A1 Listening
1. I can understand when someone speaks very slowly to me and articulates carefully, with long pauses for
me to assimilate meaning.
2. I can understand simple directions about how to get from X to Y, on foot or by public transport.
3. I can understand questions and instructions addressed carefully and slowly to me and follow short, simple
directions.
4. I can understand numbers, prices and times.
A1 Reading
5. I can understand information about people (place of residence, age etc.) in newspapers.
6. I can locate a concert or a film on calendars of public events or posters and identify where it takes place
and at what time it starts.
7. I can understand a questionnaire (entry permit form, hotel registration form) well enough to give the most
important information about myself (name, surname, date of birth, nationality).
8. I can understand words and phrases on signs encountered in everyday life (for instance “station”, “car
park”, “no parking”, “no smoking”, “keep left”).
9. I can understand the most important orders in a computer programme such as “PRINT”, “SAVE”, “COPY”
etc.
10. I can understand short simple messages on postcards, for example holiday greetings.
11. In everyday situations I can understand simple messages written by friends or colleagues, for example
“back at 4 o’clock”.
A1 Spoken Interaction
12. I can introduce somebody and use basic greetings and leave-taking expressions.
13. I can ask and answer simple questions, initiate and respond to simple statements in areas of immediate
need or on very familiar topics.
14. I can make myself understood in a simple way but I am dependant on my partner being prepared to repeat
more slowly and rephrase what I say and to help me say what I want.
15. I can make simple purchases where pointing or other gestures can support what I say.
16. I can handle numbers, quantities, cost and time.
17. I can ask people for things and give people things.
18. I can ask people questions about where they live, people they know, things they have etc. and answer
such questions addressed to me provided they are articulated slowly and clearly.
19. I can indicate time by such phrases as “next week”, “last Friday”, “in November”, “three o’clock”.
A1 Spoken Production
20. I can give personal information (address, telephone number, nationality, age, family, and hobbies).
21. I can describe where I live.
A1 Strategies
22. I can say when I don’t understand.
23. I can very simply ask somebody to repeat what they said.
A1 Writing
24. I can fill in a questionnaire with my personal details (job, age, address, hobbies).
25. I can write a greeting card, for instance a birthday card.
26. I can write a simple postcard (for example with holiday greetings).
27. I can write a note to tell somebody where I am or where we are to meet.
28. I can write sentences and simple phrases about myself, for example where I live and what I do.
A2 Listening
1. I can understand what is said clearly, slowly and directly to me in simple everyday conversation; it is possible to make me understand, if the speaker can take the trouble.
2. I can generally identify the topic of discussion around me when people speak slowly and clearly.
3. I can understand phrases, words and expressions related to areas of most immediate priority (e.g very basic personal and family information, shopping, local area, employment).
4. I can catch the main point in short, clear, simple messages and announcements.
5. I can understand the essential information in short recorded passages dealing with predictable everyday matters which are spoken slowly and clearly.
6. I can identify the main point of TV news items reporting events, accidents etc. when the visual supports the commentary.
A2 Reading
7. I can identify important information in news summaries or simple newspaper articles in which numbers and names play an important role and which are clearly structured and illustrated.
8. I can understand a simple personal letter in which the writer tells or asks me about aspects of everyday life.
9. I can understand simple written messages from friends or colleagues, for example saying when we should meet to play football or asking me to be at work early.
10. I can find the most important information on leisure time activities, exhibitions etc. in information leaflets.
11. I can skim small advertisements in newspapers, locate the heading or column I want and identify the most important pieces of information (price and size of apartments, cars, computers).
12. I can understand simple user’s instructions for equipment (for example, a public telephone).
13. I can understand feedback messages or simple help indications in computer programmes.
14. I can understand short narratives about everyday things dealing with topics which are familiar to me if the text is written in simple language.
