Language Learning Self-Assessment

This evaluation is a tool to help you understand your language ability. In it, you are asked to check a box if you agree with the statement, for instance, “I can introduce myself and provide basic personal information.” The focus is on whether you can complete certain tasks, rather than whether you speak grammatically, or with an acceptable accent. This is a self-assessment, so the quality of the assessment depends on your own honesty.

The inventory is quite comprehensive, and will take 45–90 minutes to complete. The full inventory evaluates you against interpersonal communication (i.e., talking to people in daily life), speaking, writing, listening, and reading. If you don't want to be evaluated against reading and writing, for instance, you can uncheck those boxes below. At the end of the evaluation, you'll see approximately where you fall on the ACTFL Proficiency Scale for each domain.

This evaluation tool is intended to be applicable to any language situation. If some of the statements seem irrelevant to you in your context (e.g., “I can identify artists, titles, and music genres from iTunes.”), then you can check the box if you feel that you could do something equivalent. Other questions may relate to complicated cultural situations (e.g., “I can clear up a major personal, school, or work place misunderstanding.”); for these questions, answer according to your language ability.

I can greet my peers.

I can introduce myself to someone.

I can answer a few simple questions.

I can greet and leave people in a polite way.

I can introduce myself and others.

I can answer a variety of simple questions.

I can make some simple statements in a conversation.

I can ask some simple questions.

I can communicate basic information about myself and people I know.

I can communicate some basic information about my everyday life.

I can exchange some personal information.

I can exchange information using texts, graphs, or pictures.

I can ask for and give simple directions.

I can make plans with others.

I can interact with others in everyday situations.

I can talk with someone about family or household tasks.

I can ask and answer questions on factual information that is familiar to me.

I can use the language to meet my basic needs in familiar situations.

I can start, maintain, and end a conversation on a variety of familiar topics.

I can talk about my daily activities and personal preferences.

I can use my language to handle tasks related to my personal needs.

I can exchange information about subjects of special interest to me.

I can exchange information related to areas of mutual interest.

I can use my language to do a task that requires multiple steps.

I can use my language to handle a situation that may have a complication.

I can participate in conversations on a wide variety of topics that go beyond my everyday life.

I can compare and contrast life in different locations and in different times.

I can resolve an unexpected complication that arises in a familiar situation.

I can conduct or participate in interviews.

I can communicate effectively on a wide variety of present, past, and future events.

I can exchange general information on topics outside my fields of interest.

I can handle a complication or unexpected turn of events.

I can exchange complex information about academic and professional tasks.

I can exchange detailed information on topics within and beyond my fields of interest.

I can support my opinion and construct hypotheses.

I can support my opinions clearly and precisely.

I can discuss complex information in debates or meetings.

I can participate with ease in complex discussions with multiple participants on a wide variety of topics.

I can communicate reflectively on a wide range of global issues and highly abstract concepts in a culturally sophisticated manner.

I can recite words and phrases that I have learned.

I can state the names of familiar people, places, and objects in pictures and posters using words or memorized phrases.

I can introduce myself to a group.

I can recite short memorized phrases, parts of poems, and rhymes.

I can present information about myself and others using words and phrases.

I can express my likes and dislikes using words, phrases, and memorized expressions.

I can present information about familiar items in my immediate environment.

I can talk about my daily activities using words, phrases, and memorized expressions.

I can present simple information about something I learned using words, phrases, and memorized expressions.

I can present information about my life using phrases and simple sentences.

I can tell about a familiar experience or event using phrases and simple sentences.

I can present basic information about a familiar person, place, or thing using phrases and simple sentences.

I can present information about others using phrases and simple sentences.

I can give basic instructions on how to make or do something using phrases and simple sentences.

I can present basic information about things I have learned using phrases and simple sentences.

I can talk about people, activities, events, and experiences.

I can express my needs and wants.

I can present information on plans, instructions, and directions.

I can present songs, short skits, or dramatic readings.

I can express my preferences on topics of interest.

I can make a presentation about my personal and social experiences.

I can make a presentation on something I have learned or researched.

I can make a presentation about common interests and issues and state my viewpoint.

I can present information on academic and work topics.

I can make a presentation on events, activities, and topics of particular interest.

I can present my point of view and provide reasons to support it.

I can deliver short presentations on a number of academic and workplace topics.

I can deliver short presentations on social and cultural topics.

I can explain issues of public and community interest, including different viewpoints.

I can deliver presentations for a specific audience.

I can present information about events of public or personal interest.

I can convey my ideas and elaborate on a variety of academic topics.

I can give presentations with ease and detail on a wide variety of topics related to professional interests.

I can present complex information on many concrete topics and related issues.

I can present a viewpoint with supporting arguments on a complex issue.

I can use appropriate presentational conventions and strategies.

I can give a clearly articulated and well-structured presentation on a complex topic or issue.

I can adapt the language in my presentation for casual, professional, or general public audiences.

I can depart from the prepared text of my presentation when appropriate.

I can present skillfully and with accuracy, efficiency, and effectiveness in a variety of settings.

I can tailor my presentation to engage an audience whose attitudes and culture may be different from my own.

I can copy some characters or letters and words that I see on the wall or board, in a book, or on the computer.

