GESE
GUIDE FOR TEACHERS
Graded Examinations in Spoken English
Initial stage
Grades 1–3 | CEFR levels A1–A2
suitable for young learners
About this booklet
This booklet provides teachers with a comprehensive breakdown of the requirements and some
preparation techniques for Trinity Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE) Grades 1–3.
About Trinity College London
Trinity College London is a leading international exam board and independent education charity that
has been providing assessments around the world since 1877. We specialise in the assessment of
communicative and performance skills covering music, drama, combined arts and English language.
With over 850,000 candidates a year in more than 60 countries worldwide, Trinity qualifications are
specifically designed to help students progress. Our aim is to inspire teachers and learners through the
creation of assessments that are enjoyable to prepare for, rewarding to teach and that develop the skills
needed in real life.
At the heart of Trinity’s work is the belief that effective communicative and performance skills are life
enhancing, know no boundaries and should be within reach of us all. We exist to promote and foster the best
possible communicative and performance skills through assessment, content and training that is innovative,
personal and authentic.
Contents
The Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE) 2
GESE Initial stage (Grades 1–3, CEFR pre-A1–A2.1) 3
GESE Grade 1 (CEFR Pre-A1) — Introduction 4
GESE Grade 1 — Language 5
GESE Grade 1 — Example activities 6
GESE Grade 2 (CEFR A1) — Introduction 11
GESE Grade 2 — Language 12
GESE Grade 2 — Example activities 14
GESE Grade 3 (CEFR A2.1) — Introduction 19
GESE Grade 3 — Language 20
GESE Grade 3 — Example activities 22
The next steps — GESE Elementary stage 26
1
The Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE)
The Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE)
The Graded Examinations in Spoken English are designed for all learners of English. There are 12 grades in
total, so whatever your students’ level of English there is an exam that they can take.
Trinity’s GESE exams assess a range of speaking and listening skills and test what a candidate can actually
do, rather than just what they know. Preparation for GESE exams focuses on the development of authentic
communicative skills and on building the confidence to use English in real life.
Each GESE exam is conducted in person by a Trinity examiner. All Trinity examiners are highly trained and
experienced. The exam consists of a one-to-one conversation with the examiner.
The 12 grades of GESE are divided into four stages:
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
This booklet has been prepared to help teachers prepare their students for the Initial stage,
Grades 1–3 exams. The activities in this booklet are designed with young learners in mind.
Full details of Trinity’s GESE exams can be found in the latest edition of our Exam Information booklet at
trinitycollege.com/GESEexaminformation
Assessment
At the Initial stage, the examiner assesses the candidate’s performance by awarding a letter grade A, B, C or D
for Task fulfilment for the Conversation. In simple terms, these levels can be classified as follows:
» A — Distinction (reflects an excellent performance)
» B — Merit (reflects a good performance)
» C — Pass (reflects a satisfactory performance)
» D — Fail (reflects an unsatisfactory performance).
The examiner notes their assessments on a tablet. The centre receives an email within a couple of days of the
end of the exam session with provisional results and key areas where the students can improve.
Certificates for successful candidates are usually sent to exam centres for distribution within four weeks of
the completion of the GESE exam session.
2
GESE Initial stage (Grades 1–3, CEFR pre-A1–A2.1)
GESE Initial stage (Grades 1–3, CEFR pre-A1–A2.1)
Introduction to the Initial stage
Candidate profile
By the end of the Initial stage, the candidate can:
understand what is said clearly, slowly and directly in simple everyday conversation with support
communicate in basic and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar
and routine matters
use basic sentence patterns and communicate through simple phrases, groups of a few words and
formulae about themselves and other people, what they do, places and possessions
ask and answer simple questions about personal information and everyday life.
This profile is based on the level A2, Basic User, on the Common European Framework of Reference.
Initial stage exam format
Assessed Not assessed
1 Greetings and setting at ease P
2 Conversation P
3 End of conversation and leave-taking P
Overview of the Initial stage
The Initial stage exams have one task which is a conversation with the examiner. The conversation lasts five,
six or seven minutes, depending on the level.
The examiner begins by greeting the candidate and trying to set him or her at ease.
The Conversation is then started by the examiner who gives the candidate the opportunity to
demonstrate the range of language required at this stage.
At Grade 1, the candidate is required to show understanding by giving short responses using the language
of the grade or through simple actions, such as moving around the room or pointing to specific objects.
At Grades 2 and 3, the candidate asks the examiner at least one simple question during the exam.
Examiners select exam materials that are appropriate to the age and maturity of the candidate. These
materials can include everyday objects and pictures. The examiner will use the materials to engage the
candidate’s interest, to help the candidate demonstrate the language of the grade and to encourage the
conversation to develop. The examiner may also talk about the immediate surroundings of the exam
room, school or centre.
The examiner brings the conversation to an end by thanking the candidate and saying goodbye.
The candidate is expected to say goodbye.
