Figuring out your English as a Second Language (ESL) level can be hard to do. Every organization looks at different things when they measure ESL levels. At Leadership & Language, we look at a lot of different things too, because we don't want your English to be for basic survival. We want you to grow and succeed using English wherever and whenever you need it. So, what types of things do we look at when we measure your ESL level? A good ESL program will always look at 4 Key Areas: Reading, Writing, Listening & Speaking and decide what skills are important in each of those areas for you the learner to know.
In general, ESL learners at the beginner and advanced beginner levels are most comfortable with simple sentences and speaking with words we use or hear all the time. They are learning to use English for familiar routines or every day activities and situations. They speak in short simple sentences. They may understand more than they can speak and read more than they can write. Beginners depend a lot on gestures, pictures, repetition and are learning a lot of new vocabulary. Beginners are learning how to use English grammar so they can speak in simple sentences, ask simple questions, understand basic information and get by in their day to day interactions. Beginners and advanced beginners need people to speak to them slowly and clearly and often use translators for clarification or understanding.
Learners at the intermediate and advanced levels are comfortable using longer more complex sentences and need more practice connecting sentences or with understanding idioms. They can usually speak about their lives, activities, interests and feelings in more detail and ask follow-up questions with some mistakes. They can interact with more people, can read and can usually identify important information with day to day routines and sometimes with unfamiliar situtations. Intermediate and advanced learners begin to be challenged when learning about unfamiliar contexts or when they are asked to use English at more academic or professional levels.
As learners begin to advance with their ability to use English, they may begin to need a different kind of support. Some may want to go to college, pass a state certification exam, or need help with writing and research. Those learners will want to build their academic English skills. They will want to work on learning and understanding more formal English so they can write essays for different genres, proofread and edit, use citations, read and think critically, or study for exams like the TOEFL exam.
Others learners may need more support using English in a professional setting with writing emails, understanding professional reports, leading meetings or conducting trainings. Now their English needs to be professional, technical and clear for thier colleagues, for networking or for promotion into higher positions. These learners will need to build their business English and develop business vocabulary, master small talk, speak professionally, and present and write at higher levels appropriate for the workplace.
Regardless of the ESL need you have, Leadership & Language is committed to helping you overcome your language challenges and will support you during your development. We know how challenging learning a language is but we also know the wonderful things you can do because you speak more than one language. Being multilingual is awesome and we are proud of you for investing in yourself and developing your English skills. We can't wait to see you in class and look forward to watching you succeed!
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