Speaking - Moderate proficiency

Global Performance Descriptor

• Learner can communicate with some confidence in casual social conversations in some less routine situations on familiar topics of personal relevance.
• Can communicate facts and ideas in some detail: can describe, report and provide simple narration.
• Can use a variety of structures with some omission/reduction of elements (e.g., articles, past tense, morphemes). 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.
• Can use the phone to communicate on familiar matters, but phone exchanges with strangers are stressful.

Performance Conditions

• Interaction is face to face, or on the phone, with familiar and unfamiliar individuals and small informal groups.
• Rate of speech is slow to normal.
• Context is familiar, or clear and predictable.
• Context is moderately demanding (e.g., real world environment, limited support from speaker).
• Circumstances range from informal to more formal.
• Setting or content is familiar, clear and predictable.
• Topic is concrete and familiar.
• Presentation is informal or formal.
• Use of pictures or other visuals.
• Presentation is five to seven minutes long.

Interactions one-on-one

• Interactions are face to face or on the phone.
• Interaction is formal or semi-formal.
• Learner can partially prepare the exchange.

Interactions in a group

• Interaction occurs in a familiar group of three to five people.
• Topic or issue is familiar, non-personal, concrete.
• Interaction is informal or semi-formal.