Different skills, different evidence

A person can speak Punjabi confidently without reading Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi, or recognise written forms while still finding conversation difficult. Script familiarity is knowledge of a writing system; spoken fluency involves using language in interaction. Reading also depends on vocabulary, comprehension and the particular text, not just recognising letters. UNESCO’s guidance on assessing multilingual learners emphasises documenting a range of language and literacy skills and considering the languages used in assessment. One short reading test cannot measure a person’s whole linguistic ability. Ask what the person can do and wants to do rather than assigning a single label.[1]

Ask about a meaningful task

A learner might read a familiar sign, follow a conversation with relatives or write a short message. Each task calls on a different combination of skills and context. A UNESCO Global Education Monitoring fellowship paper by Fernanda Gándara on bilingual assessment discusses how evaluating languages separately may miss parts of a bilingual person’s wider repertoire. That does not make careful assessment impossible: it means the purpose, language and task should be made explicit. A learner who knows a word in conversation may need time to recognise it in print; another may decode a word but need help understanding its meaning.[2]

Build on what is already known

Columbia University’s Punjabi programme describes a course combining Gurmukhi with speaking, reading and writing. Its intermediate course also aims to develop oral and written communication. These activities provide different kinds of practice. Choose material in a script and variety relevant to the learner’s goals, and offer feedback on the specific task rather than judging identity or intelligence. A person may gain confidence in reading without immediately becoming fluent in conversation, and the reverse is also possible. Progress is easier to see when a learner can name a concrete goal and revisit it over time.[3]

Sources & notes

Source records include access dates and, where known, limits on what was examined. Checks used AI assistance; independent human or specialist review has not been completed.

  1. UNESCO. Guidance for the Classroom-Based Assessment of Multilingual Learners: Assessing Languages, Literacies and Learning Across the Curriculum ↗Written source · Source date: 2024 · Locator: Publication overview and classroom-based assessment. Accessed 2026-11-03.Historical research, institutional collection or professional guidance inspected.Return to Different skills, different evidence, paragraph 1 ↑
  2. Fernanda Gándara, UNESCO Global Education Monitoring fellowship. Language Considerations for the Global Monitoring Agenda: Insights from a Large-Scale Bilingual Assessment of Literacy from the Democratic Republic of the Congo ↗Written source · Source date: 2022 · Locator: Abstract and conclusions on bilingual literacy assessment. Accessed 2026-11-03.Fellowship paper inspected; it states that its views are the author’s and are not attributable to UNESCO.Return to Ask about a meaningful task, paragraph 1 ↑
  3. Columbia University Language Resource Center. Punjabi Language Program ↗Written source · Source date: publication date not established · Locator: Elementary course, speaking and reading. Accessed 2026-11-03.Historical research, institutional collection or professional guidance inspected.Return to Build on what is already known, paragraph 1 ↑
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Record PH-JOU-0087 · English edition · human review not performed