UNITED NATIONS LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY EXAMINATION
COMPOSITION RATING SCALE
19-20
Superior.
Natural and idiomatic writing equivalent or nearly equivalent to that
of a native speaker. Variation of scores within this category are due to the
composition’s sophistication, organization, choice of vocabulary, coherence
and/or force of argument.
17-18
Very Good. Highly competent working knowledge.
The candidate is able to express ideas with a strong vocabulary and has a strong control of syntax,
and does not (appear to) avoid complex structures.
The composition is clear and coherent and shows that the candidate is capable of using his or her
written skills at work with little or no revision and minor editing.
The composition is of appropriate length and well developed, but ideas are not as sophisticated as
ones in the 19-20 range.
Errors are few, but they identify the writer as foreign.
Register is appropriate.
15-16
Good. Working knowledge.
The candidate is able to express ideas with a good vocabulary and has a solid control of syntax,
although complex structures may have been avoided.
The composition is easily understandable and coherent.
The reader does not have to struggle to understand the ideas, though the paper may require some
minor revision and editing to bring it up to drafting quality.
The composition is of appropriate length, sufficiently developed and on topic.
Tenses, agreement and word order are generally correct.
There may be some spelling errors.
Register is almost always appropriate.
13-14
Satisfactory. Threshold working knowledge.
The candidate is generally able to express ideas with a fairly good vocabulary and generally solid
control of syntax, although complex structures may have been avoided.
The composition is generally understandable and fairly coherent, though the reader may have to
struggle to understand the ideas.
The paper would probably require some revision and editing to bring it up to drafting quality.
The composition is of appropriate length, but might be somewhat underdeveloped and/or off topic.
Tenses, agreement and word order may be incorrect occasionally, but do not interfere with
meaning.
Register is generally appropriate.
9-12
Weak. Not to an acceptable standard in a working environment.
Candidate has persistent problems with vocabulary and/or syntax and/or coherence.
The range of expression is limited and the composition may ramble
and/or become repetitive.
The composition may be too short and/or lack development.
The reader may have to reread most of the text.
Candidate’s errors are typical of an intermediate student, and more course work is necessary.
Register may be inappropriate.
Variation of scores within this category are due to the seriousness of the errors.
4-8
Very Weak. Errors in almost all sentences. Difficult to understand. Needs
extensive remedial work. Or the composition is less than half the required length
and is also not well written.
0-3
Dismal. Only a few sentences are written, or the writing is extremely incoherent.