No competence.

Can recognize language being spoken.
Can understand limited repertoire of isolated items, usually requiring repetition from speaker.
May recognize individual items in connected speech.

Can identify topic in continuous unsimplified speech but cannot follow content. Can recognize essential information in public announcements and current social usages (phatic communion etc.).
Can only with difficulty understand sentences related to objectives if these are spoken very slowly and directly to him/her. Frequent misunderstanding obliging speaker to rephrase original utterance.

Cannot normally follow conversation between native speakers except to identify topic.
Can follow speech directed to him (i. e. to a non-native speaker) on matters relevant to overall objectives and in response to his own utterance, but frequently has to ask for repetition or reformulation.
Frequent misunderstanding where he cannot see person speaking - e. g. radio, telephone, tape.

With careful attention can follow speech directed at him and, in general, more formal and clearly articulated styles of native speaker speech. Still needs some repetition but even so may miss points of detail. Can usefully extract information from relevant spoken texts.
Difficulties of comprehension with exceptionally colloquial speech, where considerable deletion and elision occur and where transmission conditions are adverse.
No appreciation of stylistic effects or verbal humor.

Competent to follow native speaker in domains related to his learning experience, even when speech not directed to him and not able to give full attention to listening. Can extract information efficiently but will still have difficulty following complex lines of argument and may have to ask for repetition of questions arising from such discussion.
Highly colloquial speech between native speakers still difficult.
Can distinguish different stiles and copes well with noise, though with some loss of comprehension.

Can, with concentration, understand all forms of speech normally understood by native speakers. Less ability than native speaker to comprehend novel language events and sudden change of topic or style may temporarily disrupt comprehension. If full attention not given, occasional loss of detail.
Only rarely unable to follow speech between native speakers.
Failure to comprehend can be induced by high level of noise.

Able to understand all forms of speech normally understood by native speaker of similar background, including rapid informal conversation, speech with high noise levels and diverse styles and topics. Can understand most that is heard and is not within previous experience.
Level reached only by person accustomed to living in foreign language environment.