Trinity's English London Exams
Trinity’s English language exams focus on communicative and integrated language skills that people of all ages and from all walks of life need to perform in today’s interconnected world.
Their range of qualifications covers every stage of learning, from beginner to advanced. Trinity College London offers two skills oral assessments and four skills reading, writing, speaking and listening assessments as well as young learner awards.
Recognized all over the world Trinity’s Integrated Skills in English (ISE) qualifications and Examinations of Spoken English (GESE) are recognized around the world as proof of English proficiency.
- Trinity College London is an international examinations board established in 1877, recognised by OFQUAL, which offers English language certificates listed on RQF and formally calibrated to the CEFR.
- ISE and GESE English language certificates are recognised in Spain by national and autonomic education authorities and public administrations (certificates recognised by MEFP).
- The Association of Language Testers in Europe ALTE has awarded ISE and GESE the Q-Mark for meeting all of their stringent quality standards (certificates recognised by ALTE).
- The SELT versions of secure ISE and GESE exams are approved by the British Government for application to UKVI for visas, Leave to Remain and British Citizenship (UKVI approved certificates).
- ISE certificates are recognised in Spain by universities to accredit the English language level for Grade, Master, Postgraduate and Erasmus studies (certificates recognised by CRUE and ACLES).
- In UK, ISE certificates are recognised for admission by 98% of British universities, as well as by many universities in Ireland, and by an increasing number of universities all over the world.
GESE exams are for people of all ages who want to develop communicative English language speaking and listening skills for use in real life – whatever the purpose, whether for immigration, work, study, leisure or employment.
GESE exams are one-to-one, face- to-face assessments of English language speaking and listening skills with a Trinity examiner, who encourages the candidate to show what they can do through prompts and authentic interactive dialogue. The exam length is 5-25 minutes depending on the grade.
Because candidates can plan a head to discuss their own interests and opinions in the exam, this motivates learning and aids natural speech – which helps them to relax and perform at their best during the exam.
Mapped to the CEFR
GESE is available at 12 levels:
Grades 1-12 (pre-A1-C2 CEFR levels).
Grouped by development stage,GESE exams offer a progressive framework for the development of English language skills and an assessment for every learner.
Grades 1-3 - Initial stage - Pre- A1-A2.1
GESE Grade 1 - (MCER Pre-A1)
Grade 1
Grade 1 is a conversation with a Trinity examiner, which lasts up to 5 minutes. During this time the
examiner exchanges greetings with the candidate, asks simple questions and gives simple
instructions.
Like all the Graded Examinations in Spoken English, it will be a friendly and enjoyable experience. The examiner uses pictures or objects to help the candidate produce the language they need to
demonstrate.
At Grade 1, candidates do not have to use full sentences when they talk to their examiner. They show that they understand the examiner by responding appropriately to their questions or instructions
Themes:
- Personal information
- Immediate surroundings including classroom objects
- Basic parts of the face and body
- Common animals (domestic, farm and wild)
- Cardinal numbers up to 20
- Colours
- Everyday items of clothing
GESE Grade 2 (CEFR A1) — Introduction
Grade 2
Grade 2 is a conversation with a Trinity examiner, which lasts up to six minutes. During this time, the candidate has the opportunity to show how much they have progressed since their Grade 1
exam. They are now able to use English at level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
The Grade 2 exam is a friendly and communicative experience and the candidate will use short phrases and statements and ask their examiner a question. The list of what learners should be able to do is longer.
The language in Grade 2 reflects the way students learn English in the classroom. Because the
candidate asks at least one question during the conversation, they start to understand that language is a two-way communication and can begin to see the advantages of learning English.
Language functions
- Indicating the position of people and objects
- Describing people, animals, objects and places very simply
- Stating simple facts
- Informing about possessions
- Asking very simple question about personal details
Themes
- Rooms in the home
- Household objects
- Family and friends
- Pets
- Possessions
- Days of the week and months of the year
- Cardinal numbers up to 50
GESE Grade 3 (CEFR A2.1) — Introduction
Grade 3
Grade 3 is the final exam in the Initial stage of the GESE exams. This means that the learner has reached A2.1 in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). This exam lasts up to seven
minutes and now candidates are able to have a more complex conversation with their examiner.
