Examination for the Profile for Tourist and Informal Language Proficiency (PTIT)

This profile covers the linguistic skills needed to function at a basic level in Dutch. It is suitable for those wanting to maintain social contacts with Dutch family or friends or for those who want to demonstrate an ability to manage as a tourist in a Dutch-speaking area. Examples of these skills are making a hotel reservation, carrying on an informal telephone conversation with a family member, reading a tourist brochure, etc.

There are four main components:

1. Listening

• The candidate can determine the main idea in simple, concrete requests, wishes or complaints (eg a request made by a hotel owner to make less noise during the evening hours).
• The candidate can determine the most important information in instructions (eg instructions given by a police officer during parking).
• The candidate can select relevant information from simple, concrete messages heard in everyday situations (eg a route description, a personal description, a guided tour).

• The candidate can recognise the most common, conversational routines that arise at certain occasions and react to them appropriately (eg birthday congratulations).

2. Reading

• The candidate can select relevant information from simple texts having a specific layout (eg consulting a train schedule).
• The candidate can determine relevant information from simply structured texts (eg a tourist brochure for a hotel or city, a simple form, maps, folders and guides) and organise this information effectively.
• The candidate can follow the train of thought in simple letters or mailings (official or informal) about concrete subjects (eg a letter from a hotel about a reservation, a personal letter from a friend).
• The candidate can select relevant information from simple, concrete messages (eg a route description, a personal description).
• The candidate can determine the main idea in announcements (eg an invitation to a party, an advertisement).
• The candidate can follow the main train of thought in suggestions, requests, complaints and wishes (eg a letter including a proposal from a friend to go on holiday together, an inscription with the request not to smoke).
• The candidate can follow the general emotions being expressed by the writer (eg in a personal letter).
• The candidate can recognise the most common conversational routines that arise at certain occasions.
• The candidate can understand brief simple instructions (eg on a parking meter, medicines, ATM).

• The candidate can follow the general train of thought in an opinion, assessment (eg the discussion of an artwork in a tourist brochure).

3. Writing

• The candidate can write brief simple messages about familiar everyday subjects (eg a brief personal letter, an invitation).
• The candidate can write simple letters that employ familiar common routines for standard occasions (eg a thank-you letter).
• The candidate can convey the content of a request or wish in a brief letter (eg a request to be picked up at the airport).
• The candidate can write brief simple messages about everyday matters.
• The candidate can complete simple forms.
• The candidate can describe his/her emotions in simple terms.
• The candidate can formulate simple clearly understood questions in brief notes (eg to friends or tourism companies).
• The candidate can write brief simple instructions (eg a route description).

4. Listening/Speaking (oral interaction)

• The candidate can ask for and provide information in brief, simple, routine conversations about concrete, familiar, everyday topics (eg a conversation about work, training, family).
• The candidate can ask simple questions to obtain additional information (eg when reserving a bus ticket, ordering in a restaurant, reserving a hotel room).
• The candidate can express a brief simple spontaneous opinion such as a reaction to simple requests, suggestions, and wishes (eg during a conversation about putting together a schedule for going out for the day).
• The candidate can generally follow simply formulated ideas and opinions.
• The candidate can make simple suggestions and requests and express wishes (eg in a conversation about putting together a schedule for going out for the day).
• In an informal situation with a familiar conversation partner, the candidate can express his/her feelings in simple terms and generally follow how the other person is reacting.
• The candidate can recognise the most common, conversational routines that arise at certain occasions and react to them.
• The candidate can give brief simple routine instructions (eg a simple route description).
• The candidate can select relevant information from brief simple instructions (eg a route description, the operation of a simple everyday piece of equipment).
• The candidate can express a brief simple complaint relating to immediate matters (eg a bill, the service, the hotel room).
• The candidate can select relevant information from a simple routine telephone message and confirm this information (eg making an appointment over the telephone).
• The candidate can provide and ask for information during a simple routine telephone conversation about everyday topics when speaking on the telephone with a familiar person (eg confirming holiday plans).

Test tasks

Test tasks are being developed, based on an inventory of relevant situations. How they are to be put into operation is quite varied and depends on the selected situation. An attempt is being made to connect them as closely as possible to actual situations. Examples include test tasks that measure listening and speaking during the same task, or listening and writing.