What level am I?

There are placement tests for Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. These are designed to help you decide which level is best for you.

If you can:

Listening	Speaking	Reading	Writing	Functions	Level
Understand isolated words/simple utterances	Produce isolated words	Recognise isolated words	Write some isolated words but not connected sentences	Say nothing or just Hello/Goodbye/Thanks	Go to Level 1

Listening	Speaking	Reading	Writing	Functions	Level
Understand simple utterances on routine topics	Respond to simple utterances but are unable to continue	Understand key words and headings but not the overall gist of long texts	Write simple notes and complete personal information on forms	Introduce yourself, other persons, places and things/ask questions about other persons, places and things/get information about accommodation/ book in/give and ask ages, times, days months, seasons, dates, telephone numbers/ask for and give directions/order drinks and snacks/accept and refuse offers	Go to Level 2

Listening	Speaking	Reading	Writing	Functions	Level
Understand speech on routine topics at reduced speed	Respond to utterances on routine topics at reduced speed	Read and understand instructions, notices and signs and the overall gist of short texts	Write simple sentences and produce short texts	Say more about yourself and others/understand simple notices, timetables, when something is going to happen/say how you feel, ask for common medicines/train, air travel and reservations, travel by car/likes and dislikes/wants, desires and intentions/talk about daily routine, hobbies/talk about the weather	Go to Level 3

Listening	Speaking	Reading	Writing	Functions	Level
Follow speech on routine topics at normal speed	Converse on routine topics at normal speed	Read and understand the gist of short texts of general interest	Write postcards and short letters on given topics	Describe people and their character/talk about where you live (home & town), future plans and hopes, what happened in the past/buying clothes/describe things, what they are made of/how to tell people what to do/say what is wrong with you	Go to Level 4

Listening	Speaking	Reading	Writing	Functions	Level
Follow speech at normal speed on topics you have studied	React and ask for clarification in conversation on an established topic	Read and understand general interest short texts	Write informal letters and short essays	Talk about summer and winter holidays (past and future), places you want to visit/talk about food and drinks, understand recipes, order meals/express tastes and preferences/talk about what you would do if.../make comparisons/get somebody to do something/state opinions	Go to Level 5

Listening	Speaking	Reading	Writing	Functions	Level
Understand a native speaker talking at normal speed	Make some contribution to a conversation between two natives	Read and understand the greater part of a general interest text	Write formal and informal letters and essays, which may contain inaccuracies	Talk about past, present, future/ make hypothesis /express obligation, necessity/express doubt and uncertainties/give opinions /agree, disagree/argue/make suggestions/understand and give instructions/express your emotions/seek and give advice	Go to Level 6

Listening	Speaking	Reading	Writing	Functions	Level
Understand most points of a natural conversation between two natives	Maintain a conversation, speaking at a natural speed with few inaccuracies	Read and understand most texts of general interest with only a limited reference to a dictionary	Write formal and informal letters and essays with very few inaccuracies	Report what someone says/tell a story/summarise/criticise/talk about causes and consequences/construct convincing arguments	Go to Level 7

Listening	Speaking	Reading	Writing	Functions	Level
Follow a natural conversation between two natives with ease	Maintain a conversation at near-native speed with very few impediments	Read and understand more or less all points of a general text without any help	Write essays, reports and summaries with some guidance	Participate fully in lengthy and detailed discussions on unpredictable general topics/ prepare a short presentation on topics of special interest/write freely and at length/construct convincing arguments	Go to Level 8