Adult Literacy Statistics
The statistics used by the governments of Canada and Quebec are based
on the results of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS).
| Level |
Percentage of Canadian adults
reading at this level |
Characteristics |
| 1 |
22% |
- Brief text
- Clear headings
- Information given as single facts
- Integration of facts is not required
|
| 2 |
27% |
- Longer text
- More information
- Longer units
|
| 3 |
30% |
- Conditionals (If...then) in the text
- Integration of ideas from several sections of
the document.
|
Readability Test
You will find many readability tests online. Some tests involve calculating
the ratio between the length of the text and sentences and the number of
syllables per word. We suggest a simpler process.
Choose a section of your text
- Count the number of words having more than two syllables. The
more of these long words you have, the less readable the text.
- Count the number of words per sentence. Sentences having more
than fifteen words are more difficult to read.