How do you assess a person's level of English?

[joannapak]

Hi! I agreed to teach my pastor English, but I'm really not sure where to begin. I decided that I need to know at least his level of English. Can someone recommed a good assessment tool? Thank you!!

[ICAL_Pete]

The tried and tested Needs’ Analysis is always a good place to start.

This consists of ad hoc questions that will provide you with a clear picture of your student/class. You basically want to ask some questions to establish what your students’ expectations for the course are and mostly you want to get a good idea of their level of English.

For this it’s best to stay clear of self-assessment questions such as How well do you… or How do you rate your English and so on…as they are notoriously unreliable as most people find it very difficult to judge their own ability in a foreign language. Far better is for you to use a few open questions so that you can judge - objectively - their ability.

For more see this ICALwiki article

[SunShine]

Simple - go online, google something like "Assessing Levels of English" and you should get a link to a website that gives you prepared lessons, with the level, ie. basic, elementary, etc.

[domgag12]

I don't think you should limit yourself with tools and grade requirements made by ESL specialists. Just engage a conversation with the man. Slowly build on his actual knowledge of the language and as he stumbles on something difficult, make it your lesson's theme. Rapidly, you will grasp his level and you will adapt easily.