LEVEL 1
(You are at Level 1 when you can confidently check each of the following Level 1 language activities)

• I can initiate conversations and use appropriate leave-takings to close conversations.
• I can order a simple meal.
• I can ask and tell the time of day, day of the week, and the date.
• I can go to the market and ask for vegetables, fruit, milk and meat, and I can bargain where appropriate.
• I can ask and tell how to get from where I'm living to a post office, park, restaurant or hospital.
• I can give directions to a taxi driver.
• I can make a social introduction of someone else and also briefly introduce myself.
• I can understand and correctly respond to questions about my age, marital status, nationality, occupation, and place of birth.
• I can get the bus or train I want, buy a ticket and (most important!) get off where I intended to.
• I can use the language well enough to assist a newcomer in all of the above Level 1 situations.

LEVEL 1 PLUS

• I have a Level 1 Plus proficiency because I can do all the Level 1 activities and at least three of the following Level 2 activities.

LEVEL 2
(You are at Level 2 when you can confidently check each of the following Level 2 activities)

• I can give detailed information about the weather, my family, my childhood home and my present living arrangements.
• I can take and give simple messages over the telephone.
• I can give a brief autobiography and also talk about my plans and hopes for the future.
• I can describe my most recent job or activity in some detail and also describe my present role as a language learner.
• I can describe the organization I belong to.
• I can hire household help, agreeing on salary, hours, and special duties.
• I feel confident that my pronunciation is always intelligible.
• I do not try to avoid any of the grammatical features of Chinese.
• I feel confident that people understand me when I speak in Chinese, at least 80% of the time. I am also confident that I understand at least 80% of what Chinese people tell me on topics like those of Level 2.
• I could use Chinese well enough to assist a newcomer on any of the Level 2 situations.

LEVEL 2 PLUS

• I have a Level 2 Plus proficiency because I can meet at least three of the Level 3 requirements.

LEVEL 3
(You are at Level 3 when you can confidently check each of the following Level 3 items)

• I now have sufficient vocabulary and grasp of the grammatical structure to complete any sentence that I begin.
• I can speak at a normal rate of speech, with only rare hesitations.
• I can confidently follow and contribute to a conversation between native speakers when they try to include me.
• I am able to correctly understand any information given to me over the telephone.
• I can understand a speech or discussion on a topic of interest to me.
• I can speak to a group of native speakers on my professional subject and have confidence that I am communicating what I want to.
• I can understand opposing points of view and can politely describe and defend my position.
• I could cope with a social blunder, an undeserved reprimand by an official, or a plumbing emergency.
• I can describe the geography of both my home and host countries.
• I could serve as an informal interpreter for a newcomer in any of the Level 3 situations.
• I feel that I can carry out the professional responsibilities of my work in Chinese.

LEVEL 3 PLUS

• I have a Level 3 Plus proficiency because I can meet at least three of the Level 4 requirements.

LEVEL 4
(You are at Level 4 when you can confidently check each of the following Level 4 characteristics)

• I practically never make grammatical mistakes.
• I can always understand native speakers when they talk with each other.
• I can understand humor and language puns, and I can actively participate in fun and humorous situations.
• My vocabulary is always extensive and precise enough for me to convey my exact meaning in professional discussions.
• I feel I have a comprehensive grasp of the local knowledge bank.
• I can appropriately alter my speech style for a public lecture, or a conversation with a professor, an employee or a close friend.
• I could serve as an informal interpreter for a VIP at a professional or social function.
• I feel that I could carry out any job assignment as effectively in Chinese as in English.

LEVEL 4 PLUS

• My vocabulary and cultural understanding are always extensive enough to enable me to communicate my precise meaning.
• Chinese people feel that I share their knowledge bank well enough to talk about and defend any of their beliefs or values.

LEVEL 5

• Chinese people react to me just as they do to each other -- I am usually considered an insider.
• I sometimes feel more at home in Chinese than in English.
• I can do mental arithmetic in Chinese without slowing down (assuming that I can do mental arithmetic in English without slowing down!).
• I consider myself to be completely bilingual and bicultural, with equivalent ability in English and in Chinese.
• I consider myself a native speaker of Chinese.

[This article has been adapted from Language Acquisition Made Practical by Brewster & Brewster]

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