text: Appendix E
  Table E-1. Foreign language skill rating and language modalities
  Foreign language skill
  Rated language modalities
  rating
  (L) No practical understanding of the spoken language. Understanding is limited to occasional isolated words with
  0 essentially no ability to comprehend communication.
  No proficiency (R) No practical ability to read the language. Consistently misunderstands or cannot comprehend at all.
  (S) Unable to function in the spoken language. Oral production is limited to occasional isolated words.
  (L) Understands with reasonable accuracy only when this involves short, memorized utterances or formulae.
  0+ (R) Can recognize all the letters in the printed version of an alphabetic system and high-frequency elements of a
  Memorized proficiency syllabary or a character system.
  (S) Vocabulary is usually limited to areas of immediate survival needs.
  (L) Can understand simple questions and answers, simple statements, and very simple face-to-face
  conversations in a standard dialect.
  1
  (R) Can read very simple connected written material in a form equivalent to usual printing or typescript.
  Elementary proficiency
  (S) Able to satisfy minimum courtesy requirements and maintain very simple face-to-face conversations on
  familiar topics.
  (L) Sufficient comprehension to understand short conversations about all survival needs and limited social demands.
  1+ (R) Sufficient comprehension to understand simple discourse in printed form for informative social purposes, as
  Elementary proficiency well as understand some main ideas from more complex texts.
  plus (S) Can initiate and maintain predictable face-to-face conversations and satisfy limited social demands; range and
  control of the language are limited.
  (L) Sufficient comprehension to understand conversations on routine social demands and limited job requirements.
  2
  (R) Sufficient comprehension to read simple, authentic written material in a form equivalent to usual printing or
  Limited working
  typescript on subjects within a familiar context.
  proficiency
  (S) Able to satisfy routine social demands and limited work requirements.
  (L) Sufficient comprehension to understand most routine social demands and most conversations on work
  requirements as well as some discussions on concrete topics related to interests and special fields of competence.
  2+
  (R) Sufficient comprehension to understand most factual material in nontechnical prose as well as some
  Limited working
  discussions on concrete topics related to special professional interests.
  proficiency plus
  (S) Able to satisfy most work requirements with language usage that is often, but not always, acceptable, and
  effective.
  (L) Able to understand the essentials of all speech in a standard dialect including technical discussions within a
  special field.
  3
  (R) Able to read within a normal range of speed and with almost complete comprehension a variety of authentic
  General professional
  prose material on unfamiliar subjects.
  proficiency
  (S) Able to speak the language with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most
  formal and informal conversations in practical, social, and professional topics.
  (L) Comprehends most of the content and intent of a variety of forms and styles of speech pertinent to
  professional needs, as well as general topics and social conversation.
  3+
  (R) Can comprehend a variety of styles and forms pertinent to professional needs and rarely misinterprets such
  General professional
  texts or difficulty relating ideas or making inferences.
  proficiency plus
  (S) Is often able to use the language to satisfy professional needs in a wide range of sophisticated and
  demanding tasks.
  (L) Able to understand all forms and styles of speech pertinent to professional needs as well as understand fully
  all speech with extensive and precise vocabulary.
  4
  (R) Able to read fluently and accurately all styles and forms of the language pertinent to professional needs as
  Advanced professional
  well as understand full ramifications of texts in wider sociopolitical environment.
  proficiency
  (S) Able to use the language fluently and accurately on all levels normally pertinent both personal and
  professional needs.
  (L) Increased ability to understand extremely difficult and abstract speech as well as ability to understand all forms
  and styles of speech pertinent to professional needs, including social conversations.
  4+
  (R) Nearly native ability to read and understand extremely difficult or abstract prose, a very wide variety of
  Advanced professional
  vocabulary, idioms, colloquialisms, and slang.
  proficiency plus
  (S) Speaking proficiency is regularly superior in all respects, usually equivalent to that of a well-educated, highly
  articulate native speaker.
  (L) Comprehension equivalent to that of the well-educated native listener.
  5
  (R) Reading proficiency is functionally equivalent to that of the well-educated native reader.
  Functionally native
  (S) Speaking proficiency is functionally equivalent to that of a highly articulate well-educated native speaker and
  proficiency
  reflects the cultural standards of the country where the language is natively spoken.
  L listening modality R reading modality S speaking modality