In order to assess various reading and writing abilities of adults, for comparison with corresponding abilities of pupils in grades 7 through 12, and to investigate the extent to which adults' reading and writing abilities can be regarded as satisfactory, answers to a series of tests and questionnaire data were obtained from random samples of Swedish-speaking adults born in 1940 or 1950, from Linkoping, Sweden. The tests covered the alphabet, spelling, copying of prose material, reading rate, reading comprehension, practical reading ability, and essay or free writing. Data and test results show that basic reading and writing skills of many adults can be expected to improve--largely as a result of informal education--after they leave school, that prolonged schooling during adolescence leads to even greater improvement in reading and writing ability, that a substantial minority of adults do not reach the minimum level of reading and writing ability necessary for functional literacy, and that more than 30% of the adults found their reading and writing abilities insufficient for at least some of the tasks they undertake or would like to undertake. (JM)