ILR scale

The Interagency Language Roundtable scale is a set of descriptions of abilities to communicate in a language. It is the standard grading scale for language proficiency in the <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a>'s federal-level service. It was originally developed by the <a href="/facts/Interagency_Language_Roundtable/F3Ft1mW4">Interagency Language Roundtable</a> (ILR), which included representatives of the U.S. <a href="/facts/Foreign_Service_Institute/6PBkj018">Foreign Service Institute</a>, based at the <a href="/facts/National_Foreign_Affairs_Training_Center/Da9r4pv2">National Foreign Affairs Training Center</a> (NFATC).
The scale grades people's <a href="/facts/Language_proficiency/ba59jNnd">language proficiency</a> on a scale of 0–5. The designation 0+, 1+, 2+, 3+, or 4+ is assigned by most agencies when proficiency substantially exceeds one skill level but does not fully meet the criteria for the next level. The exception is the <a href="https://www.dlielc.edu/testing/opi_test.php">DLIELC</a> (Defense Language Institute English Language Center), which assigns a + designation for failure/inconsistency at the next higher level. 
Grades may be assigned separately for different skills such as reading, speaking, listening, writing, translation, audio translation, interpretation, and intercultural communication. For some of these skills, the level may be referred to with an abbreviation, for example, S-1 for Speaking Level 1.

ILR scale open-in-new

ILR scale