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Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003: Initial Report on Scotland's Performance in Mathematics, Science and Reading
Appendix C
Summary Proficiency Level Descriptors For Reading Literacy
Proficiency at Level 5
Students proficient at Level 5 on the reading literacy scale are capable of completing sophisticated reading tasks, such as managing information that is difficult to find in unfamiliar texts; showing detailed understanding of such texts and inferring which information in the text is relevant to the task; and being able to evaluate critically and build hypotheses, draw on specialised knowledge, and accommodate concepts that may be contrary to expectations.
Proficiency at Level 4
Students proficient at Level 4 on the reading literacy scale are capable of difficult reading tasks, such as locating embedded information, construing meaning from nuances of language and critically evaluating a text.
Proficiency at Level 3
Students proficient at Level 3 on the reading literacy scale are capable of reading tasks of moderate complexity, such as locating multiple pieces of information, making links between different parts of a text, and relating it to familiar everyday knowledge.
Proficiency at Level 2
Students proficient at Level 2 are capable of basic reading tasks, such as locating straightforward information, making low-level inferences of various types, working out what a well-defined part of a text means, and using some outside knowledge to understand it.
Proficiency at Level 1
Reading literacy, as defined in PISA, focuses on the knowledge and skills required to apply "reading for learning" rather than on the technical skills acquired in "learning to read". Since comparatively few young adults in OECD countries have not acquired technical reading skills, PISA does not seek to measure such things as the extent to which 15-year-old students are fluent readers or how well they spell or recognise words, but focuses on measuring the extent to which individuals are able to construct, expand and reflect on the meaning of what they have read in a wide range of texts common both within and beyond school. The simplest reading tasks that can still be associated with this notion of reading literacy are those at Level 1. Students proficient at this level are capable of completing only the least complex reading tasks developed for PISA, such as locating a single piece of information, identifying the main theme of a text or making a simple connection with everyday knowledge.
Proficiency below Level 1
Students performing below Level 1, are unlikely to demonstrate success on the most basic type of reading that PISA seeks to measure. This does not mean that they have no literacy skills but such students have serious difficulties in using reading literacy as an effective tool to advance and extend their knowledge and skills in other areas. Students with literacy skills below Level 1 may, therefore, be at risk not only of difficulties in their initial transition from education to work but also of failure to benefit from further education and learning opportunities throughout life.
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