• You are worried about how to cope in everyday situations, e.g. in a shop or restaurant.

• Your vocabulary is very limited, although when you see written French you can identify a small number of words.

• You don’t have the confidence to start a conversation with a French person, because you know the conversation will break down almost immediately.

• French spoken at normal speed mostly appears to be a rush of sound, although you might be able to pick out the odd word or phrase.

• You have a very limited range of automatic responses.

• You are not confident with pronunciation. When you see a new word or phrase, you will probably not know how to pronounce it.

• You want French to be enjoyable, not terrifying.

• You have enough vocabulary to deal with some everyday situations, but you are less secure with ‘specialist’ vocabulary.

• You often understand the main points of a newspaper article, but you sometimes have problems understanding the detail.

• When French people talk to you, you can usually understand the gist, but much of the detail will escape you unless they take the trouble to speak clearly and slowly.

• When you speak French, your pronunciation does not usually prevent others understanding you, but you are aware there is still room for improvement.

• You have some knowledge of French grammar but often cannot apply what you know in the heat of the moment.

• You want to be able to extend a conversation beyond a predictable round of simple questions and answers.

• You get a lot of satisfaction from your use of French, but you also get frustrated from time to time with what you perceive as a lack of progress.