Target Group

Spread all over the world, there are hundreds of millions of people for whom English is the key that may unlock the door of the space assigned to them by birth and upbringing. A command of this language will enable them to extend their mental horizons beyond almost any geographical or cultural limitations, and, if so desired, also physically to cross the threshold into the world outside. That, in fact, hundreds of millions are prepared to make an effort to this purpose has been shown by the success of the BBC'S multimedia course Follow Me!, which in the late 1970s and early 1980s actually attracted such numbers.

It is for this target group that Threshold Level 1990 has been developed. They will be genuine beginners or so-called ‘false beginners’ (i.e. those who have acquired some familiarity with the foreign language but feel they need a fresh start). They are interested in acquiring a general basic ability in English even though, individually, each of them may have their own specific needs and wishes and many of them may eventually want to go much further than this basic level. Finally, their motivation is assumed to be practical rather than academic.

Criteria

An objective designed for such numbers as referred to above has to be flexible enough to allow of a large variety of concretisations in accordance with the specific circumstances of different groups or individuals.