Stage II: Financial and Numerical Literacy
This theme focuses on the communication skills required to find, understand and express information related to financial and numerical ideas. Find out more about this theme at Language for Success and Skills for Success.
Choose a CLB level by clicking below to access information about Real-World Tasks and Detailed Sample Tasks for this theme.
CLB 5
CLB 6
CLB 7
CLB 8
Listening
CLB 5
Follow instructions to set up a basic
personal or household budget.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand simple to moderately complex directions and instructions for generally familiar and relevant procedures.
- Follows a range of basic cohesive devices indicating order and sequence.
- Responds with actions to directions and instructions.
Watch a video about basic financial planning for women.
Comprehending Information
Understand descriptive or narrative monologues or presentations related to everyday, personally relevant topics or situations.
- Gets the gist.
- Identifies factual details and some implied meanings.
Watch a short video with statistics on diversity in Canada to understand your community better.
Comprehending Information
Understand descriptive or narrative monologues or presentations related to everyday, personally relevant topics or situations.
- Identifies key words and phrases.
- Interprets descriptions, reports and explanations.
CLB 6
Follow instructions to set up a household
budget using a program. Follow instructions
to download and use a budgeting app to set up a household budget.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand moderately complex directions and instructions for technical or non-technical tasks.
- Follows a range of cohesive devices indicating order and sequence.
- Responds with actions to directions and instructions.
Attend a workshop or webinar about financial planning for women.
Comprehending Information
Understand descriptive or narrative monologues or presentations related to everyday, personally relevant topics or situations.
- Interprets factual information, explanations and opinions.
- Identifies discourse indicators for cause and effect.
Watch a video with statistics about immigration and newcomers in your province or territory.
Comprehending Information
Understand descriptive or narrative monologues or presentations on generally familiar and relevant topics.
- Identifies factual details, main ideas, supporting details and implied meanings.
- Identifies topic-specific words, phrases and expressions.
CLB 7
Follow instructions to create a budget spreadsheet for a project at work.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand moderately complex directions and instructions for technical or non-technical tasks.
- Follows sequence markers, cohesive devices (connecting words, reference, parallel structure, substitution) or other linguistic clues to infer order of steps.
- Seeks clarification and confirmation if required.
Attend a workshop or webinar about financial planning and saving for retirement for women.
Comprehending Information
Understand descriptive or narrative monologues or presentations related to everyday, personally relevant topics or situations.
- Identifies factual details, main ideas and supporting details.
- Identifies rhetorical discourse markers and patterns of chronological order and sequence, comparison and contrast, and cause and effect.
Listen to a news story with statistics on diversity trends in common industries in Canada.
Comprehending Information
Understand extended descriptive or narrative monologues or presentations about personal experiences, general knowledge or familiar work-related topics, even when some information is presented out of sequence.
- Identifies rhetorical discourse markers and patterns of chronological order and sequence, comparison and contrast, and cause and effect.
- Interprets factual information, explanations and opinions.
CLB 8
Follow instructions to create a detailed budget for a multi-year project at work.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand extended multistep directions or instructions for technical or non-technical tasks.
- Follows sequence markers, cohesive devices (connecting words, reference, parallel structure, substitution) or other linguistic clues to infer order of steps.
- Responds with actions to directions and instructions.
Attend a workshop or webinar about financial planning and investing for women.
Comprehending Information
Understand descriptive or narrative monologues or presentations related to everyday, personally relevant topics or situations.
- Identifies phrases and sentences that mark topic introduction, topic development, topic shift and conclusion.
- Identifies rhetorical discourse markers and patterns of chronological order and sequence, comparison and contrast, and cause and effect.
Listen to a news story with statistics on diversity trends in a specific industry or field in Canada.
Comprehending Information
Understand extended monologues or presentations on topics that are generally familiar and related to general knowledge or technical/ work-related issues in own field.
- Identifies phrases and sentences that mark topic introduction, topic development, topic shift and conclusion.
- Identifies rhetorical discourse markers and patterns of chronological order and sequence, comparison and contrast, and cause and effect.
Speaking
CLB 5
Tell a neighbour about the price and features of an item you’re selling at a garage sale.
Interacting With Others
Participate in basic social conversations for some everyday purposes.
- Opens and maintains a conversation.
- Responds to small talk.
Explain to a friend or co-worker the steps to purchase a new, low-fee cell phone plan.
Giving Instructions
Give instructions and directions for everyday activities and processes.
- Uses appropriate courtesy forms and structures.
- Uses appropriate expressions to sequence instructions.
