ACTFL Assessment Criteria: Speaking Proficiency
PROFICIENCY
LEVE*
GLOBAL
TASKS /
FUNCTIONS
CONTEXT /
CONTENT
ACCURACY
TEXT TYPE
SUPERIOR
Discuss topics
extensively,
support opinions
and hypothesize>
Deal with a
linguistically
unfamiliar
situation.
Most formal and
informal settings /
No pattern of
errors in basic
structures. Errors
virtually never
interfere with
communication or
distract the native
speaker form the
message.
Extended discourse
Narrate and
describe in major
time frames and
deal effectively
with an
unanticipated
complication.
Most informal and
some formal
settings /
Understood
without difficulty
by speakers
unaccustomed to
non-native
speakers.
Paragraph
Understood with
some repetition, by
speakers
accustomed to
non-native
speakers.
Discrete sentences
ADVANCED
INTERMEDIATE Create with
language, initiate,
maintain, and bring
to a close simple
conversation by
asking and
responding to
simple questions.
NOVICE
Communicate
minimally with
formulaic and rote
utterances, lists,
and phrases.
Wide range of
general interest
topics and some
special fields of
interest and
expertise.
Topics of personal
and general
interest.
Some informal
settings and a
limited number of
transactional
situations /
Predictable,
familiar topics
related to daily
activities.
Most common
informal settings /
May be difficult to
understand, even
for speakers
Most common
accustomed to
aspects of daily life non-native
speakers.
Individual words
and phrases
(*A rating at any major level is arrived at by the sustained performance of the functions of the levels, within the
contexts and content areas for that level, with the degree of accuracy described for the level, and in the text type for the
level.
The performance must be sustained across ALL of the criteria for the level in order to be rated at that level.)

Express agreement/disagreement
Level
Criteria

Express minimal courtesy
N-H
1.
content

Express membership in organization,
2.
3.
4.
accuracy
fluency
text type
N-M
1.
2.
3.
4.
content
accuracy
fluency
text type
N-L
1.
2.
3.
4.
content
accuracy
fluency
text type
family, institution

Give name, place of origin, simple
personal information

Name/identify objects, people, places

Use limited memorized material in simple
statement or question form
1.
Transfer current learned material to new
situations/contexts
2.
Talk on phone
3.
Get into, through, & out of simple
survival situations
4.
Ask & answer questions
5.
Participate in short conversations
6.
Participate in short conversations
7.
Express own meaning using
combinations of known material in
simple sentences