Language and Literacy Levels
across the Australian
Curriculum: EALD students
Module 1.1
Introduction
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
• The Levels replaced the ESL Scope
and Scales that were used until 2013
• The Levels reflect the language and
literacy students need to access the
Australian Curriculum across all
learning areas at their year level R-10
• Each language level is equivalent to the
same ESL Scale
• The Levels reflect the language
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
R 1 2 3
Year level
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Levels
Early Years
4 5
6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13
10 12
14
1 2 3 4 5 6
Primary Years 1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Middle Years
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11
12 13
Senior Years
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11
12 13
14
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
provides:
Introduction provides:
• a rationale and aims plus background for the
document.
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
Background explains:
• The register continuum
The movement from ‘spoken-like’ (everyday,
informal) to ‘written-like” (technical, formal)
language can be seen as moving along a
Register Continuum.
• Relationship between Levels, Year Level and
Register Continuum
Through descriptions and examples of language
and vocabulary, the Language and Literacy
Levels show the gradual and continual shift in
language across the register continuum
expected at each year level.
• Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
Introduction provides:
• various appendices which
– detail processes for assigning a Level
– provide assessment proformas
– show the range of texts (genres) from the
Australian Curriculum
– compare the new document with the
ACARA EALD Teacher Resource
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
• Four sets of Levels:
• Levels 1 – 6
• Levels 4 - 9
• Levels 7 – 10
• Levels 11 – 14
• Glossary: there is a glossary of terms
to ensure all terminology is understood.
ACARA Literacy Capability Literacy
Continuum
Informed by Australian
Curriculum Literacy
Continuum element of
Composing texts and the
organising elements:
– Text knowledge
– Grammar knowledge
– Word knowledge
– Visual knowledge
– (incorporated in Text
– Knowledge)
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
Composing Learning Area texts
–Oral Interactions and
Presentations (only in Levels 1 – 6)
–Using visuals in multi-modal texts
–Written texts – ability to construct text
types relevant to learning areas is described at each
Level
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
Text knowledge
–Organisational structures of
learning area texts
–Text cohesion
• Text and Paragraph Openers
• Text Connectives
• Sentence Openers
• Reference
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
Grammar knowledge
-Sentence Structures
• Simple, compound and complex –(activity)
- Punctuation
• Sentence level, capitals, commas
- Words and Word Groups
• Processes (verbs), Tense
• Circumstances
• Noun groups and Nominalisations
Layout of Language and Literacy Levels
Knowledge
Grammar
Knowledge
Level 7
(Year 3)
Level 8
(Year 4)
Level 9
(Year 5)
Level 10
(Year 6)
Sentence
Structures


Simple
Compound
o
Coordinating
(linking)
conjunctions
 Complex
o
Subordinating
(binding)
conjunctions
o
Relative pronouns
o
Non-finite clauses
Language
item
By the end of Year 4
students:
 use simple and
compound sentence
structures to describe
and make connections
between ideas
By the end of Year 6
students:
 use a full range of
sentence types,
including complex
sentences that
elaborate or explain
ideas
Benchmarks from AC
Literacy Continuum
From: The Australian
Curriculum: Literacy continuum
across stages of schooling
Faculty of Edit this on the Slide Master
The University of Adelaide
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
Grammar knowledge
–Expressing opinion and point of
view
• Evaluative language
• Modality
• Expressing opinion directly and
indirectly
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
Word knowledge
– Understanding learning area
vocabulary
• Topic vocabulary (Levels 1- 9)
• Topic and subject specific vocabulary
(Levels 10 -14)
– Spelling
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
• detailed elaboration and examples
under the elements for each year
level
• an overall briefer document, easier
layout to access.
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
• Each year the Levels document needs to be used
by teachers to assign Levels to students’ sets of
evidence before the term 3 census to attract EALD
funding to the school for the following year.
• The funding enables intervention to be put into
place for EALD students.
• The Levels EDSAS data allows schools to prioritise
this intervention.
• The Levels can also be used to inform teaching
and learning and monitor student progress.
Language and Literacy Levels across the
Australian Curriculum: EALD Students
• Language and Literacy Levels along with
support materials (e.g. Moderated Evidence,
Recording and Tracking Resource, FAQs and
professional learning modules) are posted on
the EALD website
http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/literacy/pages/esl/scope/