• Listens attentively forshort bursts of time.• Uses non-verbalgestures to respond togreetings and questions.• Follows simpleinstructions based onthe routines of theclassroom.• Relies on listeningskills in homelanguage.

• Echoes words and shortphrases drawn fromclassroom routines andsocial interactions.• Expresses some basicneeds, using simplesingle words or phrases inEnglish.• Speaks in home language.

• Participates in readingactivities and knows thedifference between print and pictures.• May read in home language and be able to build on knowledge of literacy in this language.• Knows that print, in English, is read from left to right and top to bottom.• Recognises own nameand other familiar words.• Can identify some lettersof the alphabet by shapeand sound.

• Uses English lettersand letter-like forms toconvey meaning.• Copies or writes nameand familiar words.• Can write from left toright.• Evidence of somewriting skills in homelanguage.

• Understands simpleconversational English in familiar contexts.* Responds to the gist of general explanations by the teacher where language is supported by non-verbal cues, including illustrations.* Demonstratesunderstanding ofclassroom languagewith teacher repetitionand explanation.

• Joins in predictablerefrains/repetitivelanguage.• Copies talk that has beenmodelled.• Generates single wordutterances and telegraphic language in the context of social interactions.

• Begins to associatesounds with letters inEnglish.• Begins to predict whattexts will be about.• Can read some words andphrases learned in different curriculum areas.• Can follow a text readaloud with support.

• Attempts to expressmeaning.• Writing is generallyintelligible to self anda familiar reader.• Shows someknowledge of soundand letter patterns inEnglish spelling.• Shows knowledge ofthe function ofsentence division.• May be able to writein home language.

• Understands andresponds appropriatelyto simple comments.• Closed questions orinstructions withcontextual support.• Listens attentively to arange of speakers,including teacherpresentations to thewhole class.• Respondsappropriately whenthe teacher is talkingin a small group.• Listens to stories,poems anddemonstrates interest.

• Speaks about matters ofimmediate interest infamiliar settings.• Conveys meaning throughtalk and gesture and canextend what they can saywith support.• Speech is sometimesgrammatically incompleteat word and phrase level.• Has a functionalvocabulary for socialneeds.

• Can read a range offamiliar words.• Can identify initial and final sounds in unfamiliar words.• Can establish meaningwhen reading aloudphrases or simplesentences, with support.• Uses contextual clues togain understanding.• Responds to events andideas in poems, storiesand non-fiction.

• Producesrecognisable words intexts, which conveymeaning.• Can generate simplesentences.• Most commonly usedletters are correctlyshaped but may beinconsistent in theirsize and orientation.• Demonstrates agrowing awareness ofspelling patterns offamiliar words.

• Follows what otherssay in familiarcontexts.• Listens and respondsappropriately to asequence of instructions.• Respondsappropriately to arange of differentquestion types(including openquestions)

• Speaks about matters ofinterest to a range oflisteners.• Has a growing repertoireof extended phrases orsimple sentences in thecontext of a range ofcurriculum activities.• Speech shows somegrammatical complexity inexpressing relationshipsbetween ideas andsequences of events.• Begins to developconnected utterances.

• Can read simple texts.• Uses knowledge of letters,sounds and words toestablish meaning whenreading familiar textsaloud, sometimes withprompting.• Comments on events orideas in poems, storiesand non-fiction.• Beginning to guess themeaning of unknownwords from context.

• Uses phrases andlonger statements thatconvey ideas to thereader.• Make some use of fullstops and capitalletters.• Begins to applygrammatical rules infamiliar contexts (egnarratives), with someaccuracy.• Letters are usuallyclearly formed andcorrectly oriented.

Assessing Pupils Learning EAL - taking the best descriptors from NASSEA and QCA guidelinesPupil Name:

NASSEA/QCASteps

NCLevel

Listening and Understanding

Speaking Reading Writing

Step 1

Step 2

Step 4

Step 3

PreNCLevel 1

PreNCLevel 1

L1Thresh-old

L1Secure

• Shows evidence ofunderstanding of thegist of lesson content.• Understands mostconversations when thesubject of theconversations is moreconcrete (fullycompetent in BICS)*• Understands someconversations when thesubject is more abstractwith figurative andidiomatic expressions*(CALP)

• Begins to engage in adialogue or a conversationwithin an academic context.• Begins to produce lengthychunks of organisedconnected speech.• Demonstrates the ability to modify own language use in context.• Demonstrates an increasing range of academic and more abstract vocabulary.