I can write words and phrases that I have learned.

I can label familiar people, places, and objects in pictures and posters.

I can fill out a simple form with some basic personal information.

I can write about myself using learned phrases and memorized expressions.

I can list my daily activities and write lists that help me in my day-to-day life.

I can write notes about something I have learned using lists, phrases, and memorized expressions.

I can write information about my daily life in a letter, blog, discussion board, or email message.

I can write short notes using phrases and simple sentences.

I can write about a familiar experience or event using practiced material.

I can write basic information about things I have learned.

I can ask for information in writing.

I can write about people, activities, events, and experiences.

I can prepare materials for a presentation.

I can write about topics of interest.

I can write basic instructions on how to make or do something.

I can write questions to obtain information.

I can write messages and announcements.

I can write short reports about something I have learned or researched.

I can compose communications for public distribution.

I can write about school and academic topics.

I can write about work and career topics.

I can write about community topics and events.

I can write about an entertainment or social event.

I can meet basic school and academic writing needs.

I can meet basic work and career writing needs.

I can meet basic social and civic writing needs.

I can write well organized texts for a variety of academic purposes.

I can write well organized texts for a variety of professional purposes.

I can write well organized texts for a variety of general interest purposes.

I can write using target language and culture conventions to present and elaborate a point of view.

I can write using target language and culture conventions for informal purposes.

I can write using target language and culture conventions for formal purposes.

I can write effectively about complex and abstract issues of general interest.

I can write about complex and abstract issues on academic and professional topics.

I can develop an argument using the writing mechanics and organizational style of the target language and culture.

I can craft texts using a variety of writing styles reflective of target culture patterns.

I can write as succinctly or elaborately as required by the purpose of the writing.

I can write creatively.

I can occasionally identify the sound of a character or a word.

I can occasionally understand isolated words that I have memorized, particularly when accompanied by gestures or pictures.

I can understand a few courtesy phrases.

I can recognize and sometimes understand basic information in words and phrases that I have memorized.

I can recognize and sometimes understand words and phrases that I have learned for specific purposes.

I can sometimes understand simple questions or statements on familiar topics.

I can understand simple information when presented with pictures and graphs.

I can sometimes understand the main topic of conversations that I overhear.

I can understand the basic purpose of a message.

I can understand messages related to my basic needs.

I can understand questions and simple statements on everyday topics when I am part of the conversation.

I can understand basic information in ads, announcements, and other simple recordings.

I can understand the main idea of what I listen to for personal enjoyment.

I can understand messages related to my everyday life.

I can easily understand straightforward information or interactions.

I can understand a few details in ads, announcements, and other simple recordings.

I can sometimes understand situations with complicating factors.

I can understand descriptions and stories of events that have happened or will happen.

I can understand the main idea of popular genres.

I can understand the main idea and many details of descriptions or interviews.

I can understand accounts of events.

I can understand directions and instructions on everyday tasks.

I can easily understand detailed reports and exposés.

I can often understand various viewpoints in extended arguments.

I can understand discussions and presentations on many concrete and abstract topics.

I can understand a variety of abstract and technical topics within my field of expertise.

I can understand discussions on various issues of general interest.

I can understand implications and inferences in discussions or presentations.

I can understand speech that is tailored to either formal or informal contexts.

I can understand a wide range of idioms, metaphors, and culturally embedded references.

I can follow speech that takes a surprising turn.

I can recognize a few letters or characters.

I can connect some words, phrases, or characters to their meanings.

I can recognize words, phrases, and characters with the help of visuals.

I can recognize words, phrases, and characters when I associate them with things I already know.

I can usually understand short simple messages on familiar topics.

I can sometimes understand short, simple descriptions with the help of pictures or graphs.

I can sometimes understand the main idea of published materials.

I can understand simple everyday notices in public places on topics that are familiar to me.

I can understand messages in which the writer tells or asks me about topics of personal interest.

I can identify some simple information needed on forms.

I can identify some information from news media.

I can understand simple personal questions.

I can understand basic information in ads, announcements, and other simple texts.

I can understand the main idea of what I read for personal enjoyment.

I can read simple written exchanges between other people.

I can understand accounts of personal events or experiences.

I can sometimes follow short, written instructions when supported by visuals.

I can understand the main idea of and a few supporting facts about famous people and historic events.

I can find and use information for practical purposes.

I can read texts that compare and contrast information.

I can follow simple written instructions.

I can follow the general idea and some details of what is written in a variety of stories and autobiographical accounts.

I can understand general information on topics outside my field of interest.

I can understand messages on a wide variety of past, present, and future events.

I can understand narrative, descriptive, and informational texts of any length.

I can read about most topics of special interest.

I can read most general fiction and non-fiction.

I can analyze the primary argument and supporting details.

I can understand detailed information within and beyond my fields of interest.

I can comprehend complex texts on abstract topics of interest to me.

I can understand technical language and jargon.

I can understand beyond the text, understanding inferences, subtleties, literary devices, and rhetorical structures of diverse works.

I can understand popular texts that contain slang, idioms, satire, and cultural references.

If you'd like to refer to your scores later, you can come back to this page for three months and see your scores.

You can read more about what your ACTFL scores mean by looking at this document, particularly pages 4–5.