A Grade 3 speaker of English can describe their daily routines and other events to the examiner, give simple directions and describe what people are doing. They can also say the names of different common jobs and talk about what they do in their free time, using the grammar of the grade.
The Grade 3 exam is a stimulating communicative experience with the candidate talking more with the examiner. Like all the GESE grades, the examiner does not read a script and the examiner and the candidate have a real conversation.
This means that the examiner enjoys meeting their candidates and the candidates enjoy talking — in English
Language functions
- Describing daily routines and times
- Giving dates
- Expressing ability and inability
- Giving very simple directions and locations
- Describing current activities of real people or those in pictures
- Describing states in the past
- Asking simple questions about everyday life
And when the learner has completed the GESE Initial stage, it is time to start thinking about the next stage — Elementary stage. Next step: Grade
Themes:
- Jobs
- Places in the local area
- Place of study
- Home life
- Weather
- Free time
- Times and dates
- Ordinal numbers up to 31st for dates
- Words and phrases relating to the language functions listed above
Grades 4-6 Elementary stage - A2.2-B1.2
GESE Grade 4 (CEFR A2.2) — Introduction
At Grade 4, candidates talk about their present activities, past experiences and future plans. They can also talk about their likes and dislikes and make simple comparisons. They will use the grammar listed for Grade 4 such as the past tense and ‘going to’. The six conversation areas listed for this grade are about personal experiences, so candidates will have the vocabulary needed to talk about familiar subjects: Holidays, Shopping, School and work, Hobbies
and sports, Food, Weekend and seasonal activities.
Language functions:
- Talking about past events
- Talking about future plans and intentions
- Expressing simple comparisons
- Expressing likes and dislikes
- Describing manner and frequency.
Themes:
- Holidays
- Shopping
- School and work
- Hobbies and sports
- Food
- Weekend and seasonal activities
GESE Grade 5 (CEFR B1.1) — Introduction
Grade 5
At Grade 5, candidates have mastered the Grade 4 language and are ready to progress to the next grade.
At Grade 5 candidates talk about subjects of general interest — festivals and means of transport — as well as their own personal experiences.
Candidates can talk more about their likes and dislikes, by expressing preferences and giving
reasons.
The grammar used to talk about the topics is expanded and includes the present perfect tense to refer to events in the indefinite and recent past, contrasted with the past simple when talking about specific times.
At Grade 5 the candidate asks the examiner questions to find out more about them
Language functions:
- Talking about the future — informing and predicting
- Expressing preferences
- Talking about events in the indefinite and recent past
- Giving reasons
- Stating the duration of events
- Quantifying.
Themes:
- Festivals
- Means of transport
- Special occasions, eg birthday celebrations
- Entertainment, eg cinema, television, clubs
- Music
- Recent personal experience
GESE Grade 6 (CEFR B1.2) — Introduction
Grade 6
Grade 6 is the final exam in the Elementary stage. At Grade 6 candidates talk about their opinions, intentions and obligations using conditional forms and modal verbs. They talk about things they
did in the past using the past,continuous.
The six subject areas for discussion are general interest and there is scope for a more complex discussion as candidates ask the examiner more questions and take some responsibility for maintaining the conversation. Candidates are expected to have the vocabulary to be able to talk about Travel, Money, Fashion, Rules and regulations, Health and fitness and Learning a
foreign language. The examiner will often ask questions about their personal experience of these, but the candidate should be able to express their opinions and impressions.
Language functions:
- Expressing and requesting opinions and impressions
- Expressing intention and purpose
- Expressing obligation and necessity
- Expressing certainty and uncertainty
- Describing past actions over a period of time
Subject Areas:
- Travel
- Money
- Fashion
- Rules and regulations
- Health and fitness
- Learning a foreign language
Grades 7- 9 - Intermediate stage - B2.1-B2.3
GESE Grade 7 (CEFR B2.1) — Introduction
Grado 7
At Grade 7, candidates are independent communicators in English. They can start and maintain a conversation in English and are able to ask questions and exchange opinions on a range of
subjects. The Grade 7 exam is a stimulating and interactive experience. The examiner and candidate have a real conversation, where they listen and respond to each other’s questions, comments and requests for clarification.
