Information collection & exchange

Using informal can-do assessments 
An
on-threatening as possible. A simple 
onversation about your future students' needs and about the times and frequency of classes will help you 
n their level of comprehension and ability to communicate. You may also want to structure your 
onversation by using a Can-Do self-assessment scale. This technique has been found to be very effective 
with adults. Basically, in a Can-Do assessment you are asking your students to judge for themselves their 
abilities in English. If you have the option, you may want to consider using your students' native language for 
this
Sp
lease read the following paragraphs and decide which paragraph best describes your ability to speak and 
n understand simple questions if they 
are spoken slowly and sometimes repeated. My vocabulary is limited to basic needs, such as food, 
asking directions, greeting people, etc. 1 make many grammatical mistakes, but people can usually 
ut myself, my family, my job and current events. I can 
understand the main ideas in most conversations, except when speech is fast. My grammar is fairly good, 
omplicated constructions. 
spoken by a native speaker of English. My grammar is good, and 
ctions. My pronunciation is good, but I speak 
4. When was the
5. When was the las
6. Whe
7. Do you think you will be using English in the future for your work'? 
8. Do you use English outside of work? When do you do so'' 
9
10. Do you enjoy learning English? 
ce you have an idea of your students' needs you can focus on the appropriate skills of listening, speaking, 
ding or writing. 
informal assessment of current levels of English should be as n
c
ascertai
c
assessment. A possible format is as follows. 
eaking and Listening 
P
understand spoken English. 
1. My speech in English is limited to a few words. I have great difficulty in understanding English, even 
when it is spoken very slowly. 
2. I can ask and answer questions about very familiar subjects. I ca
understand me. 
3. I can talk with native English speakers abo
but I make mistakes with c
4. I can understand almost everything 
my mistakes are usually with very complicated constru
English with an accent. 

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5. I can understand native English speakers, even when they are speaking quickly and using slang. My 
even for technical matters. I make very few grammatical errors, and my 
pronunciation is good but not completely native. 
thing in English, or can read only a few words I have memorized. 
ome isolated words. 
3. I can get the general sense of business letters, news items and articles on subjects with which I am 
familiar, but I need to use a dictionary to do so. 
4. I understand the basic meaning of most newspaper articles, routine correspondence, reports, and 
technical material in fields with which I am familiar, without using a dictionary. However I need to refer to 
a dictionary to get the exact meaning of the entire text. I sometimes have difficulty with complex 
sentences. 
5. With only the occasional use of a dictionary, I can read without difficulty any prose directed at the 
general reader, and all materials in fields with which I am familiar. 
riting 
1. I cannot write in English. 
2. I can write a few sentences in English, using very basic vocabulary and grammar. 
3. I can write relatively simple items, such as a short note to a friend, that communicate basic messages, 
but usually containing lots of misspellings and grammatical errors. 
4. I can write fairly long personal letters, as well as uncomplicated business letters and simple technical 
reports, which contain relatively few errors. 
5. I can write complex personal letters, reports and business letters. There is only the occasional hint that 
I am not a native speaker of English. 
or additional ideas on assessing needs, consult ESP: Teaching English for Specific Purposes, in the Peace 
orps Information Collection and Exchange (ICE), Manual Series No. M-31. The Whole ICE Catalogue also 
ontains texts in its TEFL/TESL/ESP section which may be of particular use to those of you who are 
aching English to professionals. 
Figure 1.1 provides an overview of the needs assessment procedure.