What Is the Definition of a Conversation Student?

Introduction

For those readers who have never had the need to study English, or have yet to study English, the letters E.S.L. may be a mystery. The letters E.S.L. stand for English as a Second Language.

There are teachers of ESL that concentrate on various areas of study within an ESL school. For instance, some teachers spend the major part of their day teaching grammar, structure, vocabulary, or conversation. Conversation requires that the student correctly speak and listen. This article will concern itself with the definition of a conversation student.

Levels of English as a Spoken Language (ESL)

In general, ESL can be confined to three levels of English: basic, intermediate, and advanced. Some teachers also break down each level into low, medium, and high basic, intermediate, and advanced English.

Basic Level

When an ESL student is at the basic level, the student is initiating his or her studies, and therefore, has insufficient understanding of English to converse with other students or the teacher. This student confines himself with grammar, structure, vocabulary, and reading in English.

Intermediate Level

On the other hand, the intermediate student has had months, if not several years of preparation in most aspects of English. This student can usually understand spoken English better than he can speak English. However, some degree of response to questions or question creation is well within the verbal abilities of the intermediate student.

Advanced Level

Finally, the advanced conversation student is capable of understanding very well, pronounces clearly, reads well, and responds adequately to questions or conversation crammed with phrasal verbs, idiomatic expressions, and prolonged group discussions. This student is also capable of speaking about a variety of topics with relative ease of expression at a moment's notice. The advanced ESL student can think in English, and can easily switch to his native language without missing a beat.

Conclusion

The nature of basic ESL is one where the student is just beginning to explore English. The intermediate student level is characterized as an individual with a reasonably strong understanding of most areas of study in ESL. This student has been practicing conversation in all, but complex conversational settings. And finally, the most skilled of the three ESL levels is the advanced student who has an enormous grasp of English, and if he continues to study ESL and practice speaking, will garner English fluency, which is usually the ultimate goal of all conversational ESL students.