Language functions:
- Giving advice and highlighting advantages and disadvantages
- Making suggestions
- Describing past habits
- Expressing possibility and uncertainty
- Eliciting further information and expansion of ideas and opinions
- Expressing agreement and
disagreemen
Subject Areas
- Education
- National customs
- Village and city life
- National and local produce and products
- Early memories
- Pollution and recycling
GESE Grado 8 (MCER B2.2) — Introducción
Grade 8
At Grade 8, candidates are able to communicate with some spontaneity and engage the examiner in an extended conversation. They can express and explain their viewpoint on a wide range of subjects and follow up on comments from the examiner to develop the conversation.
The Grade 8 exam is a motivating and interactive experience, where the examiner and candidate participate in a genuine conversation.
Language functions:
- Expressing feelings and emotions
- Expressing impossibility
- Reporting the conversation of others
- Speculating
- Persuading and discouraging
Subject Areas:
- Society and living standards
- Personal values and ideals
- The world of work
- Unexplained phenomena and events
- National environmental concerns
- Public figures past and present
GESE Grade 9 (CEFR B2.3) — Introduction
Grade 9
At Grade 9, candidates can communicate in English fluently, accurately and effectively. They can start, maintain and develop a conversation, with effective turn- taking on a wide range of reasonably familiar subjects. The Grade 9 exam is an authentic conversation, in which the examiner and candidate exchange information, opinions and attitudes
Language Functions:
- Expressing abstract ideas
- Expressing regrets, wishes and hope
- Expressing assumptions
- Paraphrasing
- Evaluating options
- Hypothesising
- Evaluating past actions or course of events
Subject Areas:
- Dreams and nightmares
- Crime and punishment
- Technology
- Habits and obsessions
- Global environmental issues
- Design
Grade s 10-12 - Advanced stage - C1.1-C2
GESE Grade 10 (CEFR C1.1)
Grade 10
At Grade 10 candidates express beliefs and opinions and summarise information, ideas and arguments. They can also develop an argument and defend a point of view. They can use a broad range of complex grammatical structures with a high degree of grammatical accuracy.
There are two lists of conversationareas listed for this grade. The conversation areas are about abstract concepts and contemporary issues, so candidates need vocabulary to talk about subjects such as communication,equal opportunities, youth behaviour and social issues.
GESE Grade 11 (CEFR C1.2)
Grade 11
At Grade 11, candidates have mastered the Grade 10 language and are ready to progress to the next grade. At Grade 11 learners express caution, empathy and reservations, they can justify an
argument, infer meaning and evaluate different standpoints. They can use a broad range of complex grammatical structures with a high degree of grammatical accuracy.
There are two lists of conversation areas listed for this grade. The conversation areas are about abstract concepts and contemporary issues, so candidates need the vocabulary to talk about
subjects such as stereotypes, young people’s rights, the arts and economic issues
GESE Grado 12 (MCER C2)
Grado 12
At Grade 12, candidates assert, deny, soften and downplay propositions, contradict, imply and affirm. They can demonstrate a comprehensive and reliable mastery of a very wide range of
language, reformulate ideas and convey finer shades of meaning with consistency. There is no set list of conversation subject areas, so candidates are expected to be able to discuss any subject of general or topical interest.
ISE Foundation (A2)
Speaking:
- A candidate who passes ISE Foundation Speaking can:
- Participate in short, one–to-one conversations with the examiner in routine contexts
- Exchange ideas and information on familiar topics or topics of interest to the candidate
- Interact in short conversations without much difficulty, although he or she may need some help at times
- Ask and answer questions on familiar topics in predictable,everyday situations
- Express how he or she feels in simple terms
- Give greetings, farewells and introductions
- Ask and answer questions about habits, routines and past activities, work and/or free time activities
- Give simple descriptions of people, daily routines and likes/dislikes as a short series of simple phrases and sentences
- Make himself or herself understood in short contributions, even though pauses, false starts and reformulation may be very evident.