Call your credit card company to report a suspicious charge on your credit card.
Sharing Information
Ask for and give information related to routine daily activities in one-on-one interactions.
- Provides necessary information.
- Repeats information and ideas to confirm understanding.
CLB 6
Barter or negotiate the price of an item at a garage sale.
Interacting With Others
Participate in routine social conversations for some everyday purposes.
- Takes turns by interrupting appropriately.
- Provides appropriate apologies and explanations.
Explain to a friend or co-worker the steps to open a low-fee bank account.
Giving Instructions
Give sequential instructions and directions for everyday activities and processes.
- Uses clear references.
- Uses sequencing intonation so that the listener can follow.
Call your credit card company to explain a charge on your credit card in order to unblock the card.
Sharing Information
Ask for and give information in some detail; express opinions, feelings, obligation, ability and certainty one-on-one and in small group discussions or meetings.
- Provides necessary information.
- Asks relevant questions.
CLB 7
Speak to a manager about your dissatisfaction with the value of a vehicle trade-in.
Interacting With Others
Participate in less routine social conversations for many everyday purposes.
- Shows developing ability to hold the floor and to resume after an interruption.
- Asks follow-up questions to keep the conversation going.
Explain to a client the steps to evaluate the fees of different RRSPs or TFSAs.
Giving Instructions
Give instructions and directions for technical and non-technical tasks, procedures and processes.
- Uses clear references and provides necessary details.
- Checks to confirm understanding.
Explain a benefit such as the Canada Pension Plan to your peers, and express and qualify an opinion about it.
Sharing Information
Give detailed information; express and qualify opinions and feelings; express reservations, approval, disapproval, possibilities and probabilities one-on-one and in small group discussions or meetings.
- Provides necessary information.
- Summarizes information and ideas to clarify and confirm understanding.
In a conversation with a store customer service representative, request a price match for a product that is lower priced at a different store.
Getting Things Done
Give extended warnings, suggestions, recommendations or advice.
- Uses appropriate persuasive arguments.
- Uses modals with the appropriate level of politeness.
CLB 8
Discuss a fair compensation package for a job with a hiring manager and make a counter offer.
Interacting With Others
Participate in less routine social conversations for most everyday purposes.
- Responds to minor conflicts or complaints, or comforts others in distress.
- Uses appropriate levels of formality with increased ability.
Explain to a client the steps to evaluate the costs and fees of different home or renters’ insurance policies.
Giving Instructions
Give instructions and directions for a broad range of technical and non-technical tasks, procedures and processes.
- Uses clear references and provides necessary details.
- Uses appropriate intonation so that listener can follow.
Participate in a classroom debate on provincial social assistance rates and benefits: describe facts and express and qualify an opinion about them.
Sharing Information
Give detailed information; express and qualify opinions or concerns; present solutions and options; indicate opposition or support for a stand in one-on-one interactions and small group discussions or meetings.
- Provides detailed information and presents options as needed.
- Expresses and qualifies opinions, feelings, doubts and concerns.
Reading
CLB 5
Read a grocery flyer and find the different types of sales and discounts offered.
Getting Things Done
Get information from simple to moderately complex business or service texts.
- Gets the gist.
- Identifies key information and finds specific details.
Read and understand a graph with information about the number of French speakers in different areas of Ontario.
Comprehending Information
Interpret information contained in formatted texts.
CLB 6
Read sale flyers for similar items from two different stores to compare prices and select the best option for your situation.
Getting Things Done
Locate and use 2 or 3 pieces of information from moderately complex formatted texts (such as maps, course calendars, directories or website navigation menus).
- Identifies layout and organization of text to find the information needed.
- Finds 2 or 3 pieces of information by scanning the text.
Read a graph with information about bilingualism in Canada and understand some of the patterns in different areas.
Comprehending Information
Interpret information contained in formatted texts.
- Identifies purpose, main ideas and key details in prose or formatted texts.
- Compares facts to make choices.
CLB 7
Read and understand an infographic with
information about what Canadians think about learning French and understand some
of the trends over time.
Comprehending Information
Interpret information contained in moderately complex formatted texts.
- Follows the sequence of a narration or process.
Read an article about individuals from
equity-deserving groups who have achieved financial success to identify what strategies
they used, such as stock or real estate
investing, retirement saving and or debt management.
Comprehending Information
Understand moderately complex extended descriptions, reports and narrations on familiar topics.
- Distinguishes facts from opinions.
- Evaluates ideas in text to draw conclusions.
CLB 8
Review extended product descriptions,
reviews and costs to determine which product best meets your needs.
