Introduction

In the following list the specific notions for Threshold Level are arranged under 14 themes:

1. personal identification

2. house and home, environment

3. daily life

4. free time, entertainment

5. travel

6. relations with other people

7. health and body care

8. education

9. shopping

10. food and drink

11. services

12. places

13. language

14. weather

The themes may relate to the situational context in which particular transactions may take place (e.g. buying something in a shop) as well as to topics for communicative interaction (e.g. talking about shopping facilities). Under the title of each theme an indication is given as to what learners at Threshold Level may be expected to be able to do with regard to it. These indications are necessarily incomplete and are to be supplemented from other components of our specification.

To facilitate reference, the specific notions are further arranged under sub-themes. In the same way as the general notions, the specific notions are indicated by means of their (recommended) exponents (see the introduction to the list of general notions). Alternative exponents of essentially the same notion are presented thus: first name/Christian name/forename/given name. In such a case the learner should be able to use at least one of them productively but to understand all the others.

The specification contains several open-ended items indicated by italics (e.g. names of occupations). In these cases we leave it to materials designers, teachers and learners to identify those specific notions, if any, which suit their own purposes.