When talking about language, proficiency is defined as how well an individual has mastered a language. It is the ability of an individual to both (1) produce and understand a language in spontaneous real world situations that have not been planned or rehearsed and (2) in a way that is acceptable and appropriate to a native speaker of the language. 

It is important to take into account that there are four domains of proficiency in language: reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension. Mastering these four components and being able to speak in a clear, non-hesitant manner, create language fluency.

While there is no universal standard for measuring language proficiency, proficiency establishes what and how a language user is able to communicate regardless of how, when, or where the language was obtained. Being proficient may refer to an individual who is skilled in the use of a language but who uses the language with less ease or at a less-advanced level than a fluent or native speaker of the language.

At this level of language learning, knowledge of the language is non-existent or limited to a few words. Full sentences are not able to be formed and it is not possible to engage in conversation.

The individual is able to use simple phrases and short sentences to talk about very common and highly predictable day-to-day topics which affect them directly. The language learner has knowledge of common vocabulary words and phrases, may have elementary reading and writing skills, and may have some difficulty understanding native speakers.

The individual is able to create sentences about a variety of basic, uncomplicated tasks and situations that are familiar, everyday topics. The language learner can share simple information about themselves and family members and can ask and respond to questions in simple conversations on topics beyond the most immediate needs. Reading and writing skills may or may not be at the same level. Speaking may still sound hesitant or have long pauses while thinking.

The individual is able to engage in conversations to communicate information on topics that directly affect them. They can also participate in conversation on topics that are community-based, national, and international. Speaking does not have long pauses and sounds more coherent.

The individual is able to communicate accurately, effectively, and fluently in conversations on a wide variety of topics that are in both formal and informal settings. Topics may present both abstract and concrete points of view. The language learner will have fluid speech without halting pauses. Typically, the language learner will show mastery in reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension in the language they are learning.

Being bilingual is defined as being able to use two languages with equal fluency. Both languages are read, written, heard, and spoken with equal strength.

READING: the ability to read and understand texts written in the language

WRITING: the ability to formulate written texts in the langue.

COMPREHENSION: the ability to follow and understand speech in the language

SPEAKING: the ability to produce speech in the language and be understood by its speakers

 This means that the language is your primary language. It is usually learned during childhood and is considered your “mother-tongue”. A native speaker is more than fluent and is able to correctly and easily use his or her first language in a proper sense, as well as understanding and using colloquialisms, idioms, and slang.

This is essentially the starting point of the language proficiency levels. Demonstrating this level of fluency means you know how to structure basic sentences. You can understand and use familiar everyday phrases and answer basic questions about personal details. You may be able to ask and answer simple and common questions that reflect language similar to that of a tourist or as someone that has just begun to learn the language. You may have some difficulty understanding native speakers. Your reading and writing skills will be elementary. 

A LEVEL A1 LANGUAGE LEARNER MIGHT SAY OR UNDERSTAND

Hello. I’m from California. It’s hot in the summer. Now I live in New York. It’s very cold in the winter. I am 34 years old. I am an architect. I have a wife and two children, one son and one daughter. Their names are Sandy and Gary. I like reading and walking in the park. I don’t cook on Friday and Saturday nights.

Level two means you’re able to have limited social conversations and understand basic commands. Someone at this level is able to have very short social exchanges and give information on familiar and routine matters. You can handle a variety of uncomplicated, basic, and communicative tasks and social situations. You can carry on limited casual conversations at the office and discuss your personal life, yourself, and family members. Someone at this level can only operate independently in basic conversations and still needs help with more extensive conversations in the language. This is an intermediate level where the speaker can ask and answer questions and participate in simple conversations on topics beyond the most immediate needs. Reading and writing skills may or may not be at the same level.

A LEVEL A2 LANGUAGE LEARNER MIGHT SAY OR UNDERSTAND

At my favorite restaurant, I usually order red wine with dinner. My aunt orders chicken and my cousin orders beef. I work in broadcasting, but I like art also. I take my family on vacation to Florida every spring. We spend two days in Orlando and typically go hunting in the south near Miami afterwards. Oh! We went to Argentina last year, because it’s a new country for us.

Level three means you understand the language well enough to contribute greatly in the workplace, though you may need help with advanced terminology. Someone at this language proficiency level exhibits an obvious accent and probably requires help understanding subtle and nuanced phrasing. This person can make contributions to office meetings, have conversations with clients, and carry out most work functions requested of them. A person at this level can speak at a normal speed in the language and has a fairly extensive vocabulary. Some employers consider this level or above as basically acceptable, depending on the specific job. 

A LEVEL B1 LANGUAGE LEARNER MIGHT SAY OR UNDERSTAND

I’ve been living in New York for the past four years. We still aren’t really used to the snow yet, but it seems like this winter wasn’t too bad. I don’t have to work on the weekends, so this is great for my family. This fall, we decided to spend part of the fall in Tennessee and the other part in Illinois. We have a few friends in both states. My family said I cannot work during the trip so I left my laptop at home. It was really peaceful in both locations. We played golf and rode horses while we were there. As you can imagine, there was a lot of work to do when I returned to the office. Even so, it was a great time!

