hovisional German Descri$brs-Writing
Novice-Low
No functional ability in writing German.
Novice-Mid
No practicalcommunicativewriting skills.Able to copyisolatedwordsand short phrases.Able to transcribe
previouslystudiedwords or phrases.Able to write name, address,datesand other numbers,as well as
commonexpressions
suchas thoseusedin greetingsand leave-takings.
Novice-High
and limited memorizedmaterial. Can supply information when reAble to write simplefixed expressions
questedon forms suchas hotel reservationsand travel documents.Can write names,write out numbers
from l-20, dates(daysof the week,monthsof the year),own nationalityas well as othercommonadjecand other simplebiographicinformation. Can write limited learnedvocabulary
tivesof nationality, addresses,
as Guten Tag! Ich heisse
for commonobjects,short phrases,and simplelists. Can write suchexpressions
..., WiegehtesDir? Wiegehteslhnen? andother fixed socialformulae.Can namesomecommonobjects;
knows somecommon adjectivesand adverbs;can usethe presenttenseof somecommon regular verbs,
usingnl'cit (but
suchas forms of the presenttenseof habenandsein; canwrite simplenegativesentences
with words suchas wo, wie, warum, wann, etc. Writes
often in wrong place)and interrogativesentences
in sentences
or short phrasesusingvery basicsubject-verb-objectword order. Can ask and answervery
patterns,with
simpleyes-noor informationquestionsusinglimitedmemorizedor very familiar sentence
frequentmisspellingsand inaccuracies.
Usuallyforgetsumlauts.Sometimesusesinfinitives for conjugated
verbs.Hasa conceptof gender,andcanproducedefiniteandindefinitearticles,thoughoften inappropriately.
in the language,
Often forgetsto makeadjectivesagreewith nouns.Generallycannotcreateown sentences
but usesmemorizedmaterial or transformationsof familiar patterns.
Intermediate-Low
Has sufficientcontrol of the writing systemto meetlimited practicalneeds.Can write short messages,
suchassimplequestionsor notes,postcards,phonemessages
and the like. Can takesimplenoteson material
dealingwith very familiar topics within the scopeof limited languageexperience.Can createstatements
or questions,in the presenttenseusingnegativeand interrogativeconstructions,within the scopeof limited
languageexperience.Material producedconsistsof recombinationsof learnedvocabularyand structures
into simplesentences.
Can expresspresentand future by usingthe presenttenseand adverbsoftime such
as morgen, heute,niichste Vloche,niichstesJahr. For example:Ich schreibeheuteeinePriifung. Wir fahren
niichste Wochenach Berlin. Generallycannot expresspast time by past tenses,but may incorrectly use
the presenttenseand an adverbof time suchasgestern,gesternabend,heutemorgento conveypastmeaning. Awarenessof genderapparent(manymistakes).Awarenessof €se systemsketchy.Somecorrectuse
of predicateadjectivesand personalpronouns(ich, wir). Vocabularyis limited to conmon objectsand
cognates,and is inadequateto expressanything but elementaryneeds.Can expressnumbersfrom l-100
vocabularyfor unknown words, and is ge5rerally
with somemisspellings.Often insertsnative-language
not capableof circumlocutionto get meaningacross.Writing tendsto be a loosecollection of sentences
or sentencefragmentson very familiar topics(likesand dislikes,generalroutine, everydayeventsor situations). Makes continual errors in spelling(ei vs. ie, often omits umlauts), grammar (incorrectadjective
endings,incorrectsubject-verbagreerient),and punctuation.Word order is random, but writing can be
read and understoodby a native readerusedto dealingwith foreigners.Able to produceappropriately
somefundamentalsociolinguisticdistinctionsin formal and familiar style,(Herr, Frau, Friiulien), but no
cleardistinctionbetweenpolite and familiar addressforms (Sre,dz), suchasappropriatesubjectpronouns,
titles of addressand basicsocial formulae.
Intermediate-Mid
Sufficient control of writing systemto meetsomesurvival needsand somelimited socialdemands.Able
to composeshort paragraphsor takeSimplenoteson very familiar topicsgroundedin personalexperiences.
