A New to English

May use first language for learning and other purposes. May remain completely silent in the classroom. Maybe copying / repeating some words or phrases. May understand some everyday expressions in English but may have minimal or no literacy in English. Needs considerable support to operate in English.

B Early Acquisition

May follow day to day social communication in English and participate in learning activities with support. Beginning to use spoken English for social purposes. May understand simple instructions and can follow narrative / accounts with individual support. May have become familiar with some subject specific vocabulary. Still needs a significant amount of support.

C Developing Competence

May participate in learning activities with increasing independence. Able to express self orally in English, but structural inaccuracies are still apparent. Literacy will require ongoing support, particularly for understanding text and writing. May be able to follow abstract concepts and more complex written English. Requires support to access the curriculum.

D Competent

Oral English will be developing well, enabling successful engagement in activities across the curriculum. Can read and understand a wide variety of texts. Written English may lack complexity and contain occasional evidence of errors in structure. Needs some support to access subtle nuances of meaning to refine English usage, and to develop abstract vocabulary.

E Fluency

Can operate across the curriculum to a level of competence equivalent to that of a pupil who uses English as his/her first language.