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Oral, Reading, and Writing 

Survey for Analysis of Language Testing Level

ALTA Language Services has been asked by your organization to determine the language skills necessary to perform certain jobs. One of the jobs that we need to learn about is the one that you perform or you supervise

The way that we learn about the language requirements for a particular position is to gather information from people who are currently performing the job requirements. You know better than anyone about the ways you use language on the job. Often we focus on the use of a particular target language, such as Spanish or English. In order to collect information from you, we ask a specific set of questions designed to elicit information about language use.

We are not trying to make language experts of you; rather, we are trying to make use of your professional expertise and apply it to our existing process for determining language proficiency. We provide the questions in advance so that you can offer a thorough and considered answer. This is not a test; do not worry if some of the questions seem difficult to answer.

The answers you provide are combined with the answers of the other survey takers, and we analyze the group of responses to get a full picture of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for completing the job tasks. With what we learn from you and others, we can define the level of language proficiency needed to perform the job.

For the purposes of this survey, “client” may refer to clients, customers, team members, or others with whom you interact in the target language.

Thank you in advance for your help.

6. Of the time spent using the target language, what percentage is: Responses must add up to 100%

Oral Skills

7. On a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being “Not at all important” and 5 being “Absolutely essential,” how would you describe the importance of the accurate use of the spoken language in doing this job?
8. Who does most of the talking? What percentage of a conversation is your part, and what percentage is the part of the average client? Responses must add up to 100%
You ___%
Customer ___%
10. What type of conversation do you have with clients, and how often in a typical day do you use each type?
Interview (question and answer style conversation)
Providing Information
Convincing
Handling Difficult Situations

Listening - Comprehension

These questions refer specifically to what your clients are saying to you.

11. How often do you hear your clients use slang, idioms, or cultural expressions?
12. How often do you hear your clients use industry-specific terminology?
15. Do your clients speak quickly, normally, or slowly?

Speaking - Communication

These questions refer to what you are saying to your clients in the course of your interactions with them.

16. What types of communication are you using when you speak to clients, and how often do you use each type?
Explaining
Convincing
Using a script or planned speech
Responding to many different situations
18. How often do you have to go beyond very simple grammar when speaking to clients?
19. On a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being “Not at all important” and 5 being “Absolutely essential,” how important is it to speak with good grammar when speaking to a client?
20. How quickly do you need to speak when talking with clients?

Speaking - Grammar

21. On a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being “Not at all important” and 5 being “Absolutely essential,” how important is it to speak with good grammar when speaking to a client?
24. Are nouns in your language gendered? If so, do errors in gender impact understanding?
25. On a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being “Not at all important” and 5 being “Absolutely essential,” how important is the use of formal or informal forms of address?

Speaking - Vocabulary

26. On a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being “Not at all important” and 5 being “Absolutely essential,” how important is the range of vocabulary used with clients?
27. How often do you need to use slang, idioms, or cultural expressions when talking to clients?
28. How often do you use industry-specific terminology when talking to clients?

