Language Proficiency Levels: STANAG SLP 3333

1. Able to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical, social and professional topics.
2. Can discuss particular interests and special fields of competence with considerable ease.
3. Can use the language to perform such common professional tasks as answering objections, clarifying points, justifying decisions, responding to challenges, supporting opinion, stating and defending policy.
4. Can demonstrate language competence when conducting meetings, delivering briefings or other extended and elaborate monologues, hypothesizing, and dealing with unfamiliar subjects and situations.
5. Can reliably elicit information and informed opinion from native speakers.
6. Can convey abstract concepts in discussions of such topics as economics, culture, science, technology, philosophy as well as his/her professional field.
7. Produces extended discourse and conveys meaning correctly and effectively.
8. Use of structural devices is flexible and elaborate.
9. Speaks readily and in a way that is appropriate to the situation.
10. Without searching for words or phrases, can use the language clearly and relatively naturally to elaborate on concepts freely and make ideas easily understandable to native speakers.
11. May not fully understand some cultural references, proverbs, and allusions, as well as implications of nuances or idioms, but can easily repair the conversation.
12. Pronunciation may be obviously foreign.
13. Errors may occur in low frequency or highly complex structures characteristic of a formal style of speech.
14. However, occasional errors in pronunciation, grammar or vocabulary are not serious enough to distort meaning, and rarely disturb the native speaker.

SLP 3333 Reading Comprehension

1. Able to read with almost complete comprehension a variety of authentic written material on general and professional subjects, including unfamiliar subject matter.
2. Demonstrates the ability to learn through reading.
3. Comprehension is not dependent on subject matter.
4. Contexts include news, informational and editorial items in major periodicals intended for educated native readers, personal and professional correspondence, reports, and material in special fields of competence.
5. Can readily understand such language functions as hypothesizing, supporting opinion, argumentation, clarification, and various forms of elaboration.
6. Demonstrates understanding of abstract concepts in texts on complex topics (which may include economics, culture, science, technology), as well as his/her professional field.
7. Almost always able to interpret material correctly, to relate ideas, and to “read between the lines,” or understand implicit information.
8. Can generally distinguish between different stylistic levels and often recognizes humour, emotional overtones, and subtleties of written language.
9. Misreading is rare.
10. Can get the gist of higher level, sophisticated texts, but may be unable to detect all nuances.
11. Cannot always thoroughly comprehend texts that have an unusually complex structure, low frequency idioms, or a high degree of cultural knowledge embedded in the language.
12. Reading speed may be somewhat slower than that of a native reader.

1. Can write effective formal and informal correspondence and documents on practical, social, and professional topics.
2. Can write about special fields of competence with considerable ease.
3. Can use the written language for essay-length argumentation, analysis, hypothesis, and extensive explanation, narration, and description.
4. Can convey abstract concepts when writing about complex topics (which may include economics, culture, science, and technology) as well as his/her professional field.
5. Although techniques used to organize extended texts may seem somewhat foreign to native readers, the correct meaning is conveyed.
6. The relationship and development of ideas are clear, and major points are coherently ordered to fit the purpose of the text.
7. Transitions are usually successful.
8. Control of structure, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation is adequate to convey the message accurately.
9. Errors are occasional, do not interfere with comprehension, and rarely disturb the native reader.
10. While writing style may be non-native, it is appropriate for the occasion.
11. When it is necessary for a document to meet full native expectations, some editing will be required.