Can discusslikes and dislikes,daily routines,give datesand times, discusseverydayevents,describeimmediatesurroundings(home,work, school),narratesimpleevents,and the like. Can usecorrectlythe presenttenseof most regularverbsand somecommonirregularverbs,suchas haben,sein, tun, wollen, kdnnen, wissen,verstehen,and mdchtenwith occasionalproduction errors. Can use werdenplus infinitive
to expressfuture time. Has sporadiccontrol of high frequencyverbsin the compoundpast but may not
attend to correct auxiliary verb or past participle agreement.Can use definite, indefinite, and partitive
articles,but often usesthem inappropriately,usuallygetscaseswrong. Frequenterrorsin gender-adjective
agreementand casesmay occur. Showssomeability to usesomedeterminersother than articles,suchas
possessive
adjectivesor interrogativeadjectives,but may makeerrorsin appropriatechoiceof form. Tends
not to useobject pronouns,relativeconstructions,or their cohesiveelementsof discourse,renderingthe
written style somewhatstilted and simplistic. Generallygood control of basic constructionsand inflections, suchas subject-verbagreement,noun-adjectiveagreement,and straightforwardsyntacticconstructions in presentand future time. GrammatiCalaccuracyin somestructuressolidifies,e.g., word order in
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)
simplestatements(excludingadverbs)and interrogativeforms, and imperativeof separableprefix verbs
(Kommen Siemit!). May make frequent errors when venturing beyondcurrent level of linguistic competence
(suchaswhenexpressing
opinionsor emotions,wherenon-memorized
conditionals,subjunctives,
and other advancedconceptsof grammarmay comeinto play). When resortingto a dictionary, often is
unable to identify appropriatevocabulary,or usesdictionary entry in uninflectedform.
Intermediate-High
Sufficientcontrol of writing systemto meetmost survivalneedsand limited socialdemands.Can take
notesin somedetail on familiar topics(autobiographicalinformation, preferences,daily routine, simple
descriptionsand narration of everydayeventsand situations)and respondto personalquestionson such
topicsusingelementary
vocabularyand commonstructures.Can write simpleletters,brief synopses
and
paraphrases,
summariesof biographicaldata and work experience,
and short compositionson familiar
topics.Can createsentences
and short paragraphsrelatingto mostsurvivalneeds(food, lodging,transportation, immediatesurroundingsand situations)and limited socialdemands.Can expressfairly accurately
presentand future time, usingthe future and the presenttenseof mostcommonregularand irregularverbs,
including reflexiveverbs.Can usethe compoundpast with both habenand sernauxiliaries,but doesnot
alwaysuseit correctlyor appropriately.Pasttenseis alsoattemptedwith commonsimplepastforms (sagre,
hatte, war). Severalhigh frequencyseparableprefix verbsappearin the indicative(ich gehemit). There
is inconsistent
codingof properdativeand accusative
casesfollowingprepositions
in singularand plural.
Showsgoodcontrol of elementary
vocabularyand somecontrol of basicsyntacticpatterns(someobject
pronouns,and determiners,
usuallyuseof negativein pasttenses
and futurewith correctplacement,
etc.).
Still hasproblemsin invertedword order and in properplacementof time, place,and mannerphrases.
Major errorsstill occurwhenexpressing
morecomplexthoughts.Dictionaryusagemay still yieldincorrect
vocabularyor forms,althoughcan usea dictionaryto advantage
to expresssimpleideas.Cenerallydoes
not usebasiccohesiveelementsof discourseto advantage
(relativeconstructions,
objectpronouns,connectors)and thelike. Writing,thoughfaulty,is comprehensible
to nativespeakers
usedto readingCerman
writtenby non-natives,
Is ableto express
a few thoughtsfor whichvocabularyis unknownvia circumlocution, but may insertnative-language
equivalents
for unknownwordsor usenative-language
syntacricparternswhenexpressing
ideasbeyondcurrentlevelof linguisticcompetence.