A2 Spoken Interaction
15. I can make simple transactions in shops, post offices or banks.
16. I can use public transport: buses, trains, and taxis, ask for basic information and buy tickets.
17. I can get simple information about travel.
18. I can order something to eat or drink.
19. I can make simple purchases by stating what I want and asking the price.
20. I can ask for and give directions referring to a map or plan.
21. I can ask how people are and react to news.
22. I can make and respond to invitations.
23. I can make and accept apologies.
24. I can say what I like and dislike.
25. I can discuss with other people what to do, where to go, and make arrangements to meet.
26. I can ask people questions about what they do at work and in free time, and answer such questions addressed to me.
A2 Spoken Production
27. I can describe myself, my family and other people.
28. I can describe where I live.
29. I can give short, basic descriptions of events.
30. I can describe my educational background, my present or most recent job.
31. I can describe my hobbies and interests in a simple way.
32. I can describe past experiences and personal experiences (e.g. the last weekend, my last holiday).
A2 Strategies
33. I can ask for attention.
34. I can indicate when I am following.
35. I can very simply ask someone to repeat what they said.
A2 Language Quality
36. I can make myself understood using memorised phrases and single expressions.
37. I can link groups of words with simple connectors like “and”, “but” and “because”.
38. I can use some simple structures correctly.
39. I have a sufficient vocabulary for coping with simple everyday situations.
A2 Writing
40. I can write short, simple notes and messages.
41. I can describe an event in simple sentences and report what happened when and where (for example a party or an accident).
42. I can write about aspects of my everyday life in simple phrases and sentences (people, places, job, school, family, hobbies).
43. I can fill in a questionnaire giving an account of my educational background, my job, my interests and my specific skills.
44. I can briefly introduce myself in a letter with simple phrases and sentences (family, school, job, hobbies).
45. I can write a short letter using simple expressions for greeting, addressing, asking or thanking somebody.
46. I can write simple sentences, connecting them with words such as “and”, “but”, “because”.
47. I can use the most important connecting words to indicate the chronological order of events (first, then, after, later).
B1 Listening
1. I can follow clearly articulated speech directed at me in everyday conversation, though sometimes I have to ask for repetition of particular words or phrases.
2. I can generally follow the main points of extended discussion around me, provided speech is clearly articulated in standard dialect.
3. I can listen to a short narrative and form hypotheses about what will happen next.
4. I can understand the main points of radio news bulletins and simpler recorded material on topics of personal interest delivered relatively slowly and clearly.
5. I can catch the main points in TV programmes on familiar topics when the delivery is relatively slow and clear.
6. I can understand simple technical information, such as operating instructions for everyday equipment.
B1 Reading
7. I can understand the main points in newspaper articles about current and familiar topics.
8. I can read columns or interviews in newspapers and magazines in which someone takes a stand on a current topic or event and understand the overall meaning of the text.
9. I can guess the meaning of single unknown words from the context thus deducing the meaning of expressions if the topic is familiar.
10. I can skim short texts (for example news summaries) and find relevant facts and information (who has done what and where).
11. I can understand the most important information in short simple everyday information brochures.
12. I can understand simple messages and standard letters (for example from businesses, clubs or authorities.)
13. In private letters I can understand those parts dealing with events, feelings and wishes well enough to correspond regularly with a pen friend.
14. I can understand the plot of a clearly structured story and recognise what the most important episodes and events are and what is significant about them.
B1 Spoken Interaction
15. I can start, maintain and close simple face to face conversation on topics that are familiar or of personal interest.
16. I can maintain a conversation or discussion but may sometimes be difficult to follow when trying to say exactly what I would like to.
17. I can deal with most situations likely to arise when making travel arrangements through an agent or when actually travelling.
18. I can ask for and follow detailed directions.
19. I can express and respond to feelings such as surprise, happiness, sadness, interest and indifference.
20. I can give or seek personal views and opinions in an informal discussion with friends.
21. I can agree and disagree politely.
B1 Spoken Production
22. I can narrate a story
23. I can give detailed accounts of experiences, describing feelings and reactions.
24. I can describe dreams, hopes and ambitions.
25. I can explain and give reasons for my plans, intentions and actions.
26. I can relate the plot of a book or film and describe my reactions.
27. I can paraphrase short written passages orally in a simple fashion, using the original text wording and ordering.
B1 Strategies
28. I can repeat back part of what someone has said to confirm that we understand each other.
29. I can ask someone to clarify or elaborate what they have just said.
30. When I can’t think of the word I want, I can use a simple word meaning something similar and invite “correction”.
B1 Language Quality
31. I can keep a conversation going comprehensibly, but have to pause to plan and correct what I am saying – especially when I talk freely for longer periods.
32. I can convey simple information of immediate relevance, getting across which point I feel is most relevant.
33. I have sufficient vocabulary to express myself with some circumlocutions on most topics pertinent to my everyday life such as family, hobbies and interests, work, travel, and current events.
34. I can express myself reasonably accurately in familiar, predictable situations.
B1 Writing
35. I can write simple connected texts on a range of topics within my field of interest and can express personal views and opinions.
