diff --git a/decode_response.go b/decode_response.go
index 7f40bc7..6cc37a4 100644
--- a/decode_response.go
+++ b/decode_response.go
@@ -277,22 +277,55 @@ func (sp *SAMLServiceProvider) ValidateEncodedResponse(encodedResponse string) (
 	return decodedResponse, nil
 }
 
-// parseResponse is a helper function that was refactored out so that the XML parsing behavior can be isolated and unit tested
-func parseResponse(xml []byte) (*etree.Document, *etree.Element, error) {
-	doc := etree.NewDocument()
-	err := doc.ReadFromBytes(xml)
+// DecodeUnverifiedBaseResponse decodes several attributes from a SAML response for the purpose
+// of determining how to validate the response. This is useful for Service Providers which
+// expose a single Assertion Consumer Service URL but consume Responses from many IdPs.
+func DecodeUnverifiedBaseResponse(encodedResponse string) (*types.UnverifiedBaseResponse, error) {
+	raw, err := base64.StdEncoding.DecodeString(encodedResponse)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	var response *types.UnverifiedBaseResponse
+
+	err = maybeDeflate(raw, func(maybeXML []byte) error {
+		response = &types.UnverifiedBaseResponse{}
+		return xml.Unmarshal(maybeXML, response)
+	})
 	if err != nil {
-		// Attempt to inflate the response in case it happens to be compressed (as with one case at saml.oktadev.com)
-		buf, err := ioutil.ReadAll(flate.NewReader(bytes.NewReader(xml)))
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return response, nil
+}
+
+// maybeDeflate invokes the passed decoder over the passed data. If an error is
+// returned, it then attempts to deflate the passed data before re-invoking
+// the decoder over the deflated data.
+func maybeDeflate(data []byte, decoder func([]byte) error) error {
+	err := decoder(data)
+	if err != nil {
+		deflated, err := ioutil.ReadAll(flate.NewReader(bytes.NewReader(data)))
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, nil, err
+			return err
 		}
 
+		return decoder(deflated)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// parseResponse is a helper function that was refactored out so that the XML parsing behavior can be isolated and unit tested
+func parseResponse(xml []byte) (*etree.Document, *etree.Element, error) {
+	var doc *etree.Document
+
+	err := maybeDeflate(xml, func(xml []byte) error {
 		doc = etree.NewDocument()
-		err = doc.ReadFromBytes(buf)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, nil, err
-		}
+		return doc.ReadFromBytes(xml)
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 
 	el := doc.Root()
diff --git a/providertests/exercise.go b/providertests/exercise.go
index 7c0c19a..cfe0aa7 100644
--- a/providertests/exercise.go
+++ b/providertests/exercise.go
@@ -5,12 +5,22 @@ package providertests
 import (
 	"testing"
 
+	saml2 "github.com/russellhaering/gosaml2"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 func ExerciseProviderTestScenarios(t *testing.T, scenarios []ProviderTestScenario) {
+	println("TESTING")
 	for _, scenario := range scenarios {
 		t.Run(scenario.ScenarioName, func(t *testing.T) {
+			_, err := saml2.DecodeUnverifiedBaseResponse(scenario.Response)
+			// DecodeUnverifiedBaseResponse is more permissive than RetrieveAssertionInfo.
+			// If an error _is_ returned it should match, but it is OK for no error to be
+			// returned even when one is expected during full validation.
+			if err != nil {
+				scenario.CheckError(t, err)
+			}
+
 			assertionInfo, err := scenario.ServiceProvider.RetrieveAssertionInfo(scenario.Response)
 			if scenario.CheckError != nil {
 				scenario.CheckError(t, err)
diff --git a/providertests/exercise_go_1_6.go b/providertests/exercise_go_1_6.go
index 324ff67..fd5fdcf 100644
--- a/providertests/exercise_go_1_6.go
+++ b/providertests/exercise_go_1_6.go
@@ -10,6 +10,13 @@ import (
 
 func ExerciseProviderTestScenarios(t *testing.T, scenarios []ProviderTestScenario) {
 	for _, scenario := range scenarios {
+		// DecodeUnverifiedBaseResponse is more permissive than RetrieveAssertionInfo.
+		// If an error _is_ returned it should match, but it is OK for no error to be
+		// returned even when one is expected during full validation.
+		if err != nil {
+			scenario.CheckError(t, err)
+		}
+
 		assertionInfo, err := scenario.ServiceProvider.RetrieveAssertionInfo(scenario.Response)
 		if scenario.CheckError != nil {
 			scenario.CheckError(t, err)
diff --git a/types/response.go b/types/response.go
index adbc792..4f338f0 100644
--- a/types/response.go
+++ b/types/response.go
@@ -5,6 +5,20 @@ import (
 	"time"
 )
 
+// UnverifiedBaseResponse extracts several basic attributes of a SAML Response
+// which may be useful in deciding how to validate the Response. An UnverifiedBaseResponse
+// is parsed by this library prior to any validation of the Response, so the
+// values it contains may have been supplied by an attacker and should not be
+// trusted as authoritative from the IdP.
+type UnverifiedBaseResponse struct {
+	XMLName      xml.Name `xml:"urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:protocol Response"`
+	ID           string   `xml:"ID,attr"`
+	InResponseTo string   `xml:"InResponseTo,attr"`
+	Destination  string   `xml:"Destination,attr"`
+	Version      string   `xml:"Version,attr"`
+	Issuer       *Issuer  `xml:"Issuer"`
+}
+
 type Response struct {
 	XMLName             xml.Name             `xml:"urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:protocol Response"`
 	ID                  string               `xml:"ID,attr"`