Relating Canadian Language Benchmarks to Essential Skills: A Comparative Framework

LISTENING

Baseline: ES Level 4

ES: GLOBAL DESCRIPTION	CLB: GLOBAL DESCRIPTION	ES: ORAL COMMUNICATION TASKS	CLB: LISTENING TASKS
Communicates one-on-one on very detailed and complex matters Leads or facilitates group discussions, negotiations, mediation, instruction Presents to diverse groups. Expresses opinions, recommendations, evaluations, demands or appeals in public. Selects and adapts or creatively uses a wide range of formats and styles of presentation to suit purpose and audience. The situation and setting may be new and unfamiliar. The audience can be unfamiliar, uncooperative, challenging or hostile to the speaker. Exchange is of extended duration (1 hour or more). Physical conditions may seriously impede oral communication. RISK Critical, resulting in loss of life or serious injury. Very significant or serious personal consequences or consequences to the speaker’s organization.	CONTEXT Follows long stretches of oral discourse, monologic or multispeaker exchanges, with complex abstract and conceptual language to obtain complex, detailed and specialized information for complex professional and academic tasks. (12) Listening texts are complex critiques, evaluations, discussions and debates of any length. (12) LIMITATIONS Has only occasional difficulty with Canadian cultural references, figurative, symbolic and idiomatic language, irony, sarcasm or verbal humour. (11) Listener is adequately briefed for focused listening. (PC 2-12)		BENCHMARK 12 In a video/audio-taped formal discourse, identifies and evaluates specific clues of social politeness and cooperation and “face-threatening” talk (e.g., requests for favours, challenges to defend position, or criticism). (11) Evaluates detailed oral instructions on complex tasks such as how to fill out a set of tax forms; suggests improvements. (11) Listens to examples of court proceedings or parliamentary/ legislative proceedings and related oral commentaries by media and political experts; critically evaluates the information and the positions of the participants; completes a related evaluation task in a standard format; completes a chart or short paragraph, etc. (11)

ES: GLOBAL DESCRIPTION

CLB: GLOBAL DESCRIPTION

ES: ORAL COMMUNICATION TASKS

CLB: LISTENING TASKS

Communicates one-on-one on very detailed and complex matters
Leads or facilitates group discussions, negotiations, mediation, instruction
Presents to diverse groups.
Expresses opinions, recommendations, evaluations, demands or appeals in public.
Selects and adapts or creatively uses a wide range of formats and styles of presentation to suit purpose and audience.
The situation and setting may be new and unfamiliar.
The audience can be unfamiliar, uncooperative, challenging or hostile to the speaker.
Exchange is of extended duration (1 hour or more).
Physical conditions may seriously impede oral communication.

RISK

Critical, resulting in loss of life or serious injury.
Very significant or serious personal consequences or consequences to the speaker’s organization.

CONTEXT

Follows long stretches of oral discourse, monologic or multispeaker exchanges, with complex abstract and conceptual language to obtain complex, detailed and specialized information for complex professional and academic tasks. (12)
Listening texts are complex critiques, evaluations, discussions and debates of any length. (12)

LIMITATIONS

Has only occasional difficulty with Canadian cultural references, figurative, symbolic and idiomatic language, irony, sarcasm or verbal humour. (11)
Listener is adequately briefed for focused listening. (PC 2-12)

BENCHMARK 12

In a video/audio-taped formal discourse, identifies and evaluates specific clues of social politeness and cooperation and “face-threatening” talk (e.g., requests for favours, challenges to defend position, or criticism). (11)
Evaluates detailed oral instructions on complex tasks such as how to fill out a set of tax forms; suggests improvements. (11)
Listens to examples of court proceedings or parliamentary/ legislative proceedings and related oral commentaries by media and political experts; critically evaluates the information and the positions of the participants; completes a related evaluation task in a standard format; completes a chart or short paragraph, etc. (11)