Getting Things Done
Get information from moderately complex business/ service texts containing proposals, recommendations and statements of rules, regulations or policies.
- Identifies main ideas, key details and implied meanings.
- Identifies the writer’s purpose, intent, mood and attitude in sections of text.
Read and understand an infographic with
information about what Canadians think
about the Official Languages Act and consider what people in your area are likely to think, based on the data.
Comprehending Information
Interpret information contained in moderately complex formatted texts.
- Presents the information contained in charts, diagrams and graphs in an alternate form.
- Analyzes information, supporting details, implied meanings, and writer’s point of view.
Read a planning document that educates
newcomers on how to make informed decisions about their finances, become
aware of financial risks and protect
themselves.
Comprehending Information
Understand moderately complex extended descriptions, feature articles, reports and narrations.
- Locates and integrates relevant information across paragraphs/ sections of the text.
- Evaluates ideas in text, draws conclusions, compares with own opinion.
Writing
CLB 5
List key details from a Statistics Canada data chart about household income levels across
rural and urban areas of Canada over time.
Reproducing Information
Reduce a page of information to an outline or summary.
- Includes important points with accurate details.
- Conveys a clear message.
Complete a TD1 form to claim personal
deductions when starting a new job.
Getting Things Done
Complete forms requiring detailed personal information.
- Identifies purpose of the form and completes it with all the required information.
- Spells and uses punctuation, capitalization, dates and numbers (and their abbreviations) correctly.
Post a note on a class or workplace
discussion board listing several culturally
relevant financial literacy resources
available online.
Sharing Information
Write a paragraph to relate a familiar sequence of events, description of a person, object or routine.
- Addresses the purpose of the task.
- Expresses a main idea and supports it with details.
CLB 6
Write a brief summary of key messages in a Statistics Canada infographic illustrating
information about gender income disparity across Canada over time.
Reproducing Information
Reduce a page of information to an outline or summary.
- Takes notes and reduces written or oral information to important points with accurate details.
- Records details (such as names, addresses, dates, times and directions) legibly and with correct spelling, capitalization and punctuation.
Complete a TD1 form to determine employer tax deductions when starting a new job.
Getting Things Done
Complete forms requiring detailed personal information.
- Identifies purpose of form and completes it with all the required information.
- Spells and uses punctuation, capitalization, dates and numbers (and their abbreviations) correctly.
Respond to a colleague’s question on
the most effective budgeting tool to use
to arrange their finances, including a
resource link.
Sharing Information
Write 1 or 2 connected paragraphs to relate a familiar sequence of events, a story, a detailed description, or a comparison of people, things, routines or simple procedures.
- Provides introduction, development and conclusion in adequate paragraph structure.
- Provides accurate descriptions, comparisons or accounts of events in a clear sequence.
CLB 7
Summarize statistical indicators that are presented in graphics and a narrative about income disparity for racialized groups.
Reproducing Information
Reduce a text of up to about 2 pages to an outline or summary.
- Conveys the essential information.
- Records details such as names, addresses, dates and directions with correct spelling.
Compete an application to apply for a student or skills training grant.
Getting Things Done
Complete extended forms requiring detailed personal information.
- Identifies the purpose of the form and completes it with all the required information.
- Spells and uses punctuation, capitalization, dates and numbers (and their abbreviations) correctly.
CLB 8
Summarize statistical indicators that are presented in graphics and a narrative about income disparity for newcomers for an informal workplace report.
Reproducing Information
Reduce a text of up to about 2 pages to an outline or summary.
- Conveys essential information.
- Conveys a sense of audience in language format and content.
Complete a detailed form to apply for a business loan.
Getting Things Done
Complete an expanded range of forms, including extended application forms and workplace forms with pre-set formats.
- Identifies purpose of form and its sections and completes it with required information, including 1 paragraph written responses, if required.
- Spells and uses punctuation, capitalization, dates and numbers (and their abbreviations) correctly.
Sample Real World Tasks
This information is aligned with the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and is designed to help guide you in the planning process. You can use these sample real-world tasks to guide and inform your selection or creation of skill-building activities, skill-using tasks and assessment tasks
These sample real-world tasks include the following: skill, real-world task, competency area, one competency statement and two sample indicators of ability. This is not an exhaustive list: there are more indicators of ability and information about this CLB level in Canadian Language Benchmarks English as a Second Language for Adults. Consult this resource for more information and to select your own competencies or indicators of ability. Remember, you can use more learner-friendly language in your materials and assessments.
This is NOT a lesson plan, module plan or curriculum.