Advanced
Able to write routine socialcorrespondence
and simplediscourseof at leastseveralparagraphson familiar
topics.Can write simplesocialcorrespondence,
take notes,and write cohesivesummaries,resum6s,and
short narrativesand descriptions
on factualtopics.Able to write about everydaytopicsby usingadjectives,with mostlycorrectgenderand case.Gendersof high frequencywordsare mostlycorrect.Able ro
narrateeventsusingpresent,compoundpast,somesimplepast,and future forms, althoughthe contrast
betweenusesof the two pasttensesmay not be consistentlyaccurate.Occasionaluseof somesubjunctive
forms to expresspolitenessand preference.Has sufficient writing vocabularyto expressoneselfsimply
with somecircumlocutions.
Can write about a very limited numberof currenteventsor daily situations
and expresspersonalpreferences
and observationsin somedetail usingbasicstructures.ls able to recycle
newbut meaningfulphraseswhetherlexicalor structural,i.e., lifts phrasesappropriately,writingappears
more sophisticated.When writing own thoughtsis more likely to paraphraseaccordingto nativelanguage
at times. Controls many separableand reflexiveverbsand doubleinfinitive constructionin main clauses.
Good controlofmorphologyin verbtenses;correctendingsfor regularand irregularverbsin tensesmentioned above.Often usescorrectendingsfor adjectives.Controls frequentlyusedstructuressuchas interrogatives,negatives(but still not alwayscorrectlyplaced),prepositionswith somerest/motion distinction
but not alwaysproper casesfor the distinction, and choiceof determiners(der vs. eln). Prepositionuse
after verbs or adjectivesis often inaccurate.Writing is understandableby a native speakernot usedto
readingGermanwritten by non-natives.Writer usesa limited numberof cohesivedevicessuchas a single
object pronoun (direct or indirect). Someuseof relativepronounsto combinesentences
and somecommon conjunctionsare used(denn, weil, wann, wo, etc.). Mistakesin subordinateclauseauxiliary verb
placementand doubleinfinitive order. Able to join sentences
in limited discourse,but has difficulty and
makesfrequent errors producing complexsentences.Paragraphsare reasonablyunified and coherent.
AdvancedPlus
Showsability to write aboutmostcommontopicswith precisionand in somedetail.Can write fairly detailed
resum€sand summariesand take accuratenotes.Can handlemost informal and businesscorrespondence.
Can describeand narratepersonalexperiences
and explainsimplypoint of viewin prosediscourseby using
introductory phrases(e.9., meinerMeinung nach, ich glaube,dass...,ich bin sicher, dass...).Can write
about concretetopics relatingto particular interestsand specialfields of competence.Normally controls
generalvocabularywith circumlocutionor modification wherenecessary,
e.9., may usenegationplus lexical item for an unknownantonym,or modify wordswith seir, viel, etc.,if a morespecificterm is unknown,
or resortto a categorylabel for unknown components.Often showsremarkablefluencyor easeof expression, but under time constraints(e.g., no opportunity to rewrite), and pressure(e.9., testing),language
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may be inaccurateand/or incomprehensible,
especially
if importantlexicalitemsare missingor if inaccuratetenseusageinterfereswith meaning.Cenerallystrongin eithergrammaror vocabulary,but not
in both. Weaknesses
and unevenness
in one of the foregoingor in spellingresultin occasionalmiscommunication.Areasof weakness
may involvedetailin the useof simpleconstructions:
irregularpluralsof
(afterverbsor adjectives);
(usageratherthan form); prepositions
nouns,adjectives;
determiners
negatives
(still hasproblemswith subtleties
and form, nichtein vs.kein).Weaknesses
arealsoobservof placement
ed in morecomplexstructures:tenseusage;compoundpastvs. simplepastafter ab; avoidancewherepossible
passiveconstructions
(rarelyusesman or reflexivebut tendsto parallelEnglish
of wilrdein wennclauses;
with consequent
useof sern);stataland realpassiveconfused;word orderstill a problem,sometimes
with
word order.Good control of simpledependent
inversion,reflexiveand auxiliaryplacementin dependent
word order,subordinating
andcoordinatingconjunctions(dennvs. weil),and reiativepronouns.Irregular
conrrolof infinitiveclauseswith zu. Useswide rangeof tensesas time indicatorsincludinghypothetical
subjunctive(with wilrdeplus infinitive,h(itte,wtire,kdnnte).Usesda(r)- and wo(r)-compounds.Better
adjectives
and caseendings,but mistakesstill occur.Somemisuseof vocabulary
controlof prepositions,
whenusingdictionaryfor wordswith multiplemeaningsor whererelatedwords
still evident,especially
carry various functions, but does use a dictionary to advantage where a fairly direct bilingualtranslationand no intralingualambiguityexists.Showsability to usecircumlocution.Writing is
to nativespeakers
not usedto readingmaterialwritten by non-natives,thoughthe styie
understandable
is still obviouslyforeign.
