（PANDA Chinese Language level System）

Level 1: Knowledge of Chinese language is minimal, even in the most simple oral and listening tasks and situations.
Level 2: At this level, the speaker has a very basic command of the language that is needed with a very limited range of simple, routine, and familiar tasks and situations.
Level 3: Users can handle uncomplicated communication tasks and routine social and work situations. They can follow the general meaning of a conversation about familiar subjects.
Level 4: At the intermediate level, users are able to combine learned material to meet their immediate communication and learning needs. They can comprehend information on familiar topics in natural settings and produce meaningful conversation with others on an expanding variety of general topics.
Level 5: Users can initiate, sustain, and conclude most routine communicative tasks for personal and work needs.
Level 6: The user can communicate competently and comfortably in many social settings and contexts.
Level 7: At the upper intermediate level, users have assimilated the essentials of the Chinese language. They can find different ways of formulating what they want to express, especially in many professional contexts.
Level 8: Speakers begin to create with the language in more complex and cognitively demanding situations and conversations. They can deal comfortably with most subjects over the telephone.
Level 9: At the advanced level, users communicate effectively and appropriately even in demanding oral tasks and situations. For example, conducting and moderating a meeting should be done with relative ease. They can participate easily in social and professional conversations, and can deal comfortably with most subjects over the telephone depending on what region of China they are from.
Level 10: Users communicate effectively with various audiences on a wide range of familiar and new topics. Someone at this level has no problem in academic, professional or personal situations.
Level 11: At our highest level, users have full command of the language. They understand and can use virtually all linguistic structures as well as a range of vocabulary items as broad and deep as that of most educated native speakers. Communication is fluent, appropriate and well organized---they develop ideas in speech clearly and coherently.