Listening:
A candidate who passes ISE
Foundation Listening can:
- Understand enough to complete the task if the speech they hearis clear and slow
- Understand phrases and expressions related to personal circumstances (eg very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment
- Understand and extract the essential information from short recorded passages which discuss predictable everyday subjects
- Understand enough to manage simple, routine exchanges without much effort
- Generally understand clear, standard speech when they are discussing everyday subjects, although he or she might ask for repetition or reformulation from time to time
- Use an idea of the overall meaning of short texts on everyday topics to deduce the probable meaning of unknown words from the context
Reading:
A candidate who passes ISE
Foundation Reading can:
- Understand the main ideas and specific information/facts in short, simple texts on familiar
topics, which use common, high- frequency, everyday language - Identify specific information in simple written texts
- Deduce the meaning of unknown words from their context.
- The candidate is assessed on his or her ability to use several reading skills including skimming, scanning, reading for gist, for specific information and to understand specific facts, and summarising
- Giving personal information about present and past circumstances/activities
- Describing routines
- Expressing ability and inability
- Describing future plans
- Expressing likes and dislikes
- Describing people, objects and places
- Expressing simple comparisons
- Asking for information (eg simple questions about everyday life)
- Asking for clarification
- Responding to requests for clarification
Reading into writing:
A candidate who passes ISE
Foundation Task 3 — Reading into
writing can:
- Select relevant content from the texts
- Identify connections between multiple texts in
- Adapt the information.
Writing:
A candidate who passes ISE
- Foundation Writing can:write about everyday aspects ofhis or her life, eg people, places, a job or study experience, in linked sentences
- Write very short, basic descriptions of events, past activities and personal experiences
- Write simple phrases and sentences linked with simple connectors like ‘and’, ‘but’ and ‘then’.
Subject areas for ISE Foundation:
- Holidays
- Shopping
- School and work
- Hobbies and sports
- Food
- Weekend and seasonal activities
- Jobs
- Places in the local area
- Place of study
- Home life
- Weather
- Free time
- Times and dates
- The natural world
ISE I (B2)
Perfil del candidato Oral
Un candidato que aprueba ISE I
Candidate profile
Speaking
A candidate who passes ISE I Speaking can:
- Initiate, maintain and close simple, unprepared one-to-one conversations on topics that are familiar or of personal interest
- Communicate with some confidence on familiar routine and non-routine subjects or topics of personal interest
- Express personal opinions and exchange information on everyday topics that are familiar or of personal interest (eg family, hobbies, work, travel)
- Maintain a conversation or discussion but with some errors
- Describe one of a variety of familiar subjects, presenting it as a linear sequence of points, with reasonable fluency
- Give accounts of experiences, describing feelings and reactions
- Describe dreams, hopes and ambitions
- Describe events, real or imagined
- Give reasons and explanations for opinions, plans and actions
- Demonstrate a basic repertoireof language and strategies to help keep a conversation or discussion going
- Repeat back part of what someone has said to confirm mutual understanding and help keep the development of ideas on course
- Ask someone to clarify or elaborate what he or she has just said.
Listening:
A candidate who passes ISE I Listening can:
- Follow clear speech in one-to- one conversations, although sometimes he or she may have to ask for repetition of particular words and phrases
- Understand factual information about common everyday topics, identify general messages and specific details
- Understand the main points of familiar topics, eg work, school, leisure, including short narratives
- Follow a clearly structured lecture or talk on a familiar topic
- Understand the information content of the majority of slowand clear recorded audio material, eg radio news, or material on familiar topics or topics of personal interest
- Identify unfamiliar words from the context on familiar topics or topics of personal interest.
Reading:
A candidate who passes ISE I
Reading can:
- Understand the main ideas and specific information/facts in a range of factual and descriptive texts and infographics on familiar subjects or those of personal interest
- Identify specific information in written texts
- Deduce the meaning of words and phrases from their context
- Write short summaries of information in the texts.
The candidate is assessed on his or her ability to read across several texts and demonstrate a range of reading skills including skimming, scanning, and reading for gist and specific information.
