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Title / Begin to read and understand very simple sentences (EL Foundation)
Level / 1 / Credits / 10
Purpose / This unit standard is for people for whom English is an additional language. It is intended for learners who have no command or very minimal command of English, but are literate in their own language.
People credited with this unit standard are able to begin to read and understand very simple sentences (EL Foundation).
Classification / Languages > English Language
Available grade / Achieved
Guidance Information
1English Language (EL) refers to the acquisition of English as an additional language.
2This unit standard may contribute to the New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Foundation) (Level 1) [Ref: 1879]. It is at a level comparable to the Common European Framework of Reference low A1.
3All assessment activities must be conducted in English, which must not be the candidate’s first language. Task instructions may be given in the candidate’s preferred language.
4Assessment must be conducted in a highly supportive environment, where assessors assist the learners to understand the requirements of the task, where required, and reduce affective barriers.
5The assessor must be satisfied that the candidate can independently demonstrate competence against the unit standard.
6It is recommended that:
ithe outcomes are assessed as part of an integrated unit of work, relevant to the learning context of the candidate;
iiassessment be conducted in conjunction with assessment against other English Language unit standards at this level.
7Candidates may use a bilingual and/or an English dictionary, but not electronic devices.
8Candidate’s responses may be oral, written or non-verbaleg demonstrating or carrying out written instructions, as relevant and appropriate. Responses may contain significant phonological, textual or linguistic inaccuracies, but must be recognisable.
9A range of assessment tasks must be used for assessment against this unit standard. It may include, but is not limited to – short answer questions, multiple-choice, true/false/not given, sorting, matching, gap-fill.
10For this unit standard, texts:
imust have complementary illustrations or diagrams placed so that the relationship between text and illustration is clear to the candidate;
iimust be familiar and relevant but must not have been seen by the candidates prior to the assessment;
iiimay be abridged versions designed for candidates;
ivmust be guided by the first 300 words of The New General Service List.
11Reference
Browne,C., Culligan, B., Phillips, J. 2013. The New General Service List, Cambridge University Press
12Definitions
Essential vocabulary refers to vocabulary that is necessary to understand the text,typically content words that relate to the topic.
Read,for the purposes of this unit standard,means that the candidate can extract meaning from written or printed text. This is a separate skill from reading aloud, which is a presentation skill.
Outcomes and performance criteria
Outcome 1
Begin to read and understand very simple sentences (EL Foundation).
Rangeminimum of fifteen sentences of three to ten words, assessed over two separate occasions, on familiar topics.
Performance criteria
1.1Key information is obtained from the text.
1.2The meaning of essential vocabulary as used in each text is identified.
Rangesix words.
Replacement information / This unit standard was replaced by unit standard 31000.This unit standard is expiring. Assessment against the standard must take place by the last date for assessment set out below.
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process / Version / Date / Last Date for AssessmentRegistration / 1 / 16 May 2013 / 31 December 2019
Rollover and Revision / 2 / 21 May 2015 / 31 December 2019
Review / 3 / 29 March 2018 / 31 December 2019
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference / 0226
This CMR can be accessed at
NZQA National Qualifications ServicesSSB Code 130301 / New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2019 / / New Zealand Qualifications Aut