36. I can write simple texts about experiences or events, for example about a trip, for a school newspaper or a club newsletter.
37. I can write personal letters to friends or acquaintances asking for or giving them news and narrating events.
38. I can describe in a personal letter the plot of a film or a book or give an account of a concert.
39. In a letter I can express feelings such as grief, happiness, interest, regret and sympathy.
40. I can reply in written form to advertisements and ask for more complete or more specific information about products (for example a car or an academic course).
41. I can convey – via fax, e-mail or a circular – short simple factual information to friends or colleagues or ask for information in such a way.
42. I can write my CV in summary form.
B2 Listening
1. I can understand in detail what is said to me in standard spoken language even in a noisy environment.
2. I can follow a lecture or talk within my own field, provided the subject matter is familiar and the presentation straightforward and clearly structured.
3. I can understand most radio documentaries delivered in standard language and can identify the speaker’s mood, tone etc.
4. I can understand TV documentaries, live interviews, talk shows, plays and the majority of films in standard dialect.
5. I can understand the main ideas of propositionally and linguistically complex speech on both concrete and abstract topics delivered in a standard dialect, including technical discussions in my field of specialisation.
6. I can use a variety of strategies to achieve comprehension, including listening for main points; checking comprehension by using contextual clues.
B2 Reading
7. I can rapidly grasp the content and the significance of news, articles and reports on topics connected with my interests or my job, and decide if a closer reading is worthwhile.
8. I can read and understand articles and reports on current problems in which the writers express specific attitudes and points of view.
9. I can understand in detail texts within my field of interest or the area of my academic or professional speciality.
10. I can understand specialised articles outside my own field if I can occasionally check with a dictionary.
11. I can read reviews dealing with the content and criticism of cultural topics (films, theatre, books, concerts) and summarise the main points.
12. I can read letters on topics within my areas of academic or professional speciality or interest and grasp the most important points.
13. I can quickly look through a manual (for example for a computer program) and find and understand the relevant explanations and help for a specific problem.
14. I can understand in a narrative or play the motives for the characters’ actions and their consequences for the development of the plot.
B2 Spoken Interaction
15. I can initiate, maintain and end discourse naturally with effective turn-taking.
16. I can exchange considerable quantities of detailed factual information on matters within my fields of interest.
17. I can convey degrees of emotion and highlight the personal significance of events and experiences.
18. I can engage in extended conversation in a clearly participatory fashion on most general topics.
19. I can account for and sustain my opinions in discussion by providing relevant explanations, arguments and comments.
20. I can help a discussion along on familiar ground confirming comprehension, inviting others in, etc.
21. I can carry out a prepared interview, checking and confirming information, following up interesting replies.
B2 Spoken Production
22. I can give clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects related to my fields of interest.
23. I can understand and summarise orally short extracts from news items, interviews or documentaries containing opinions, argument and discussion.
24. I can understand and summarise orally the plot and sequence of events in an extract from a film or play.
25. I can construct a chain of reasoned argument, linking my ideas logically.
26. I can explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
27. I can speculate about causes, consequences, hypothetical situations.
B2 Strategies
28. I can use standard phrases like “That’s a difficult question to answer” to gain time and keep the turn while formulating what to say.
29. I can make a note of “favourite mistakes” and consciously monitor speech for them.
30. I can generally correct slips and errors if I become aware of them or if they have led to misunderstandings.
B2 Language Quality
31. I can produce stretches of language with a fairly even tempo; although I can be hesitant as I search for expressions, there are few noticeably long pauses.
32. I can pass on detailed information reliably.
33. I have sufficient vocabulary to express myself on matters connected to my field and on most general topics.
34. I can communicate with reasonable accuracy and can correct mistakes if they have led to misunderstandings.
B2 Writing
35. I can write clear and detailed texts (compositions, reports or texts of presentations) on various topics related to my field of interest.
36. I can write summaries of articles on topics of general interest.
37. I can summarise information from different sources and media.
38. I can discuss a topic in a composition or “letter to the editor”, giving reasons for or against a specific point of view.
39. I can develop an argument systematically in a composition or report, emphasising decisive points and including supporting details.
40. I can write about events and real or fictional experiences in a detailed and easily readable way.
41. I can write a short review of a film or a book.
42. I can express in a personal letter different feelings and attitudes and can report the news of the day making clear what – in my opinion – are the important aspects of an event.