Five Levels of Literacy
Level 3

People at this level ...

  • have sufficient skills to cope with most everyday literacy demands
  • may not have skills to take on new communication challenges, like returning to education and training
  • Level 3 means that the individuals are considered to have the minimum desired skill level.

Five Levels of Literacy
Level 4/5

People at this level ...

  • can read, write and do math well enough to meet the challenge of present and changing demands of work, home, and community
  • Levels 4 and 5 were combined because there was not enough of a statistically verifiable distinction at these higher levels to warrant two separate categories.

Three Kinds of Literacy

  • Prose Literacy
    –understand and use information from text including editorials, news stories, poems and fiction
  • Document Literacy
    –locate and use information contained in various formats, including job applications, payroll forms, transportation schedules, maps, tables and graphics
  • Quantitative Literacy
    –apply arithmetic operations, either alone or sequentially, to numbers embedded in printed materials, such as balancing a cheque book, figuring out a tip, or completing an order form
  • As well as different levels of literacy, there are different kinds of literacy.
  • Document literacy and quantitative literacy are critical for many tasks at work.