Oral skills
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Oral skills relate to creating meaning through listening and speaking. This involves mastering different linguistic and communicative activities and coordinating verbal and other partial skills. It includes being able to listen to others, to respond to others and to be conscious of the interlocutor while speaking.

Oral skills are a precondition for exploring interactions in which knowledge is constructed and shared.

Oral skills are a precondition for lifelong learning and for active participation in working and civic life.

The competence goals for this competence area are divided into three competence levels:

  • Level 1-2: Having oral skills at Level 1-2 means being able to engage in simple communication in known settings. The main content of messages and instructions is comprehended and simple communication strategies are applied.
  • Level 3: Having oral skills at Level 3 means being able to communicate actively on topics of interest in known settings. Personal interests and needs in daily life can be fulfilled, and oral communication abilities can be developed as needed.
  • Level 4: Having oral skills at Level 4 means being able to communicate flexibly and effectively in known as well as unfamiliar settings. The adult can engage in exchanges of opinion in public and private settings and assume responsibility for the communicative process.

Source: Vox, Norwegian Agency for Lifelong Learning (2013) Competence goals for basic skills - Examples of local curricula in reading and writing, numeracy, digital skills and oral skills (url) citing Framework for Basic Skills, Norwegian Directorate of Education and Training 2012.