• Uses more than onestrategy (phonic, graphic,syntactic and contextual) inreading unfamiliar words.• Can read and extractinformation from a variety oftexts• Beginning to recognise thefeatures of different genres.

• Uses a range ofgrammatical structureswhen given 'scaffolding'support such as writingframeworks and aspecific focus on thelinguistic requirementsof different writing.• Without support, ideasare contained inseparate sentences orthrough simpleconnectives (e.g. and,but) rather than linkedthrough the use ofclauses.• Attempts to modifywriting as appropriate tothe demands of thegenre.

Understands mostconversations when thesubject is more abstractwith figurative andidiomatic expressions.• Participates as activespeaker and listener ingroup tasks.• Understands morecomplex academicdiscourse and specialistinteractions asappropriate to age(cognitive and academiclanguage proficiency).• Understands socialand general schoolinteractions delivered atnormal speed.• Understands manyculturally embeddedreferences and idioms,but some may stillrequire explanation.

• Uses languageappropriately across thecurriculum for differentacademic purposes (e.g.explaining) - some minorerrors may still be evident.• Shows control of functional use of language at discourse level.• Becoming more competent at academic clause constructions.• Makes appropriate choice of vocabulary for different context and purposes(including some use ofidioms).

• Demonstratesunderstanding of someculturally embeddedreferences & idioms.• Reads a range of complextexts.• Reads beyond the literalusing higher order skillssuch as inference, deductionand hypothesis.• Evaluates and analysesthe content of texts.

• Producesappropriately structured and generally accuratework in a variety offamiliar contexts withsupport.

• Recognises andapplies organisationalfeatures of new genrewith support.

• Has a range oflistening skillsnecessary to participatefully within thecurriculum and can befairly assessed usingonly NC English levels.

• Has the range of speakingskills necessary toparticipate fully within thecurriculum and can be fullyassessed using only the NCfor English.

• Has the range of readingskills necessary toparticipate fully within thecurriculum and can be fairlyassessed using on NCEnglish levels.

• Has the range ofwriting skills necessaryto participate fully withincurriculum and can befairly assessed using onNC English levels.

BICS = Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills ( 1-2 years) **CALPS= Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (5 - 7 years) (Ref: JCummins 1984 Multilingual Matters)Using the QCA/NASSEA assessment system : Refs: A Language in Common QCA1001584; NASSEA ISBN: 0-9546944-2-2To track progress in learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) and cross referencing to approximate NC Level in EnglishThe early steps of EAL - Steps 1 & 2 precede the split NC Level 1 into Threshold & Secure for EAL pupilsFrom Level 1 onwards progress can be monitored using the NASSEA Steps for EAL and NC Levels for EnglishCan be used for all pupils learning EAL, regardless of Key Stage, except those at Foundation Stage (see note below)Review termly, particularly with pupils new to English who can make rapid progress in the first few terms.Use for layered target setting for EAL pupilsBase judgements on a range of evidence e.g. classroom observations (how often pupils interacts; when and with whom)Progression rates may vary between skills; this is normal. EAL pupils often achieve higher levels in speaking than in writing.Use the Steps to identify gaps in progress and target support and strategies accordingly.NBFoundation Stage pupils are assessed using the Foundation Stage profile. it is not necessary or appropriate to assess bilingual pupils using the QCA EAL steps,(ref: Marking Progress: QCA DfES/1 096/2005)NB : Use the QCA Common Scale of assessment for EAL pupils when requesting special arrangements for SATs

Steps NCLevel

Listening and Understanding Speaking Reading Writing

Step 6

Step 5

Step 7

KS1L2KS2L3KS3L3

KS1L3KS2L4/5KS3L5-8

KS1L2KS2L4KS3/4L4/5