English Proficiency Placement
Class Level Assessment
During orientation, your language proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing will be assessed. Your class level will be determined based on your test scores.
Beginning Levels:
- Have the necessary language skills to perform daily activities such as greeting others, talking about yourself, and making simple requests
- Have the language skills to engage in simple conversations with native speakers
- Listen to basic level conversations or discourse and answer factual questions
- Read simplified and adapted ESL materials, comprehend main ideas, and answer basic questions
- Use basic sentence structure correctly
- Write single paragraphs based on models
Intermediate Levels:
- Are able to interact successfully in a variety of social situations and respond appropriately
- Are able to give short informational presentations that demonstrate satisfactory comprehension of varied listening materials
- Read clearly organized texts, then identify the main ideas, supporting details, and method of development
- Write complex essays using process writing strategies and development
- Are able to take notes and summarize short academic lectures and extended conversations
Advanced Levels:
- Utilize oral communication skills with enough accuracy and fluency to participate in a range of practical, social, and academic situations
- Use vocabulary effectively, particularly for expressing subtleties of meaning
- Process ideas and information from complex academic lectures (from a variety of media) and integrate the information into discussions and debates
- Explain and synthesize information from lectures in preparation for essay exams
- Write a well organized research paper with proper documentation, suitable for mainstream academic coursework
- Read a wide range of fictional and non-fictional texts with nearly complete comprehension and demonstrate effective use of analytical skills