FLEXIBILITY | |
C2 |
Shows great flexibility reformulating ideas in differing linguistic forms to give emphasis, to differentiate according to the situation, interlocutor, etc. and to eliminate ambiguity. |
C1 |
Can adjust what he/she says and the means of expressing it to the situation and the recipient and adopt a level of formality appropriate to the circumstances. |
B2 |
Can adjust what he/she says and the means of expressing it to the situation and the recipient and adopt a level of formality appropriate to the circumstances. |
Can adjust to the changes of direction, style and emphasis normally found in conversation. Can vary formulation of what he/she wants to say. | |
B1 |
Can adapt his/her expression to deal with less routine, even difficult, situations. |
Can exploit a wide range of simple language flexibly to express much of what he/she wants. | |
A2 |
Can adapt well rehearsed memorised simple phrases to particular circumstances through limited lexical substitution. |
Can expand learned phrases through simple recombinations of their elements. | |
A1 |
No descriptor available |
TURNTAKING | |
C2 |
Can select a suitable phrase from a readily available range of discourse functions to preface his/her remarks appropriately in order to get the floor, or to gain time and keep the floor whilst thinking. |
C1 |
Can select a suitable phrase from a readily available range of discourse functions to preface his/her remarks appropriately in order to get the floor, or to gain time and keep the floor whilst thinking. |
B2 |
Can intervene appropriately in discussion, exploiting appropriate language to do so. Can initiate, maintain and end discourse appropriately with effective turntaking. Can initiate discourse, take his/her turn when appropriate and end conversation when he/she needs to, though he/she may not always do this elegantly. Can use stock phrases (e.g. ‘That’s a difficult question to answer’) to gain time and keep the turn whilst formulating what to say. |
B1 |
Can intervene in a discussion on a familiar topic, using a suitable phrase to get the floor. |
Can initiate, maintain and close simple face-to-face conversation on topics that are familiar or of personal interest. | |
A2 |
Can use simple techniques to start, maintain, or end a short conversation. Can initiate, maintain and close simple, face-to-face conversation. |
Can ask for attention. | |
A1 |
No descriptor available |
THEMATIC DEVELOPMENT | |
C2 |
Can give elaborate descriptions and narratives, integrating sub-themes, developing particular points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion. |
C1 |
Can give elaborate descriptions and narratives, integrating sub-themes, developing particular points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion. |
B2 |
Can develop a clear description or narrative, expanding and supporting his/her main points with relevant supporting detail and examples. |
B1 |
Can reasonably fluently relate a straightforward narrative or description as a linear sequence of points. |
A2 |
Can tell a story or describe something in a simple list of points. |
A1 |
No descriptor available |
COHERENCE AND COHESION | |
C2 |
Can create coherent and cohesive text making full and appropriate use of a variety of organisational patterns and a wide range of cohesive devices. |
C1 |
Can produce clear, smoothly flowing, well-structured speech, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices. |
B2 |
Can use a variety of linking words efficiently to mark clearly the relationships between ideas. |
Can use a limited number of cohesive devices to link his/her utterances into clear, coherent discourse, though there may be some ‘jumpiness’ in a long contribution. | |
B1 |
Can link a series of shorter, discrete simple elements into a connected, linear sequence of points. |
A2 |
Can use the most frequently occurring connectors to link simple sentences in order to tell a story or describe something as a simple list of points. |
Can link groups of words with simple connectors like ‘and’, ‘but’ and ‘because’. | |
A1 |
Can link words or groups of words with very basic linear connectors like ‘and’ or ‘then’. |
SPOKEN FLUENCY | |
C2 |
Can express him/herself at length with a natural, effortless, unhesitating flow. Pauses only to reflect on precisely the right words to express his/her thoughts or to find an appropriate example or explanation. |
C1 |
Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously, almost effortlessly. Only a conceptually difficult subject can hinder a natural, smooth flow of language. |
B2 |
Can communicate spontaneously, often showing remarkable fluency and ease of expression in even longer complex stretches of speech. |
Can produce stretches of language with a fairly even tempo; although he/she can be hesitant as he/she searches for patterns and expressions, there are few noticeably long pauses. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without imposing strain on either party. | |
B1 |
Can express him/herself with relative ease. Despite some problems with formulation resulting in pauses and ‘cul-de-sacs’, he/she is able to keep going effectively without help. |
Can keep going comprehensibly, even though pausing for grammatical and lexical planning and repair is very evident, especially in longer stretches of free production. | |
A2 |
Can make him/herself understood in short contributions, even though pauses, false starts and reformulation are very evident. |
Can construct phrases on familiar topics with sufficient ease to handle short exchanges, despite very noticeable hesitation and false starts. | |
A1 |
Can manage very short, isolated, mainly pre-packaged utterances, with much pausing to search for expressions, to articulate less familiar words, and to repair communication. |
PROPOSITIONAL PRECISION | |
C2 |
Can convey finer shades of meaning precisely by using, with reasonable accuracy, a wide range of qualifying devices (e.g. adverbs expressing degree, clauses expressing limitations). Can give emphasis, differentiate and eliminate ambiguity. |
C1 |
Can qualify opinions and statements precisely in relation to degrees of, for example, certainty/ uncertainty, belief/doubt, likelihood, etc. |
B2 |
Can pass on detailed information reliably. |
B1 |
Can explain the main points in an idea or problem with reasonable precision. |
Can convey simple, straightforward information of immediate relevance, getting across which point he/she feels is most important. Can express the main point he/she wants to make comprehensibly. | |
A2 |
Can communicate what he/she wants to say in a simple and direct exchange of limited information on familiar and routine matters, but in other situations he/she generally has to compromise the message. |
A1 |
No descriptor available |
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