Self-assessment

By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning;
- express yourself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions;
- use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes;
- produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

1. Spoken interaction

1. Needs improvement (50-59%)
2. Satisfactory (60-69%)
3. Good (70-79%)
4. Very Good (80-89%)
4. Outstanding (90-99%)

1.1 have a good command of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms as well as the specialised language of my field, with connotative levels of meaning


1.2 Can use language flexibly and effectively for social purposes, including emotional, allusive and joking usage


1.3 Can give clear, detailed descriptions of complex subjects



1.4 can give detailed presentations



1.5 can participate effectively in extended discussions and debates on subjects of personal, cultural, intercultural or social interest



1.6 Can easily keep up with the debate, even on abstract, complex unfamiliar topics



1.7 Can argue a formal position convincingly, responding to questions and comments and answering complex lines of counter argument



1.8 Can participate fully in an interview, as either interviewer or interviewee, expanding and developing the point being discussed fluently without any support, and handling interjections well

2. Listening

Can understand enough to follow extended speech on abstract and complex topics beyond his/her own field, though he/she may need to confirm occasional details, especially if the accent is unfamiliar
Has no difficulty in understanding any kind of spoken language, whether live or broadcast, delivered at fast native speed.


Can recognise a wide range of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms, appreciating register


Live audience
can understand presentations, demonstrations and lectures which directly or indirectly relate to my vocational field without difficulty
Can follow specialised lectures and presentations employing a high degree of colloquialism, regional usage or unfamiliar terminology


can understand lectures, talks and reports in my field of professional or academic interest


Announcements
& instructions
Can extract specific information from poor quality, audibly distorted public announcements



Can understand complex technical information, such as operating instructions, specifications for familiar products and services.


Audio media & recordings
Can understand a wide range of recorded and broadcast audio material



TV Film
can understand radio and television programs in my field



Can follow films employing a considerable degree of slang and idiomatic usage


Reading

can go beyond the concrete plot of a narrative and grasp implicit meanings, ideas and connections
can understand in detail lengthy and complex scientific texts, whether or not they relate to my own field.


can read contemporary literary texts with ease
can read texts such as literary columns or satirical glosses where much is said in an indirect and ambiguous way and which contain hidden value judgements


can understand long complex instructions, for example for the use of a new piece of equipment, even if these are not related to my job or field of interest, provided I have enough time to reread them
can recognise different stylistic means (puns, metaphors, symbols, connotations, ambiguity) and appreciate and evaluate their function within the text.



can understand texts written in a very colloquial style and containing many idiomatic expressions or slang



can understand complex factual documents such as technical manuals and legal contracts



I can recognise plays on words and appreciate texts whose real meaning is not explicit (for example irony, satire)


Correspon-dence
can read any correspondence with occasional use of a dictionary



Information argument
can read contemporary literary texts with no difficulty and with appreciation of implicit meanings and ideas



Can understand in detail a wide range of lengthy, complex texts likely to be encountered in social, professional or academic life, identifying finer points of detail including attitudes



Instructions
Can understand in detail lengthy, complex instructions on a new machine or procedure, whether or not the instructions relate to his/her own area of speciality


Writing

Creative
Can write clear, detailed, well-structured and developed descriptions and imaginative texts
can write clear, smoothly-flowing, and fully engrossing stories and descriptions of experience in a style appropriate to the genre adopted



Reports essays
can clearly and in a concise manner describe a product or a service within my field.
can write a well-structured review of a paper or a project giving reasons for my opinion


Can write clear, well-structured expositions of complex subjects, underlining the relevant salient issues
can write a critical essay (e.g., a review) of scientific literature for publication in my field.


Can expand and support points of view at some length with subsidiary points, reasons and relevant examples
In a report or an essay I can give a complete account of a topic based on research I have carried out, make a summary of the opinions of others, and give and evaluate detailed information and facts



can write well-structured and easily readable reports and articles on complex topics



Overall
corresp
can write formal letters that I could confidently send, without getting another person to check the language
can write clear, well-structured complex letters in an appropriate style, for example an application or request, an offer to authorities, superiors or commercial clients


can write formally correct letters, for example to complain or to take a stand in favour of or against something
can express myself in a consciously ironical, ambiguous and humorous way



Notes, messages, forms

Note-taking
Can take detailed notes during a lecture on topics in his/her field of interest, recording the information so accurately and so close to the original that the notes could also be useful to other people
Is aware of the implications and allusions of what is said and can make notes on them as well as on the actual words used by the speaker



Processing text
can put together information from different sources and relate it in a coherent summary
can write summaries of factual texts and literary works


Can summarise long, demanding texts
can summarise orally information from different sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation


Language competence
Can select an appropriate formulation from a broad range of language to express him/herself clearly, without having to restrict what he/she wants to say.
can edit colleagues' texts, improving them grammatically and stylistically, with little hesitation.



Can exploit a comprehensive and reliable mastery of a very wide range of language to formulate thoughts precisely, give emphasis, differentiate and eliminate ambiguity

Vocabulary range
can use the specialised terms and idiomatic expressions in my field without major difficulty.
Has a good command of a very broad lexical repertoire including idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms; shows awareness of connotative levels of meaning


Has a good command of a broad lexical repertoire allowing gaps to be readily overcome with circumlocutions


Vocabulary control
Occasional minor slips, but no significant vocabulary errors.
Consistently correct and appropriate use of vocabulary.



Grammatical accuracy
can write texts which show a high degree of grammatical correctness and vary my vocabulary and style according to the addressee, the kind of text and the topic
Maintains consistent grammatical control of complex language, even while attention is otherwise engaged (e.g. in forward planning, in monitoring others’ reactions)



Pronunciation
Can vary intonation and place sentence stress correctly in order to express finer shades of meaning



Orthographic control
Layout, paragraphing and punctuation are consistent and helpful
Writing is orthographically free of error


Spelling is accurate, apart from occasional slips of the pen.


Socio-appropriateness
Can recognise a wide range of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms, appreciating register shifts
Has a good command of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms with awareness of connotative levels of meaning


Can use language flexibly and effectively for social purposes, including emotional, allusive and joking usage


Thematic development
Can give elaborate descriptions and narratives, integrating sub-themes, developing particular points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion.



Coherence & cohesion
Can produce clear, smoothly flowing, well-structured speech, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices
Can create coherent and cohesive text making full and appropriate use of a variety of organisational patterns and a wide range of cohesive devices