech, oral report or briefing given to a group of native speakers
concerning any topic directed to a general audience.



L5

My comprehension is fully equivalent to that of a well-educated native listener.



I can fully understand all forms and styles of speech.  This includes slang, jokes and puns.



I can understand speech even when it is distorted by other noise.



I can fully understand regional dialects, highly colloquial and idiomatic language.



SELF-ASSESSMENT OF READING PROFICIENCY

Yes

No

R-0+

As appropriate for the language, I can recognize and identify all the letters in the printed
version of an alphabetic writing system (in languages like English, Spanish, Finnish, Russian,
Greek, Vietnamese) or the elements of a syllable-based writing system (such as in Japanese kana,
Korean hangul, Hebrew, Arabic, Amharic, Thai, or Hindi) or some commonly occurring characters in a
character system (Chinese, Japanese kanji, Korean hanja.)



R-0+

I can read some isolated words and phrases, such as numbers and commonplace names, that I see on
signs, menus, and storefronts, and in simple everyday material such as advertisements and
timetables.



R-1

I can understand the purpose and main meaning of very short, simple texts, such as in printed
personal notes, business advertisements, public announcements, maps, etc.



R-1

I can understand simple instructions, such as in very straightforward street directions.



R-1

I can understand very short simple written descriptions of some familiar persons, places, and
things, like those found in many tourist pamphlets.



R-2

I can understand texts that consist mainly of straightforward factual language, such as short news
reports of events, biographical information, descriptions, or simple technical material.



R-2

I can understand the main idea and some details of clearly organized short straightforward texts
about places, people, and events that I am familiar with.



R-2

I can understand very straightforward reports about current and past events.



R-2

I can understand simple typed correspondence in familiar contexts, including descriptions of
events, feelings, wishes and future plans.



R-2

I can usually understand the main ideas of authentic prose on topics I am familiar with, either
because they pertain to my work experience or to topics I am interested in.



R-3

I can usually read and understand all of the material in a major daily newspaper published in a
city or country with which I am familiar.



R-3

In reading a newspaper or magazine that contains editorial or opinion content, I can “read between
the lines” and understand meanings that are not directly stated.



R-3

I can understand the author’s intent and follow the line of reasoning in texts that include
hypothesis, persuasion, supported opinion or argument for a position (e.g., editorials, debates,
and op-ed pieces) with little or no use of a dictionary.



R-3

I can understand contemporary expository essays and recent literary prose with little or no use of
a dictionary,.



R-3

I can understand the main ideas and important details of almost all material written within my
particular professional field or area of primary interest (e.g., reports, analyses, letters,
arguments, etc.).



R-4

I am able to read fluently and accurately all styles and forms of the language pertinent to
professional needs or personal interest without reference to a dictionary,.



R-4

I can understand long and complex analyses, factual reports, and literary texts.



R-4

I can understand both the meaning and the intent of most uses of idioms, cultural references, word
play, sarcasm, and irony in even highly abstract and culturally “loaded” texts.



R-4

I can understand language that has been especially adjusted for different situations, audiences or
purposes, such as a political essay, humorous anecdote or joke, sermon, or inflammatory broadside,
and I can appreciate distinctions in style.



R-4

I can read virtually all forms of the written language, including abstract, linguistically complex
texts such as specialized articles, essays and literary works, including prose works from earlier
periods recognized as masterpieces.



R-4

I can read reasonably legible handwriting without difficulty