Exam Preparation Courses: Trinity GESE

Graded Examinations in Spoken English

Trinity College London has been conducting examinations internationally since the
1880s. Trinity is accredited in the United Kingdom by the Qualifications and
Curriculum Authority as an independent award-giving body.

Trinity’s Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE) provide a reliable and

valid scheme of assessment through which candidates, teachers and parents may
measure progress and development, whether for educational and vocational purposes
or as a leisure activity. The grades (1 – 12) provide a continuous measure of linguistic
competence from absolute beginner to full mastery.

Exam Structure:

This series of twelve progressively graded tests is designed for speakers of languages
other than English and sets realistic objectives in listening to and speaking with other
English speakers. This is an oral exam only. The grades take the learner from a very
low level of proficiency (Grade 1) to an advanced level of proficiency comparable
with first-language ability (Grade 12).

Why take the Trinity GESE exam?

A major benefit of a graded examination system is that it provides a motivational tool

with which to encourage learners to develop and progress by acknowledging small
steps. All learners make progress at different rates, and a graded system ensures that
at every stage of their development there is an opportunity for them to mark that
progress. There is a Trinity graded examination in spoken English appropriate to all
learners, whatever their level of ability in communicating in English.

The twelve Graded Examinations in Spoken English are organised in four

development stages. The four stages are designed to give a framework to the teaching
and learning progression and the tasks in the different stages are designed in such a
way as to allow candidates to demonstrate their abilities in a number of different
discourse types.

What is involved in taking the Trinity GESE exam?

General introduction
From Grade 1 throughout the four stages, the examinations take the form of a one-to-
one, face-to-face interview between the candidate and an examiner who is a native
speaker of English. The examination at each stage, and with increasing demands at
each grade, replicates real-life exchanges in which the candidate and the examiner
pass on information, share ideas and opinions and debate topical issues.

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The four stages

Initial Stage At Initial stage (Grades 1–3), the conduct of the examination is
initiated by the examiner. Grades 2 and 3 have been mapped to
the first common reference level (Basic User) in the Common
European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,
teaching, assessment (2001).
Elementary At Elementary stage (Grades 4–6), the candidate introduces a
Stage topic of his or her own choice. The examiner directs the
discussion using the points prepared by the candidate. Then the
examiner moves on to the conversation phase, selecting two
subject areas for discussion from the list provided. Examinations
at Elementary stage provide a bridge from the first to the second
common reference levels (Basic User to Independent User) in
the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Intermediate At Intermediate stage (Grades 7–9), the candidate initiates and
Stage maintains a discussion on a topic of his or her own choice. This is
followed by an interaction initiated by the examiner and then
maintained by the candidate, and the examination ends with a
conversation on two subject areas selected by the examiner from
the list provided. Examinations at Intermediate stage have been
mapped to the second common reference level (Independent
User) in the Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages.
Advanced Stage At Advanced stage (Grades 10–12), the examination begins with
a formal presentation of a topic leading into a discussion of the
presentation. The candidate-controlled interaction is followed by a
listening task, and the examination ends with a conversation on
two subject areas selected by the examiner from one of the lists
provided. Examinations at Advanced stage have been mapped to
the third common reference level (Independent User to
Proficient User) in the Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages.

Breakdown of the exams:

Initial Elementary Intermediate Advanced

Grades 1 – 3 Grades 4 – 6 Grades 7 – 9 Grades 10 – 12
5-7 minutes 10 minutes 15 minutes 25 minutes
Topic Presentation
Topic Discussion
Candidate-led Interactive Task
discussion of topic
Topic Discussion Interactive Task Listening Task
Conversation Conversation Conversation Conversation

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About the tasks…

Conversation This is an opportunity for a realistic exchange of information,

ideas and opinions.
The Topic Before the examination, the candidate prepares a topic and in
the examination this is used as a basis for the interaction.
The Interactive An initial prompt from the examiner gives rise to an interaction
Task controlled by the candidate.
The Listening Three short spoken passages prompt the use of the skills of
Task deduction, prediction and inferring.

How is the Trinity GESE exam graded?

Students choose to sit an exam at their appropriate level (1 – 12) taking the advice of
their teacher on board. This is a user-friendly description of the levels of exams you
could take mapping them to the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework
of Reference for Languages.

European Framework of Trinity GESE

Reference for Languages Levels / Grades
C2 12
C1 10, 11
B2 7, 8, 9
B1 5, 6
A2 3, 4
A1 2

The examiner assesses the candidate’s performance by selecting one of four levels of
performance and awards a letter grade, A B C or D. In simple terms, these levels can
be classified as follows:

A — Distinction
B — Merit
C — Pass
D — Fail

Disclaimer: The above information on examinations is for reference purposes only for Kildare Language Institute students. This
is general examination information only. The Kildare Language Institute Ltd. accepts no responsibility whatsoever if any of the
information is inaccurate. For a comprehensive breakdown of each exam please refer to the relevant exam’s website, exam
descriptor and course book.

Kildare Language Institute Ireland.