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Canadian Language Benchmark 4

Speaking: Basic Level

Global Performance Descriptor

• Learner can take part in short routine conversations about needs and familiar topics of personal relevance with supportive listeners.
• Can communicate basic needs and personal experience.
• Can ask and respond to simple familiar questions.
• Can describe a situation, tell a simple story, describe the process of obtaining essential goods (e.g., purchasing, renting) or services (e.g., medical). Uses a variety of short sentences.
• Demonstrates control of basic grammar (basic structures and tenses).
• Uses correct past tense with many common verbs.
• Demonstrates adequate vocabulary for routine everyday communication.
• Clear evidence of connected discourse (and, but, first, next, then, because).
• Pronunciation difficulties may impede communication.
• Needs only a little assistance.
• Can use the phone only for very short, simple, predictable exchanges, communication without visual support is very difficult for him or her.

Performance Conditions

• Interaction is face to face, with one person at a time or in a familiar supportive group.
• Interaction on the phone is rare and brief.
• Speech rate is slow to normal.
• Verbal communication is strongly supported by gestures and other visual clues.
• Instructions and directions have only three to four steps and are sometimes supported with hand gestures.
• Learner’s speech is guided by specific questions from the interlocutor if needed.
• Interaction is empathetic and supportive.
• Topics are about common everyday matters.

Competency Outcomes and Standards