Candidate profile
Speaking:
A candidate who passes ISE I Speaking can:
- Initiate, maintain and close simple, unprepared one-to-one conversations on topics that are familiar or of personal interest
- Communicate with some confidence on familiar routine and non-routine subjects or topics of personal interest
- Express personal opinions and exchange information on everyday topics that are familiar or of personal interest (eg family, hobbies, work, travel)
- Maintain a conversation or discussion but with some errors
- Describe one of a variety of familiar subjects, presenting it as a linear sequence of points, with reasonable fluency
- Give accounts of experiences, describing feelings and reactions
- Describe dreams, hopes and ambitions
- Describe events, real or imagined
- Give reasons and explanations for opinions, plans and actions
- Demonstrate a basic repertoireof language and strategies to help keep a conversation or discussion going
- Repeat back part of what someone has said to confirm mutual understanding and help keep the development of ideas on course
- Ask someone to clarify or elaborate what he or she has just said.
Reading
A candidate who passes ISE I
Reading can:
- Understand the main ideas and specific information/facts in a range of factual and descriptive
texts and infographics on familiar subjects or those of personal interest - Identify specific information in written texts
- Deduce the meaning of words and phrases from their context
- Write short summaries of information in the texts.
The candidate is assessed on his or her ability to read across several texts and demonstrate a range of reading skills including skimming, scanning, and reading for gist and specific information.
- Reading into writing:
A candidate who passes ISE I Task 3
— Reading into writing can: - Select relevant content from the texts in task 2
- Identify connections between multiple texts in task 2
- Adapt the information in task 2 to use in task 3.
Writing
A candidate who passes ISE I
Writing can:
- Convey information and ideas on concrete and abstract topics
- Write connected texts on a range of familiar subjects of interest, by combining different short components into a linear sequence write short, simple essays on topics of interest
- Summarise, report and give opinions about factual information on familiar routine and non-routine topics with some confidence
- Paraphrase short, written passages in a simple fashion
- Describing the future, informing and expressing intention
- Predicting and expressing certainty and uncertainty
- Giving reasons, opinions and preferences
- Expressing obligation
- Asking for information and opinions
- Travel
- Money
- Fashion
- Rules and regulations
- Health and fitness
- Learning a foreign language
- Festivals
- Means of transport
- Special occasions
- Entertainment
- Music
- Recent personal experiences
ISE I (B2)
Speaking
A candidate who passes ISE II
Speaking can:
- Initiate, maintain and end discourse appropriately in unprepared one-to-one conversations, using effective turn-taking
- Engage and participate in extended conversation on most general topics
- Communicate spontaneously with good language control without much sign of having to restrict what he or she wants to say
- Use a level of formality appropriate to the circumstances Use language fluently , accurately and effectively on a wide range of general, academic, vocational or leisure topics, demonstrating the relationships between ideas
- Interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity with a native speaker without creating communication difficulties
- Highlight the personal significance of events and experiences
- Explain views clearly by providing relevant explanations and arguments
- Convey degrees of emotion and highlight the personal significance of events and experiences
- Outline a topical issue or a problem clearly, speculating about causes or consequences, and weighing advantages and disadvantages of different approaches
- Give clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects of interest, expanding and supporting ideas with subsidiary points and relevant examples
- Develop a clear argument, expanding and supporting his or her points of view at some length with subsidiary points and relevant examples
- Intervene appropriately in discussion, exploiting appropriate language to do so
- Ask follow-up questions to check that he or she has understood what a speaker intended to say, and clarify ambiguous points
- Paraphrase to cover gaps in vocabulary and structure.
- Understand standard spoken language on both familiar and unfamiliar topics from personal, social, academic or vocational life
- Understand the main ideas of complex speech in standard English on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions
- Understand extended speech and complex lines of argument on familiar topics signposted by explicit markers
- Understand recordings in standard English from social, professional or academic life
- Identify information content, and speaker’s viewpoints, attitudes, mood and tone
- Understand most recorded audio material delivered in standard English
- Use a variety of strategies to achieve comprehension, including listening for main points, and checking comprehension by using contextual clues
- Understand a clearly structured lecture on a familiar subject and take notes on points he or she considers important
- Summarise extracts from news items, interviews or documentaries containing opinions, argument and discussion.
- Read with a large degree of independence, adapting style and speed of reading to different texts and purposes, using appropriate reference sources selectively
- Scan quickly through long and complex texts, locating relevant details
- Quickly identify the content and relevance of news items, articles and reports on a wide range of lagunas en el vocabulario y la estructura.