Reaching this level of fluency is what most employers want to see on a resume. It means you can have conversation at an advanced level and have a firm understanding of the language, though you may have some misunderstandings and occasional mistakes. Someone at this level can have advanced discussions on a wide range of topics about personal life, current events, and technical topics such as business and finance. People at this level may still have a minor accent and may occasionally misspeak or make minor mistakes. Their vocabulary is extensive and they can carry on conversations with ease. Most employers consider this level or above acceptable. You are nearly fluent. Being fluent refers to a high level of language proficiency. In this instance, we are referring to proficiency of a foreign language or another learned language. At the fluent level, a speaker will have fluid speech as opposed to frequent halting or pauses. Generally, a person who is fluent in a foreign language will show mastery in the following areas:

READING: the ability to read and understand texts written in the language

WRITING: the ability to formulate written texts in the language.

COMPREHENSION: the ability to follow and understand speech in the language

SPEAKING: the ability to produce speech in the language and be understood by its speakers

A LEVEL 4 LANGUAGE LEARNER MAY SAY OR UNDERSTAND 

It’s been very crazy here in New York recently. We had two snowstorms within three weeks, causing us to lose electricity for a couple of days each time. My wife and I still had to go to work, but the heater was broken at her office. She wasn’t able to work well in the office building. At home, this caused us to spend a lot of money for three days because we had to eat a lot at restaurants. Although we spent extra money, it was amazing and quite a bit of a new adventure for the children. They loved reading books and drinking hot chocolate by the fireplace. We also bundled up an enormous blanket in the evenings. We enjoyed so much time together that I don’t even think they missed the electronic devices.

Reaching this level of fluency means that you are fluent in the language. You were either raised speaking the language or have spoken the language long enough to become proficient in it. Your accent is either nonexistent or barely recognizable. Native Language/Native Speaker refers to the language that is your primary language – the langue that is usually learned during early childhood and is considered your “mother-tongue”. A native speaker is more than fluent, as they correctly and easily use the language in a proper sense as well as understand colloquialisms, idioms, and slang. Bilingual refers to using or being able to use two languages with equal fluency. If both languages are not spoken, written, read, and heard with equal strength, the term “bilingual” does not apply. A person who is fluent in a foreign language will show mastery in the following areas:

READING: the ability to read and understand texts written in the language

WRITING: the ability to formulate written texts in the langue.

COMPREHENSION: the ability to follow and understand speech in the language

SPEAKING: the ability to produce speech in the language and be understood by its speakers

A C1 LEVEL LANGUAGE LEARNER MIGHT SAY OR UNDERSTAND

Instead of going home to California, we visited Colorado. We’ve had an amazing summer there in Colorado. Before this summer, we had never been to the Midwest. The people there are so laid back and friendly. Everyone minded their own business. I think our favorite part was either hiking in the mountains or kayaking in the river. If I’m being honest, we actually got a little lost, but we had a bunch of fun figuring out how to get back to the car. Of course we had GPS, so we could have easily opened our phone and used the directions to get back to the car. It was actually fun to disconnect, shut off the technology, and figure it out for ourselves. We’re definitely not looking forward to getting back to real life after this vacation, but things don’t work that way, right? We all have to make a living to be able to afford great adventures like this one. For now, let’s get back to the coffee, negotiating, and company reports.

Reaching this level of fluency means that you are very fluent in the language. You were either raised speaking the language or have spoken the language long enough to become very proficient in it. Your accent is either nonexistent or barely recognizable. For reference, Native Language/Native Speaker refers to the language that is your primary language – the language that is usually learned during early childhood and is considered your “mother-tongue”. A native speaker is more than fluent, as they correctly and easily use the language in a proper sense as well as understand colloquialisms, idioms, and slang. Bilingual refers to using or being able to use two languages with equal fluency. If both languages are not spoken, written, read, and heard with equal strength, the term “bilingual” does not apply. A person who is fluent in a foreign language will show mastery in the following areas: 

READING: the ability to read and understand texts written in the language

WRITING: the ability to formulate written texts in the langue.

COMPREHENSION: the ability to follow and understand speech in the language

SPEAKING: the ability to produce speech in the language and be understood by its speakers

A C2 LEVEL LANGUAGE LEARNER MAY SAY OR UNDERSTAND

It’s ridiculously hard to live in New York because you sometimes have to struggle to find reasonably priced real estate. Sometimes it makes me want to move back home to California – or even to a new state or country! It’s difficult to find a high quality school for the kids and the cost to participate in events, activities, and festivals in city can be quite expensive. One of the upsides for us used to be public transportation, but it’s crowded with so many people and not very clean. The homes are nearly double the price of home in California and almost half the size. What a bummer. In regards to the schools, we could’ve put the kids in a private school, but in the suburbs, there really isn’t a need to do that. The public schools here are superb and the enrollment process was easy. Even though we consider ourselves city people, it’s not too bad living in the suburbs. We usually try out one new restaurant every couple of months. That appeases our appetites for dining out and gives us a chance to try new cuisines. We still budget and plan for the future, but we get to splurge more by living in the suburbs than if we were living on one of the coasts where the cost of living is even more outrageous.