Full Berlitz Level Descriptions
Functional
Level 1
Knowledge of language is sufficient to communicate in a very limited way, with the simplest oral and listening tasks and situations. Users can understand the topic in conversations and articles that deal with predictable, routine, or familiar subjects. They have a very basic range of language, which they can use to express simple needs. For example, they can understand and provide dates and numbers, provide basic information for a registration form, greet people and introduce themselves and others, ask for and give directions, and order a meal. At this level active vocabulary is limited to high-frequency words and basic phrases and structural accuracy is limited to previously learned utterances or formulae.
At this level users can understand and use approximately 500 vocabulary items.
This may be an appropriate minimum target level for those who need to use the language in their work in basic interaction because they have occasional contact with speakers of the language –e.g., receptionists, clerical or administrative staff, or for some travel and social needs.
Level 2
At the functional level, the users have a basic command of the language needed in a limited range of simple, routine, and familiar tasks and situations. For example, they can understand and pass on simple messages, are able to deal with simple, straightforward information, and are able to maintain simple face-to-face conversations, using at least one form of the present, past and future tenses. They can give a simple description or presentation about people, daily routines (at home and at work), likes/dislikes, etc. in a series of simple phrases and sentences. They are able ask for information to satisfy routine needs –for example when shopping or making travel and hotel arrangements, and when coping with ordinary problems over the telephone. However, at this level structural accuracy continues to be severely limited and the active vocabulary range is still very narrow.
At this level users can understand and use up to 1,000 of the most frequently encountered or personally relevant vocabulary items.
This may be an appropriate minimum target level for those who would like more independence when traveling in a country where the language is spoken, or for those who need to work with their counterparts abroad on a routine functional level, such as developing contacts and exchanging information about the company and its products, or confirming meeting arrangements –e.g., line supervisors, administrators, clerical or administrative staff.
Intermediate
Level 3
Users can successfully handle most uncomplicated communicative tasks and routine social and work situations. They can follow the general meaning of a conversation about familiar subjects. They can initiate, sustain, and close a conversation, covering a range of circumstances and topics, albeit with some errors. They have a relatively wide range of simple language forms and strategies and are beginning to build a repertoire of topic-specific vocabulary, and can participate in guided discussions. For example, they can give professional instructions, explain a simple problem and give a solution, take visitors around their premises, offices or factories, or report on the status of a project. They can extend and politely reply to invitations, offer congratulations, and express preferences, agreement or disagreement or make complaints. Accuracy in basic grammatical relations is evident, although not consistent. While some structures are established, errors occur in more complex patterns and the users may make frequent errors in formation and selection of verb tenses.
At this level users can understand and use 1,500 or more vocabulary items and most basic sentence structures.
This may be an appropriate minimum target level for those who will be living in a country where the language is spoken and will be interacting mostly with speakers of their own language –either in the workplace or socially.
Level 4
At the intermediate level, users are able to refashion and combine learned material to meet their immediate communication and learning needs. They are able to comprehend information on familiar topics in contextualized settings and produce sustained conversation with others on an expanding variety of general topics. However, typically they are unable to sustain coherent structures in longer utterances or unfamiliar situations. Users can purchase and describe familiar equipment, negotiate an agreement or terms of employment, establish professional contacts, deal with official procedures (visas, customs), and give advice and make suggestions concerning health and safety. Inaccuracies or interference from other languages are common, and structural complexity may interfere with comprehension.
At this level users can understand and use 2,000 or more vocabulary items, most verb tenses and basic sentence structures.
This may be an appropriate minimum target level for those whose work involves them in extensive contact with foreign colleagues, customers or counterparts, in activities such as handling customer inquiries or participating more fully in business meetings and discussions –e.g., technical or research personnel and senior administrators.
Upper Intermediate
Level 5
Users can, to an extent, initiate, sustain and conclude, most routine communicative tasks for personal and work needs. They can carry out conversations using a number of strategies appropriate to a range of circumstances and topics, and while limited vocabulary still necessitates hesitation and wordiness, they can produce connected speech for simple narration and descriptions, and can ask and answer predictable questions in the workplace. They can describe and give straightforward instructions for work processes and are comfortable in ordinary social and professional situations –including participating in discussions and meetings, and interrupting for explanations or to express their opinions about a project. They can discuss the quality of a product or service, and they can express hypotheses and their consequences. They understand and can use all basic sentence structures and some more sophisticated ones, with the appropriate verb constructions.