Overall Oral

Level
General Description
1
A level 1 speaker has no ability whatsoever in the language. They cannot understand anything and can convey nothing.
2
A level 2 speaker can understand isolated words and simple expressions. They can convey isolated words or simple expressions and memorized sentences.
3
A level 3 person can understand and express simple sentences using subjects and verbs in the present tense. The range of vocabulary is limited to elementary needs and some basic courtesies.
4
The level 4 person can understand basic sentences around the immediate setting as well as basic questions. They can express simple ideas using the present tense and may occasionally use other simple tenses. They can convey basic information; they experience difficulty in basic conversations.
5
A person at a level 5 has the ability to participate in basic conversations. The subjects are routine in nature and tend to be repetitive (ex: weather). A level 5 speaker uses primarily the present tense and cannot use advanced tenses, and thus is restricted to expressing and understanding any subject other than what is most familiar to them. Speech is slow, and they require rephrasing and repetition to understand a native speaker.
6
A level 6 person can use and understand the present, past, and future tenses with some errors. They do not use advanced tenses. They can easily participate in a conversation on basic subjects like weather, but experience difficulty when trying to converse about a greater range of topics. They usually cannot understand normal native rates of speech.
7
A person at a level 7 cannot easily participate in general conversations. They can participate in conversations that are routine, or on topics that are well-known to the person. They have trouble with a native speaker's normal pace. They use simple tenses with a few errors but avoid advanced tenses. A language user at this level in a general conversation likely causes misunderstandings in conversation based on a lack of ability to clearly convey their message.
8
A person at level 8 can participate in general conversation on routine topics in most social and work-related settings. They have trouble with some normal-speed conversations, and with topics that are more advanced or specialized. They may lack the capability to speak at a normal speed, and either does not use advanced grammatical structures or use them with mistakes. A candidate at this level causes some misunderstandings in conversation based on some lack of ability to clearly convey their message.
9
A person at level 9 can successfully handle in-depth conversations in the target language, on a broad range of subjects, and at a normal rate of speech. They have difficulty understanding some idiomatic language and some advanced grammatical structures but can figure out what is said in the context of the discussion. A level 9 language user speaks about a broad range of topics at a normal speed. They may have a noticeable accent and may make some grammatical errors (in particular with advanced structures) but errors do not cause misunderstanding to a native speaker.
10
A person at level 10 can handle all of the tasks at level 9, with the addition of demonstrating skills such as selling and persuasion. They can handle in-depth client questions and do not require as much contextual support for comprehension of slang and idioms. A person at this level is able to select vocabulary that conveys a finer shade of meaning with more precision than a level 0 and can better support their opinions. Errors in speech are few, are limited to advanced grammatical structures, and do not affect understanding.
11
A person at level 11 is nearly fluent. They can handle a wide variety of communicative tasks with finesse. Their communication is close to that of a well-educated speaker, and they only encounter difficulty if speech is highly abstract. Errors in speech are very few, are limited to advanced grammatical structures, and do not affect understanding.
12
The level 12 oral skills are equivalent to well-educated native fluency. The person can understand everything said in the language and can speak with precision and finesse, using the full range of grammar and vocabulary. Deficiencies occasionally occur with the use of colloquial expressions or highly specialized terminology. A non-native or regional accent may be present.
12+
Level 12+ is a well-educated, distinguished speaker with superior native fluency. A person at this level not only speaks in a native-like manner and is perceived as native, but can make speeches and converse on nearly any subject.

Reading and Writing Skills

If you do not read or write in the target language on the job, you may skip Questions 30 through 50 and complete your survey with Question 51.

31. On a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being “Not at all important” and 5 being “Absolutely essential,” how important is it to use good grammar when writing in the target language?
32. What is the percentage ratio of reading to writing? Percentages must add up to 100%
Reading ___%
Writing ___%
34. What type of reading or writing is it, and how often do you use each type?
Providing information
Convincing
Handling difficult situations
Technical

Reading - Comprehension

The next several questions relate to materials that you read as part of your job.
35. How often do slang, idioms, or culturally-specific expressions occur in the target-language materials you read on the job?
36. How often does industry-specific terminology occur in the materials you read on the job?
38. How often does the material you read on the job include complex sentences or phrases?
39. What form is the reading material, and how often do you encounter each type?
Letters
Emails
Technical documents
Forms

Overall

ALTA Scale Descriptions of Reading Performance
Level
General Description
1
The candidate has no comprehension of text written in the target language, apart from recognizing the parts of the writing system, such as characters, letters, and accent marks.
2
The candidate can read and understand only some isolated words and a few memorized simple sentences.
3
The candidate can read only isolated words and phrases, such as directions, place names, maps, signs, and some items on menus.
4
The candidate has a very basic range of comprehension sufficient for understanding parts of forms and menus but experiences significant difficulty comprehending simple sentence structures.
5
The candidate has a very basic range of comprehension sufficient for understanding straightforward short texts, such as announcements, simple forms, menus, or narrations, and other texts centering on basic or social needs. The candidate experiences difficulty comprehending simple structures and making connections in texts.
6
The candidate has a range of comprehension sufficient for handling simple texts containing familiar subject matter and sentence patterns. The candidate can read materials such as personal correspondence, biographical information, social notices, and straightforward factual material but with many misunderstandings. The candidate may experience difficulty understanding newspaper articles and cannot understand business correspondence.
7
The candidate has a range of comprehension sufficient for handling simple texts containing familiar subject matter and sentence patterns. The candidate can read personal correspondence, biographical information, social notices, and straightforward factual material but with some misunderstandings. The candidate may experience difficulty understanding newspaper articles and cannot understand business correspondence.
8
The candidate has a range of comprehension sufficient for handling texts targeted to the general reader. The candidate understands most newspaper articles but has some difficulty understanding normal business correspondence and texts pertinent to his/her field. The candidate may experience difficulty with advanced structures but can often get the gist of the author's meaning by relying on understandable portions of the texts. Misunderstandings may occur.
9
The candidate has a range of comprehension sufficient for handling text targeted to the general reader and a variety of documents related to his/her field. The candidate can successfully understand newspaper articles, simple business reports, and routine correspondence. The candidate may experience difficulty with highly complex structures, idioms, and slang. Misunderstandings rarely occur.
10
The candidate has a wide range of comprehension and only experiences some difficulty with idioms and slang. The candidate can successfully understand all business correspondence and professional documents related to his/her field with a high degree of precision. The reader has the added ability to be able to "read between the lines" to detect unstated meanings, and tone, and make inferences about the text.
11
The candidate has a wide range of comprehension and can understand advanced text materials with a near-native degree of precision.
12
The candidate can read and understand a wide range of complex texts at a level equivalent to that of a native reader.
12+
The candidate can read and understand a wide range of text at any complexity at a level equivalent to that of a well-educated native reader.

