for more information
APPENDIX A
DESCRIPTION OF THE LEVELS
ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
Program Skills Meets 10 hrs./week Meets 5 hrs./wk Meets 5 hrs./wk
Focus shifts from Focus is on Focus is on
grammar in lower improving read- improving pro-
levels to writing in ing skills such nunciation, flu-
the higher levels. increasing ency, oral gram-
speed, learning mar, and listen-
vocabulary in ing comprehen-
context, finding sion. At increas-
main ideas, mak ingly higher lev-
ing inferences, els there is a
skimming and greater emphasis
scanning, sur- on formal oral
veying, and presentations
improving gen- plus listening to
eral compre- and taking notes
hension. on academic
lectures.
Level 1/2 Content of com- Has little abil- Has little control
Beginner/ position has little ity to predict over lexical items
False Beginner support. Organiza- reading con- or sentence-level
tion is sentence. tent. Reads texts utterances.
level or lower. with simple lex- Speech is slow
Has little control ical items and and contains
over lexical items syntactic struc- many errors in
needed for expres- tures. Has dif- pronunciation. Is
sion. Has many sen- ficulty finding able to compre-
tence-level gram- main ideas. hend only slow
mar and syntax Reads at a rate speech on simple
errors. Experiences slower than topics. Requires
difficulty knowing 100 words per numerous repiti-
where a sentence minute. tions to facilitae
ends. understanding.
Grammar/Writing Reading Oral Skills
Level 3 Content support is Reads a some- Has lexical con-
Low minimal. Organiza- what larger trol over only
Intermediate tion is no higher variety of texts simple items.
than sentence level. than Level 1 Produces utter-
Exhibits some lexical students. Has ances containing
control over familiar some ability to many errors in
items. Has many sen- understand more grammar, pro-
tence-level errors in difficult lexical nunciation and
grammar and syntax. items. Reads syntax; however,
Displays some prob- some sentences sentence length
lems in use of end containing and speed are
punctuation. Has clasue struc- much greater
frequent spelling tures. Has than those of
errors. improved abil- Level 1 students.
ilty to find main Has an under-
ideas. Has begun standing of a
to practice skim- wider range of
ming and scan- topics spoken at
ning. Reads greater speeds
100 to 200 words than Level 1
per minute. students.
Level 4 Is able to give Is able to read a Has lexical con-
Intermediate increased support variety of text trol over a wide
to ideas. Has con- types from range of topics.
trol of rhetorical charts, graphs, Makes some
form at paragraph and catalogs to errors in pro-
level. Sentences are elementary aca- nunciation,
simple, compound, demic topics. grammar, and
and complex. Has Has good ability syntax that
good control over to understand occasionally
familiar items and main ideas and obscure mean-
some academic topics. vocabulary in ing. Is able to
Exhibits sentence- context. Pre- give short, formal
level grammar dicts content reports on a vari-
errors that do not easily. Has ety of topics.
usually obscure added surveying Exhibits compre-
meaning. Has a few to reading skills. hension of simple
punctuation and Speed has academic lectures
spelling errors. increased to spoken at a nor-
beyond 200 mal speed.
words/minute.
Grammar/Writing Reading Oral Skills
Level 5 Has good support for Has advanced to Has the ability to
Low ideas. Understands reading more speak on simple
Advanced organization beyond academic text academic topics.
paragraph level and types. Has good Seldom produces
in a number of rhe- control of most errors in speech
torical modes. Has lexical items and that obscure
lexical control over has the added meaning. Is
many academic ability to recog- gaining control
topics. Exhibits only nize fact, infer- over idiomatic
occasional errors in ence, and value language. Rate of
grammar and judgement. speech and sen-
mechanics. Reading speed is tence length are
more like that of approaching
a slower first- native fluency.
language reader. Is able to listen to
and take notes on
most academic
topics.
Grammar/Writing Reading Oral Skills
Level 6 Demonstrates excel- Has the ability Has the ability to
Advanced lent support of to read and com- address academic
ideas. Is able to prehend diffi- topics with oral
write at essay level cult academic fluency
easily with good lex- texts containing approaching that
ical control of most demanding of a native
topics. Has only structure and speaker. Accent
infrequent errors and vocabulary. is only slightly
in grammar and Level of reading discernable. Is in
mechanics. Control is approaching good control of
of rhetorical modes that of first- idiomatic lan-
is significantly bet- language uni- gauge. Listens to
ter than that of versity students. and takes notes
a Level 4 students. Reading speed on difficult aca-
is equal to that demic lectures.
of a first-lan- Comprehension
guage reader. approaches that
of a native
speaker.
Business Translation | Legal Translation | Medical Translation | Software Localisation | Technical Translation | Website Localization