ACTFL Level Descriptions
Reading, listening, writing, and speaking abilities are rated on a scale from Novice to Distinguished. These ratings have been determined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). The inverted pyramid and descriptions show the range of possible ACTFL ratings that you might receive, based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (2024).
After completing a test, you will receive an official documentation from ACTFL of your rating. Ratings are valid for two years.
Novice (Low, Mid, High)
Listening: Listeners at the Novice level can comprehend familiar, rehearsed words and phrases in highly predictable contexts like greetings, but they require repetition and rely heavily on non-verbal cues and context to understand what they hear.
Reading: Readers at the Novice level can understand a limited amount of information from predictable texts like street signs or receipts by recognizing key words and formulaic phrases, and by relying heavily on context and visuals to aid comprehension.
Writing: Writers at the Novice level can communicate simple messages about familiar, everyday topics using basic words, phrases, and sentences, and can also copy familiar words or characters.
Speaking: Speakers at the Novice level can convey short, rehearsed messages on familiar, everyday topics using simple words, phrases, and questions.
Intermediate (Low, Mid, High)
Listening: Listeners at the Intermediate level can understand simple, connected speech and vocabulary on familiar, everyday topics. They are able to comprehend one utterance at a time during face-to-face conversations or routine tasks, but still rely on context, gestures, and other non-verbal cues to assist with comprehension.
Reading: Readers at the Intermediate level can understand basic information in simple, predictable texts like announcements or weather reports. They rely on contextual clues and a familiar format to comprehend minimally connected discourse made up of individual or short strings of sentences.
Writing: Writers at the Intermediate level can fulfill everyday writing needs by creating simple messages, letters, and notes. They can also ask and respond to basic questions, communicating simple facts and ideas on personal and social topics using basic vocabulary and present tense.
Speaking: Speakers at the Intermediate level can create language to handle basic social and transactional situations (getting a room at a hotel, ordering food, arranging travel etc.), as well as participate in conversations on familiar topics. They produce simple sentences and short strings of sentences, primarily in the present tense, and can ask and answer simple questions despite having a limited vocabulary.
Advanced (Low, Mid, High)
Listening: Listeners at the Advanced level can comprehend main ideas and most supporting details in connected discourse on a variety of general topics, such as news stories, explanations, and instructions. They are able to understand speech that is straightforward and can follow basic time-frame references, relying on background knowledge and context to compensate for any limitations.
Reading: Readers at the Advanced level can comprehend the main ideas and supporting details in narrative and descriptive texts like news articles and blog posts, which have a clear structure and pertain to topics of general interest. They are able to use contextual clues to compensate for limited vocabulary and possess enough knowledge of linguistic conventions to understand sequencing and time frames.
Writing: Writers at the Advanced level can produce informal and some formal correspondence, along with narratives, descriptions, and summaries. They can write in the past, present, and future time frames, creating connected paragraphs with good control of vocabulary and grammatical structures.
Speaking: Speakers at the Advanced level can participate in a wide range of conversations, including routine work-related interactions and discussions on community, national, or international topics. They can handle most social situations by producing detailed narrations and descriptions in the past, present, and future, connecting their ideas into coherent, paragraph-length discourse.
Superior
Listening: Listeners at the Superior level can follow complex, abstract discussions, including supported arguments, hypotheses, and cultural references, in both formal and informal settings. They comprehend extended discourse from sources like lectures and speeches, understanding a broad range of vocabulary, rhetorical devices, and cultural nuances to make inferences and grasp what is left unsaid.
Reading: Readers at the Superior level can understand a wide range of written texts on both familiar and unfamiliar topics, including professional, academic, or literary works that use abstract language and complex arguments. They draw meaning from a broad vocabulary, complex structures, and cultural knowledge, and can make inferences from both textual and extralinguistic clues.
Writing: Writers at the Superior level can create a wide range of formal and informal texts, including summaries, reports, and other extended writings on various social, academic, and professional topics. Their writing is characterized by well-developed arguments, clear organization, and a high degree of control over grammar, syntax, and specialized vocabulary, making their communication precise and easy for the reader to understand.
Speaking: Speakers at the Superior level can communicate fluently and accurately on both concrete and abstract topics in various settings, participating fully in conversations. They can explain complex subjects, defend their opinions, and use extended, cohesive discourse with ease and a high degree of grammatical accuracy.
Taken and abbreviated from the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, 2024.