• Learner can participate with some effort in routine social conversations and can talk about needs and familiar topics of personal relevance.

• Can use a variety of simple structures and some complex ones, with occasional reductions.

• Grammar and pronunciation errors are frequent and sometimes impede communication.

• Can demonstrate a range of common everyday vocabulary and a limited number of idioms. May avoid topics with unfamiliar vocabulary.

• Can demonstrate discourse that is connected (and, but, first, next, then, because) and reasonably fluent, but hesitations and pauses are frequent.

• Can use the phone to communicate simple personal information; communication without the visual support is still very difficult.

• Learner can communicate with some confidence in casual social conversations and in some less routine situations on familiar topics of personal relevance.

• Can communicate facts and ideas in some detail: can describe, report and provide a simple narration.

• Can use a variety of structures with some omission/reduction of elements (e.g. articles, past tense).

• Grammar and pronunciation errors are frequent and may sometimes impede communication.

• Can demonstrate a range of everyday vocabulary, some common phrases and idioms.

• Can demonstrate discourse that is reasonably fluent, with frequent normal hesitations.

• Learner can communicate comfortably in most common daily situations.

• Can participate in formal and informal conversations, involving problem solving and decision making.

• Can speak on familiar concrete topics at a descriptive level (five to 10 minutes). Can present a detailed analysis or comparison.

• Can use a variety of sentence structures (including compound and complex sentences) and an expanded inventory of concrete and common idiomatic language.

• Grammar and pronunciation errors are still frequent, but rarely impede communication. Discourse is reasonably fluent, with frequent self-corrections and/or rephrasing.

• Learner can take part in short routine conversations.

• Can communicate basic needs, can ask and respond to simple familiar questions, can describe a situation, or tell a simple story.

• Uses a variety of short sentences.

• Demonstrates control of basic grammar; uses correct past tense with common verbs.

• Demonstrates adequate vocabulary for basic routine everyday communication.

• Clear evidence of connected discourse (and, but, first, next, then, because).

• Pronunciation difficulties may impede communication. Needs only a little assistance.

• Learner can speak very little, responding to basic questions about personal information.

• Speaks in isolated words or strings of two to three words.

• Demonstrates almost no control of basic grammar structures and tenses.

• Demonstrates very limited vocabulary.

• No evidence of connected discourse.

• Makes long pauses, often repeats the words spoken. Depends on gestures.

• May switch to first language at times.

• Pronunciation difficulties may significantly impede communication.

• Learner can communicate in a limited way some immediate and personal needs.

• Asks and responds to simple, routine, predictable questions about personal information.

• Demonstrates little control of basic grammar structures and tenses.

• Demonstrates limited vocabulary and a few simple phrases.

• No evidence of connected discourse.

• Makes long pauses and depends on gestures in expressing meaning.

• Pronunciation difficulties may significantly impede communication.

• Learner can communicate with some difficulty basic needs in informal conversations.

• Asks and responds to simple familiar questions, including WH questions, uses single words and short sentences.

• Demonstrates some control of very basic grammar (basic structures and tenses). Many structures are "reduced."

• Uses basic time expressions (e.g. yesterday); the correct past tense is used only with some common verbs.

• Demonstrates use of vocabulary, which is still somewhat limited.

• Evidence of some connected discourse (and, but).

• Pronunciation difficulties may often impede communication.

• Learner can communicate effectively in most daily practical and social situations, and in familiar routine work situations.

• Can participate in conversations with confidence.

• Can speak on familiar topics at both concrete and abstract levels (10 to 15 minutes).

• Can provide descriptions, opinions and explanations; can synthesize abstract complex ideas; can hypothesize.

• In social interaction, demonstrates an increased ability to respond appropriately to the formality level of the situation.

• Can use a variety of sentence structures, including embedded/report structures, and an expanded inventory of concrete, idiomatic and conceptual language.

• Grammar and pronunciation errors rarely impede communication.

• Is reasonably fluent in discourse.

• Learner can independently, through oral discourse, obtain, provide and exchange key information for important tasks (work, academic, personal) in complex routine and a few non-routine situations in some demanding contexts of language use.

• Can actively and effectively participate in 30-minute formal exchanges about complex, abstract, conceptual and detailed information and ideas to analyse, problem-solve and make decisions.

• Can make 15- to 30-minute prepared formal presentations.

• Can interact to coordinate tasks with others, to advise or persuade (e.g. to sell or recommend a product or service), to reassure others and to deal with complaints in one-on-one situations.

• Grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation errors very rarely impede communication.

• Learner can, through oral discourse, obtain, exchange and present information, ideas and opinions for important tasks (work, academic, personal) in complex routine and some non-routine situations in many demanding contexts of language use.

• Can actively participate in formal meetings, interviews or seminars about complex, abstract, conceptual and detailed topics.

• Can lead routine meetings and manage interaction in a small familiar cooperating group.

• Can make 20- to 40-minute prepared formal presentations.

• Can communicate to present and analyse information and ideas, to argue a point, to problem-solve and to make decisions, to advise/inform or persuade, to give complex directions and instructions, and to socialize/entertain in a formal one-on-one business situation.

• Grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation errors very rarely impede communication.

• Learner can, through oral discourse, obtain, exchange and present information, ideas and opinions for complex tasks (work, academic, personal).

• Can satisfy many social, academic or work-related expectations for competent communication.

• Can contribute to extended authentic exchanges (over 60 minutes) about complex, abstract, conceptual and detailed topics, in large formal and unfamiliar groups.

• Can lead routine meetings and manage interaction in large familiar and cooperative groups, and deliver prepared presentations.

• Can skillfully communicate to persuade, to provide basic counseling (e.g. about products, services, programs), to assess needs or evaluate detailed or complex information in a one-on-one routine situation.

• Grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation errors do not impede communication.

• Learner can create and co-create oral discourse, formal and informal, general or technical, in own field of study or work, in a broad range of complex situations.

• Satisfy most academic and work-related expectations for competent communication.

• Can deliver public presentations to audiences.

• Can lead formal group discussions, meetings and workshops.

• Can communicate to explain complex ideas to diverse groups, to debate arguments on complex matters, to teach, negotiate and resolve conflict in a variety of situations.

• Discourse is fluent and with native-like idiomaticity.

• Uses language that is complex, accurate and flexible in the manipulation of structure of the information in clauses to express emphasis, comment, attitude.