GESE Grade 5 B1 CEFR / ESOL Entry Level 3 English Exam for Settlement / ILR

Trinity College London International ESOL Examinations – GESE

On this page you will find information on Trinity’s Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE), especially Grade 5 as regulated by OFQUAL.

GESE Grade 5 ESOL Entry level 3 /B1 on the CEFR is approved by the Home Office for use in Settlement/ILR and Naturalisation applications made on or after 28th October 2013.
This exam has 2 phases, each of these phases takes up to 5 minutes each:

• Phase 1 – Discussion of a prepared topic (up to 5 mins)

The Topic phase gives candidates the opportunity to display their level of the language while talking about self-selected and personal topics. When choosing the topic for discussion, candidates should prepare the topic on a subject they are personally interested in, knowledgeable about and able to discuss with the examiner for up to 5 minutes.

Before your examination you must complete a ‘Topic form’ which you will present to the examiner when you enter the examination room. The examiner uses the information on the Topic form to help initiate and develop a discussion about your chosen topic area. It is designed to encourage spontaneous discussion so you should not try to memorise what you are going to say.

You can download blank Topic forms by clicking here for the Trinity website.  If you are entering for GESE Grade 5 ensure you choose the topic form for GESE Grade 5.
In the Topic phase
• Show understanding of the examiner by responding appropriately to questions
• Give information about the prepared topic in a series of linked long turns about the five discussion points on the Topic form
• Answer questions on the prepared topic, and participate in an informal discussion of the topic, during which the examiner will request more information, facts or details
• Respond to requests for clarification and give reasons for making particular statements
• Ask the examiner at least one question about the topic area
• Where appropriate, make use of the language requirements shown below.

• Phase 2 – Conversation on two subject areas (up to 5 mins)

The examiner will then move onto the next stage of the interview, which is a conversation on two topics selected by the examiner. This phase gives candidates the chance to have a real and interesting exchange of information, ideas and opinions, while showing their ability to use the language of the grade.

The Conversation phase for GESE grade 5 consists of a discussion of two of the subject areas listed for your grade. Although the examiner will only select two of the subject areas listed below, candidates need to be prepared to talk about all of them.
• Festivals
• Means of transport
• Special occasions, e.g. birthday celebrations
• Entertainment, e.g. cinema, television, clubs
• Music
• Recent personal experiences
Please note: you should NOT select your own topic from the list of subject areas above. Your own topic should be specific and personal to you, rather than a general subject area such as those contained in this list.
In addition to the items listed for the previous grades (1-4), the candidate is expected to demonstrate the following communicative skills and meet the language requirements: For both phases, discussion of a prepared topic and conversation on 2 subject areas, you should make use of the language requirements as listed below:

Language requirements for GESE Grade 5

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

Grammar

● Present perfect tense including use with for, since, ever, never, just
● Connecting clauses using because
● Will referring to the future for informing and predicting
● Adjectives and adverbials of quantity, e.g. a lot (of), not very much, many
● Expressions of preference, e.g. I prefer, I’d rather

Lexis

● Vocabulary specific to the topic area
● Vocabulary specific to the subject areas
● Expressions relating to past and future time, e.g. two days ago, in the future
● Phrases and expressions relating to the language functions listed above
Phonology
● The correct pronunciation of vocabulary specific to the topic and subject areas
● The combination of weak forms and contractions, e.g. I’ve been to…
● Avoidance of speech patterns of recitation

In the Conversation phase

• Show understanding of the examiner by responding appropriately to questions
• Respond to requests for clarification and give reasons for making particular statements
• Ask the examiner at least one question about a subject area
• Where appropriate, make use of the language requirements listed above

To prepare for GESE Grade 5 Click on ‘Gd5 Serafim’ and ‘Gd5 Srija’ to watch a video of a candidate taking this exam

After you have watched the video then read the ‘Trinity marks for the grade 4-6 candidates’ to see the examiner’s score given for the candidate and why.
• Please see the summary of language requirements for each grade which outline the language functions, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation expected at each level.
Remember that GESE Grade 5 ESOL Entry 3 / B1 on the CEFR is approved by the Home Office for use in Settlement/ILR and Naturalisation applications on or after 28th October 2013.)
The Conversation phase is a meaningful and authentic exchange of information, ideas and opinions, rather than a formal ‘question and answer’ interview.

The Topic

Before the exam the candidate prepares a topic of his or her own choice and in the exam this is used as a basis for the discussion. Trinity College’s philosophy is that candidates should be given every opportunity to demonstrate to the examiner what they can do in English. This includes giving them the opportunity to talk about a topic which is of personal interest to them and which they feel confident talking about. Candidate choice is important and in selecting their own topic candidates have a degree of autonomy and control over this phase of the exam. The topic provides the candidate with the opportunity to show they can link sentences together to talk about a subject at some length. This phase gives the candidate the opportunity to use the communicative skills, language functions and language items of the grade.

The Interactive task

●An initial prompt from the examiner gives rise to an interaction controlled and maintained by the candidate.
●All the exam phases are ‘interactive’, but this is the phase in which the candidate’s own initiating skills are of paramount importance in determining the successful outcome of the task.
●The Interactive task provides the opportunity for the candidate to demonstrate his or her ability to take control through the use of questioning techniques and language functions associated with
requesting information, seeking clarification and encouraging further detail.
●At the Intermediate stage, candidates start to demonstrate their independence as users of English. This autonomy is further developed at the Advanced stage.

The Interactive task requires the candidate to initiate ‘turns’ in the conversation and control the direction of the interaction. This phase requires an authentic exchange of information and opinions, with the language functions listed at each grade arising naturally out of the task.

By the end of the Elementary stage, the candidate can:
●understand the main points of clear speech on familiar matters
●enter into conversation, express personal opinions and exchange information on familiar subjects of personal interest or related to everyday life
●demonstrate a sufficient range of language to describe experiences and events and give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

This profile is based on the level Independent User, B1 Test level, in the Common European Framework of Reference.

For help in GESE exam preparation or to book your GESE Grade 5 B1 CEFR Exam or GESE Grade 2 A1 CEFR Exam click here