Writing

41. What types of material do you write in the target language, and how often?
Emails
Letters
Technical documents
Forms
43. How often do you have to go beyond very simple grammar when writing in the target language?
44. On a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being “Not at all important” and 5 being “Absolutely essential,” how important is it to use good grammar when writing in the target language?
46. On a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being “Not at all important” and 5 being “Absolutely essential,” how important is the use of formal or informal forms of address?
47. How often do slang, idioms, or culturally-specific expressions occur in the target-language materials you write on the job?
48. How often does industry-specific terminology occur in the materials you write on the job?

Overall

ALTA Scale Descriptions of Written Performance
Level
General Description
1
The candidate has no ability to write in the target language.
2
The candidate's writing uses only isolated words and demonstrates no knowledge of grammatical structures. Excessive spelling, punctuation, and/or vocabulary mistakes are present.
3
The candidate’s writing uses only isolated words or phrases, and their knowledge of grammatical structures is very limited. Excessive spelling, punctuation, and/or vocabulary mistakes are present.
4
The candidate’s writing uses simple sentences, words, and/ or phrases. The candidate displays very basic knowledge of grammatical structures, but makes frequent mistakes. Excessive spelling, punctuation, and/ or vocabulary mistakes are present.
5
The candidate’s writing uses simple language structures with no elaboration. The candidate displays some knowledge of grammatical structures, but mistakes are present. The candidate does not demonstrate the ability to effectively express opinions and/or explain procedures. Frequent spelling, punctuation, and/ or vocabulary mistakes are present.
6
The candidate’s writing uses basic structures to convey meaning, but no advanced or formal structures are used correctly. The candidate demonstrates a basic understanding of grammatical structures, but many mistakes are present. The candidate is unable to effectively express opinions and/or explain procedures. Spelling, punctuation, and/ or vocabulary mistakes are present.
7
The candidate’s writing uses basic structures to convey meaning, but almost no advanced or formal structures are used correctly. The candidate demonstrates a basic understanding of grammatical structures, but mistakes are present. The candidate might be unable to effectively express opinions and/or explain procedures in a coherent manner. Spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary are good in areas of frequent usage, but mistakes are present in advanced areas.
8
The candidate’s writing uses basic structures to convey meaning, but few advanced or formal structures are used correctly. The candidate demonstrates an understanding of basic grammatical structures, but mistakes are present in advanced areas. The candidate might have a limited ability to express opinions and explain procedures in a coherent manner. Spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary are very good in areas of frequent usage, but there are mistakes in advanced areas that may confuse the reader.
9
The candidate’s writing uses basic and advanced structures to convey his or her intended meaning. The candidate displays an understanding of basic and advanced grammar, but some mistakes are present. The candidate has a basic ability to express opinions and explain procedures. Spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary are very good in areas of frequent usage, but there are mistakes in advanced areas that distract but do not confuse the reader.
10
The candidate’s writing structure is clear and concise, but lacks style and fluidity. The candidate understands basic and advanced grammar, though a few mistakes are present in advanced grammatical structures. The candidate is able to express opinions and explain procedures in an informal style. Spelling, punctuation, and/or vocabulary are very good in areas of frequent and infrequent usage, but mistakes still occur in advanced areas.
11
The candidate’s writing structure is clear and concise, but may lack style and therefore seem similar to that of a less-educated writer. The candidate uses basic and advanced grammar correctly, with only very minor errors. The candidate is able to express opinions and explain procedures, but he or she may not use formal and informal styles effectively. Spelling, punctuation and/or vocabulary mistakes are very few and minor
12
The candidate’s writing structure is equivalent to that of a well-educated writer. The candidate is able to express opinions and explain procedures in a way that demonstrates an ability to write formal and informal styles. Any mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and/or vocabulary are very minor mistakes that a native speaker would make.
12+
The candidate’s writing structure is equivalent to that of a well-educated native writer. The candidate displays a complete range of linguistic nuance with no mistakes present.

Summary

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