Understanding / listening

• can understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to areas of most immediate personal relevance

• can catch the main point in short, clear, simple messages and announcements

Reading

• can read very short, simple texts can find predictable information in simple everyday material

• can understand short, simple personal letters

Speaking

• can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar topics and activities

• can handle very short social exchanges but may need support

Spoken production

• can use a series of phrases and sentences to describe in simple terms on familiar and personal areas

Writing

• can write short, simple notes, messages and personal letters

• topics that are familiar, or of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life

Understanding / listening

• can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school leisure, etc.

• can understand the main point of many broadcasts on topics of personal or professional interest delivered slowly and clearly

Reading

• can understand texts that consist of high frequency everyday or job-related language

• can understand the description of events, feelings and wishes in personal letters

Speaking

• can deal with most situations likely to arise when travelling in an area where the language is spoken

• can enter unprepared into a conversation on topics that are familiar, or of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life

Spoken production

• can connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe experiences and events, hopes and ambitions

• can briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans

• can narrate a story or relate the plot of a book or film and describe reactions

Writing

• can write simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest

• can write personal letters describing experiences and impressions

Understanding / listening

• can understand extended speech and lectures and follow even complex lines of argument provided the topic is reasonably familiar

• can understand most radio, TV programmes and films without too much effort unless the accent is strong and unfamiliar

Reading

• can read articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems in which the writers adopt particular attitudes or viewpoints

• can understand contemporary literary prose and some specialised texts

Speaking

• can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible

• can take active part in discussion in familiar contexts, accounting for and sustaining views held

Spoken production

• can present clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects related to fields of interest

• can explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options

Writing

• can write clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects related to interests

• can write an essay or report passing on information or giving reasons in support of or against a particular point of view

• can write letters highlighting the significance of events and experiences

Understanding / listening

• can understand extended speech even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signaled explicitly

• can understand television programmes and films without too much effort

Reading

• can understand long and complex factual and literary texts, appreciating distinction of style

• can understand specialised articles and longer technical instructions, even when they do not relate to a known field

Speaking

• can speak fluently and spontaneously without much searching for expressions

• can use language flexibly and effectively for social and professional purposes

• can formulate ideas and opinions with precision and relate contributions skilfully to those of other speakers

Spoken production

• can present clear, detailed descriptions of complex subjects, developing points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion

Writing

• can write clear, well-structured text, expressing points of view at some length

• can write about complex subjects in letters, essays, and reports stressing ideas

• can select style appropriate to target reader

Understanding/ Listening

• can understand without difficulty any kind of spoken language, whether live or broadcast, even when delivered at fast native speed

Reading

• can read with ease virtually all forms of written language, including abstract, structurally or linguistically complex texts

Speaking

• can take part effortlessly in any conversation or discussion and have a good familiarity with idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms

• can speak fluently and convey finer shades of meaning precisely

• can backtrack and restructure around any difficulty so smoothly that other people are hardly aware of it

Spoken production

• can present a clear, smooth-flowing description or argument in a style appropriate to the context and with an effective logical structure

Writing

• can write clear, smooth-flowing text in an appropriate style

• can write complex letters, reports or articles which present a case with an effective logical structure

• can write summaries, and reviews of professional and literary works