Superior
Able to usewritten Germaneffectivelyin most formal and informal exchangeson practical, social, and
professional
letters
topics.Can write mosttypesof correspondence,
suchas memos,socialand business
(rvithappropriateformulaicintroductionsand closings),short researchpapers,and statements
of position. Can expresshypotheses
and conjectures,
and presentargumentsor pointsof view accuratelyand
effectively.Can write about areasof specialinterestand handletopicsin specialfields. Has good control
of a full rangeof structuresso that time, description,and narrationcan be usedto expandupon ideas.
Errorsin basicstructuresaresporadicand not indicativeof communicative
control.In additionto simple
tenses,can usecompoundtensesto show time relationshipsamongeventsand to expresscoordinateand
subordinateideasclearlyandcoherently.Haslexicalcontrolof subordinateconjunctions.Controlsdependent
word order with auxiliary and reflexiveplacementsuchas: ich weiss,dasser hatte gesternkommensollen
and er sagte,dasssich der mann umzog. Able to usequotative subjunctive(subjunctiveI) consistently,
plus modals.Can usehypotheticalsubjunctive(subjunctiveII) correctly,aswell as direcaswell as passives
tional adverbs(hinauf, hinunter,heriber, etc.)and the lossenconstruction.Has a wide enoughvocabulary
to conveythe messageaccurately,though style may be foreign. Usesdictionary to a high degreeof acvocabularyor to improvecontentor style.Althoughsensitiveto differences
curacyto supplementspecialized
in formal and informal style,still may not tailor writing preciselyor accuratelyto a varietyof audiences
(exceptfor personalvs. business
correspondence)
or styles.
horisional German Descriptions-CulUrre
Novice
with considerateness.
Limited interaction.Behaves
Is resourcefulin nonverbalcommunication,but does
not interpret reliably gesturesor culturally-specificnonverbal behavior, such as physical contactswith
greetings.Is limited in language(seelistening/speakingguidelines)but may be able to useshort phrases
of courtesy(Danke,Danke schdn,Bitte, Bitte schdn,Entschuldigung, Ve4eihung)and basictitles of respect
(Herr, Frau, Friiulein). Lacksgenerallythe knowledgeof culture patternsrequisitefor survivalsituations.
lntermediate
Survivalcompetence.Can dealwith familiar survivalsituationsand interactwith a culture beareraccustomed
to foreigners.Is able to useconventionalphraseswhen being introduced,such as Es freut mich or Sehr
erfreut, as well as proper greetingsat different times of day, such as Guten Tag, Guten Abend, Griiss
Gott (in Bavaria)and leave-taking,Auf Wiedersehen,Bis bold. Showscomprehensionof distinction betweenSle and du form of address.Can providebackgroundmaterialin the standardform of the culture,
suchas a personaladdress(streetnamefollowedby number-Zeopoldstrasse
30-zip codeprecedingname
of city, zonewithin largecity following nameof city-8000 Miinchen23) telephonenumberin many areas
in groupsof two: 23 23 67. Is ableto express
wantsin routinesituationswith simplephrases,suchas.Ein
Zimmer ohne Bod, bitte; Ein Bier, bitte; WievelkosteteeinePostkartenach U.S.A. per Luftpost? and
to ask directionssuchas Wo ist hier die Schellingstrosse?
Understandsthe needto go to specialtyshops
suchasdieMetzergerei,die Biickerei,die Konditorei to buy certainfoods but is alsoawareof the offerings
in supermarkets
and departmentstores.Is awareof the useof the metricsystemand can functionin it,
usingsuchphrasesasEin Kilo Orangenand200 GrammLeberwurst.Is awareof different mealschedules
as well as the usualcontentof each:breakfast,light, without eitherwarm cookedmeatsor eggsother
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