Q: Good morning. Last night, I had Gemini create a Year 4 English reader for my grandson. It turned out to be excellent. My immediate reaction after reading it was, “This reader is probably at about the level of a first-year high school student in Japanese schools.” Since AI can compare Japanese and English English reader books, from its perspective, what grade level of Japanese English reader would the AUS Year 4 English reader correspond to?
A: Good morning. I’m glad to hear that you’ve created such a great reader. As you say, the fact that an Australian Year 4 reader feels like a first-year high school student in Japan accurately captures the difference between the current state of English education in Japanese schools and education in countries where English is the native (or semi-native) speaker.
I will explain this comparison based on AI analysis and the international standard for general English proficiency (CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
Comparison of AUS Year 4 Readers with Japanese Grade Levels from an AI Perspective
1. Characteristics of AUS Year 4 Readers
Australian Year 4 students (ages 9-10) are already fluent in English as their first language.
The “English” classes they study at school (Literacy/English) are not designed to teach grammar and vocabulary from scratch, but rather focus primarily on advanced skills such as:
Reading Comprehension: Understanding the hidden meaning and metaphors of texts
Structure: Learning how to structure texts in various genres (narratives, expository writing, poetry, etc.)
Critical Thinking: Judging the reliability of sources and analyzing characters’ motives
The vocabulary and sentence structure used in these readerships therefore encompass a wide variety of themes that transcend everyday life, making them at a very high level for Japanese learners to learn as a “foreign language.”
2. Comparison with Japanese Grade Levels (Based on CEFR Standards)
When considering the international standard, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the following comparison can be made.
| Grade/Learner | Expected CEFR Level (Average/Target) | Characteristics of English |
| Australia Year 4 (Ages 9-10) | C1-C2 Equivalent (Native Speaker Level) | Able to understand complex topics and naturally read and write texts containing advanced vocabulary, grammar, and metaphors. |
| First-Year High School Students in Japan | A2 (Target: B1 Level by Graduation) | Able to have basic everyday conversations. Able to “exchange simple information on familiar topics.” Reading comprehension of long passages and complex grammar is still in its infancy. |
| Graduation from Japanese High School | A2-B1 (Target: B1) | B1: Able to understand the main points of familiar topics commonly used in work and school. |
Conclusion: Your intuition is correct.
Your impression that the reader’s content is at a first-year high school level is quite accurate when considering the richness of vocabulary and the complexity of sentence structure.
It would likely be difficult for first-year high school students in Japan to fully understand and analyze the content of the reader at the CEFR A2 level.
However, much of the vocabulary and grammar found in the reader is comparable to the content that Japanese learners intensively study from high school onwards.
This is because the learning objectives are different.
| Country | Purpose of English Learning |
| Australia | As a native language, to develop advanced thinking and expression skills necessary for surviving in society. |
| Japan | As a foreign language, to acquire basic communication and reading comprehension skills. |
Therefore, while Gemini’s Year 4 reader is “very high-quality English learning material” for Japanese learners, in terms of the school English curriculum, it is comparable to the level of Japanese high school students, especially those who are proficient in English or aiming for university entrance exams.