English Fluency Levels

The following levels were created expressly for students at Everybody Loves English.com. They were created using criteria from several different sources and from experience in English teaching. Several factors based on experience as an ESL teacher were also taken into consideration.

Your level is determined by your score on the English Placement Test.

These levels are not intended to create competition among students. Instead, I hope they will be used as goals for your development in speaking, writing and understanding English.

Please remember, everyone has to start somewhere. With diligence and a steady pace of learning, you will reach the top!

• Speaking: can speak a little, with some hesitation and difficulty
• Comprehension: understands simple questions and can respond a little
• Basic survival: knows minimum courtesy requirements (introductions, etc.)
• Writing: written English is somewhat understandable
• Vocabulary: knows basic words
• Grammar: 0-30 overall score on English Placement Test

Level 2-Council Member

• Speaking: speaks English with very little hesitancy and difficulty
• Comprehension: can follow conversation fairly well and can respond at least 50% of the time
• Basic survival: able to communicate on a basic level but with confidence
• Writing: written English is understandable but needs work in singular/plural, verb tenses, prepositions and articles
• Vocabulary: knows basic words and some intermediate terms
• Grammar: 31-55 overall score on English Placement Test

Level 3-Executive

• Speaking: uses conversational English without difficulty; uses correct grammar at least 75% of the time
• Comprehension: can follow conversation at least 95% of the time
• Basic survival: able to express needs and opinions fluently; able to respond appropriately and with courtesy when asked for information or given directions
• Writing: shows understanding of sentence structure; uses singular/plural, verb tenses, prepositions and articles correctly at least 75% of the time; can write at Level 4 or above
• Vocabulary: knows intermediate terms and uses synonyms easily; can give accurate definition of intermediate words at least 80% of the time
• Grammar: 56-80 overall score on English Placement Test

Level 4-Chairman's Club

• Speaking: speaks very fluently, with a decreasing accent; accurately uses singular/plural, verb tenses, prepositions and articles at least 90% of the time
• Comprehension: can follow any conversation; understands most of an academic lecture, news broadcast or English movie without subtitles
• Basic survival: absolutely fluent in functional language, such as asking questions or making requests while traveling
• Writing: uses correct word order, singular/plural, verb tenses, prepositions and articles correctly at least 90% of the time; can write at Level 6 or above
• Vocabulary: uses intermediate terms easily; knows many academic and advanced words; can give accurate definition of intermediate and advanced words at least 90% of the time
• Grammar: 81-97 overall score on English Placement Test

Level 5-World Team

• Speaking: speaks very fluently, with very little accent; accurately uses singular/plural, verb tenses, prepositions and articles 99% of the time
• Comprehension: can understand and restate the main points of any podcast, TV broadcast/documentary, or English movie
• Basic survival: Completely fluent in any travel situation
• Writing: uses correct word order, singular/plural, verb tenses, prepositions and articles correctly 99% of the time; can write at Level 9 or above
• Vocabulary: uses intermediate and advanced words easily; can use conversational or academic English easily; can speak on nearly any topic
• Grammar: 98-100 overall score on English Placement Test