Skill level - suomen kielen taso

Tom and Jerry · Post by **Tom and Jerry** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 1:55 pm

It is sometimes difficult to judge on the Finnish skill levels, if Finnish is not your native language. If you are learning Finnish you may get encouraging answers from your friends, or you may get diplomatic answers on your work, but seldom you will get a good objective feedback.

Did any of you make these tests, in which your level is estimated at alin,keski or ylin taso?

These are quite good tests, I think.
Perhaps they are a bit too formal, since social Finnish has at least in Helsinki a lot of slang, and saying mä, sä, se or miä, siä will give you minus points in these tests. But, anyhow, these tsets are very useful.

http://www.oph.fi/english/txtpageLast.a ... ;5373;5379

The Skill Level Descriptions

ADVANCED LEVEL
6. Understands a wide range of spoken and written language without difficulty. .

5. Understands longer sections of speech at normal speed in face-to-face situations and from TV and radio, even though comprehension sometimes requires a certain amount of effort. Understands structurally and linguistically complex texts and literature of our time. Speaks and writes clearly and fluently on various topics,

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
4. Understands normal tempo speech in face-to-face situations and discussion on general topics; also understands speech from, for example, TV and radio, but some details may not be understood. Rapid spoken language and dialectal variations, however, cause difficulties. Has no difficulty understanding texts dealing with general topics, .

3. Understands longer stretches of speech and the central idea from many TV and radio programmes, if the topic area is relatively familiar. Understands ordinary texts that do not require knowledge of the subject. In the case of a longer section of speech and an unfamiliar topic, normal tempo speech and more demanding texts may cause difficulties...

BASIC LEVEL
2. Understands clear and simplified speech dealing with everyday, familiar matters. Understands with ease short, simple messages and gets the gist of texts dealing with familiar topics. Copes with routine speech situations requiring simple exchange of information,

1. Understands from slow and clear speech simple basic expressions that are directly related to the learner’s own life or concern the immediate concrete environment. Is able to retrieve information from simple texts. Copes with the very simplest speech situations, but speech is slow and very disjointed, with defective pronunciation....

26.11.2002

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Kemars · Post by **Kemars** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 2:18 pm

Is there a level 0.5

tjawatts · Post by **tjawatts** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 2:33 pm

I think they are different tests. That is you take one level at a time and they test you in different ways. Not positive though. Might think about doing these at some point. I have heard they are quite hard!

Tony

Tom and Jerry · Post by **Tom and Jerry** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 2:54 pm

There are three different ones (basic, intermediate, advanced). They last for four - six hours and these are divided into four parts: listening, speaking, writing and reading. They are organised twice a year in spring and in autumn.
I was just curious whether others have made these and what they think of it.

Tom and Jerry · Post by **Tom and Jerry** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 7:38 pm

tjawatts wrote:I think they are different tests. That is you take one level at a time and they test you in different ways. Not positive though. Might think about doing these at some point. I have heard they are quite hard!

Tony

As far as I understood they are quite similar to the levels used in the EU.
Finnish is a very hard language, but the tests themselves test from a technical point of view the right level.

They should be similar to the levels in the EU:

http://culture2.coe.int/portfolio/inc.a ... evels.html

There the division basic user, independent user and proficient user is used with the classification A1,A2,B1,B2,C1,C2

At least the Goethe institut uses these 6 classes

http://www.goethe.de/dll/prf/bes/deindex.htm

The French however use a Delf-dalf system

http://www.ciep.fr/delfdalf/presenta.htm

and the English use their own cute, domestic Cambridge system.

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 9:47 pm

Well, I've taken the cabridge cert in English with the 'highest' and a TOEFL I think I got like into the top 10%

Either test was childsplay compared to the Finnish matriculation examination. Their grammar gives one point for a correct and two minus for a wrong.... And you need to be consistant in the usage of either UK (official) or US spelling, like color vs. colour.

Fortunately I was Limey-challenged so mine went yankee-doodle-dandy

, I have a 'laudatur' (very loud applauses in elation) - about my only one in the "blue paper" that allows me to wear a white cap on vappu day.... my average is a 'magna cum laude approbatur'... count the GPA from that!

'caveat cacator'

Donald · Post by **Donald** » Sat Jul 26, 2003 10:49 am

Hank W. wrote:Well, I've taken the cabridge cert in English with the 'highest' and a TOEFL I think I got like into the top 10%

Either test was childsplay compared to the Finnish matriculation examination. Their grammar gives one point for a correct and two minus for a wrong.... And you need to be consistant in the usage of either UK (official) or US spelling, like color vs. colour.

Fortunately I was Limey-challenged so mine went yankee-doodle-dandy , I have a 'laudatur' (very loud applauses in elation) - about my only one in the "blue paper" that allows me to wear a white cap on vappu day.... my average is a 'magna cum laude approbatur'... count the GPA from that!

'caveat cacator'

I know...you spell like an American..

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