At this level users can understand and use 3,000 or more vocabulary items and some more sophisticated sentence structures.
This may be an appropriate minimum target level for those whose work requires extensive contact with foreign colleagues, customers or counterparts, in activities that are not always routine, such as handling customer complaints, or participating more comfortably in business meetings and discussions.
Level 6
At the upper intermediate level the users have assimilated the essentials of the language. They can communicate competently and comfortably in many professional and personal contexts, and can find different ways of formulating what they want to express. They manage adequately even in socially or lexically demanding situations – by asking for repetition or consulting a dictionary. They can participate easily in conversations with several native speakers, follow the general meaning of a meeting and ask for explanations when needed, deal with more demanding situations such as consulting a lawyer, accountant, or other professional, discuss a project and express demands, opinions or ideas. They can hold long telephone conversations, make travel arrangements, and deal with unexpected problems.
At this level users can understand and use 4,000 or more vocabulary items.
This may be an appropriate minimum target level for those who will be living and working primarily with speakers of the language.
Advanced
Level 7
At this level users begin to create with the language in more complex, cognitively demanding situations, and are able to use it as a means for learning in other academic or professional areas. They can comprehend detailed information with fewer contextual clues on unfamiliar topics; produce, initiate, and sustain spontaneous language interactions, although wordy when necessary; and can satisfy social and professional needs by recombining learned vocabulary and structures. They can express opinions and defend their ideas during a discussion and understand some idiomatic expressions used by native speakers; they can function in situations such as managing an office; they can settle a disagreement and use appropriate vocabulary to deal with most professional situations; they can present and summarize ideas to a group, with some assistance.
At this level users can understand and use 5,000 or more vocabulary items.
This may be an appropriate minimum target level for users who will be pursuing academic studies in the language –e.g., college students who will be pursuing their degrees abroad at a non-competitive institution.
Level 8
At the advanced level users communicate effectively and appropriately even in demanding communicative tasks and situations, like conducting a meeting. They can participate easily in social and professional conversations, and can deal comfortably with most subjects over the telephone. They can receive business people, give a report or make a professional presentation in an open meeting, and make sales presentations. At this level a user may have an insight into the language that demonstrates experience of living in the country and having acquired a certain proficiency in fluency, if not accuracy, gained by living there. Their usage is quite versatile and fluent –they can speak easily and with different shades of meaning, and they comprehend speech with ease, even on demanding subjects. Slight inaccuracies and interference from their native language are not intrusive.
At this level users can understand and use 6,000 or more vocabulary items and nearly all sentence structures.
This may be an appropriate minimum target level for users who will be attracting and sustaining business relationships with speakers of the language –e.g., sales personnel and company executives.
Professional
Level 9
At this level users communicate effectively with various audiences on a wide range of familiar and new topics to meet most personal, academic and professional demands –including many which presume experience in public speaking and critical listening. While further linguistic enhancement and refinement may be necessary, users have good operational command of the language to be able to, for example, participate confidently and effectively in discussions and meetings. They are able to express opinions and defend their ideas during discussion with several people, organize work over the telephone, give clear, detailed descriptions and presentations, and use appropriate expressions to give style when speaking on a wide range of often-complex subjects.
At this level users can understand and use over 10,000 vocabulary items and virtually all linguistic structures.
This may be an appropriate minimum target level for users who will be attending and fully participating in formal or informal meetings, seminars (business or academic), conferences or conventions, or planning to pursue a degree at a competitive institution of higher learning, or those who will be pursuing advanced degrees.
Level 10
At the professional level users have full command of the language. They understand and can use virtually all linguistic structures as well as a range of vocabulary items as broad and deep as that of most well read native speakers. Communication is fluent, appropriate and well organized –they develop ideas in speech clearly and coherently. They have reached an exceptional level of language proficiency, approaching that of an educated or well-read native speaker, in situations specific to their field. They comprehend speech at a very high analytical and critical level and they understand and use cultural references in a way that evidences a deep comprehension of the society in which the language is spoken. They can communicate naturally and effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical, social, academic, professional, and abstract topics –including many, which presume considerable experience in public speaking and critical listening. Using extended discourse, they can explain in detail, hypothesize on concrete and abstract topics, and support or defend opinions on controversial matters. They can prepare complex reports on work-related topics.
At this level users can understand and use a range of vocabulary items as broad and as deep as that of most educated or well-read native speakers. At this level, users generally have very specific needs for language learning, such as accent reduction or test preparation, or a need to perfect a skill such as business writing or public speaking.