3
GESE Grade 1 (CEFR Pre-A1) — Introduction
GESE Grade 1 (CEFR Pre-A1) — Introduction
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. Page 5 lists
what candidates need to be able to understand and use in order to pass their exams.
Teachers can easily introduce exam practice into students’ general English classes. Students can practise
for their exam in class, for example, by talking to each other and playing educational games focusing on
the language items required for Grade 1. At the end of the exam, candidates feel more confident because
they have been able to understand someone they have never met before who does not speak their
language. They see that the English they have learnt is real and useful. Trinity’s aim is that candidates
leave the exam room smiling and looking forward to their next English lesson.
4
GESE Grade 1 — Language
GESE Grade 1 — Language
Exam format
Total exam time: 5 minutes
The exam consists of one assessed phase:
Conversation with the examiner (up to 5 minutes).
Candidate performance
The candidate is expected to demonstrate the following communicative skills and meet the language
requirements listed below during the exam.
Communicative skills
Exchange greetings with the examiner
Show understanding of simple instructions through appropriate actions
Give very short answers to simple questions and requests for information
Language requirements
Language functions
Exchanging greetings
Giving personal information, eg name, age
Identifying and naming items given in the lexical list below
Leave-taking
Grammar
The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand:
Imperatives for common actions, eg go, come, show, point, give, touch, stand up
Question words what? how many? how old?
Demonstratives this, that, these, those
The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand and use:
The present simple tense of the verb to be
Common nouns in singular and plural (regular and irregular), eg shoe/shoes, foot/feet
Simple adjectives, eg small, tall, green
Determiners a, the, my, your, his, her
Pronouns I, you, he, she, it, they
Lexis
The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand and use vocabulary related to:
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
Words relating to the language functions listed above
Phonology
The clear pronunciation of common words relevant to the lexical areas
5
GESE Grade 1 — Example activities
GESE Grade 1 — Example activities
In the following pages there are some examples of how you can prepare students for a Trinity GESE Grade
1 exam. These activities will show teachers how they can develop their own classroom materials to practise
the communicative skills and language needed for Grade 1. There are videos of GESE Grade 1 exams at
trinitycollege.com/GESE-initial
Please note the suggestions given in this booklet are only examples of some of the many ways of
practising for the real exam. The suggestions are NOT models to be memorised. Examiners will use a
range of methods and questions to help the candidates demonstrate the required language of Grade 1.
Introductions
Examiner materials/gestures Examiner questions
[No materials needed in this section] Hello!
What’s your name?
How are you?
How old are you?
6
Vocabulary
GESE Grade 1 — Example activities
Look at the vocabulary wheel below. You will see pictures of some of the Grade 1 vocabulary. Show this to your
students and ask them what each section represents. Do they know the English name of all of the pictures?
Ask your students to name the items.
Answer:
Colours, immediate surroundings including classroom objects, exchanging greetings, common animals (domestic,
farm and wild), cardinal numbers up to 20, basic parts of the face and body, everyday items of clothing
7
Vocabulary
GESE Grade 1 — Example activities
Practising: clothes, colours, parts of the body, determiners, imperatives, question words
Draw this picture on your board, using different colours for clothes and the body.
Or, you can make a copy. You do not need to write/copy the words.
Use the picture as a student quiz, or play games using the instructions on the picture. You can also ask
students to draw their own picture of a man and woman to use as a quiz. What language are we testing?
What colou
o ... r is/are ...?
Point t
Show me ..
. Touch ...
her... their ...
yo ur ... my ... h is ...
y ... are there? What are these/
How man those ...?
What’s this/t
hat?
8
Numbers
GESE Grade 1 — Example activities
Examiner materials/gestures Examiner questions
� Examiner shows the number chart � How old are you?
� Point to (student’s age)
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20
Examiner points to a correct number
� � Is this 13?
Examiner points to an incorrect number
� � Is this 15? Point to 15.
Examiner points to another number
� � What’s this?
9
Colour and Size
GESE Grade 1 — Example activities
Examiner materials/gestures Examiner questions
� Examiner shows some coloured pens � Look.
� Examiner points to the pens � What are these?
� How many pens are there?
� Point to the green pen.
� Examiner point to an incorrect pen � Is this the blue pen? What is it?
� Give me the blue pen.
� Examiner points to another pen � Is this your pen?
� Touch the big pen.
� Give me the small pen.
� Show me the red pen.
� Examiner points to the other pens � What colour are these pens?
10
GESE Grade 2 (CEFR A1) — Introduction
GESE Grade 2 (CEFR A1) — Introduction
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
(see below and page 12–13).
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.
11
GESE Grade 2 — Language
GESE Grade 2 — Language
Exam format
Total exam time: 6 minutes
The exam consists of one assessed phase:
Conversation with the examiner (up to 6 minutes).
Candidate performance
In addition to the items listed for the previous grade, the candidate is expected to demonstrate the following
communicative skills and meet the language requirements listed below during the exam.
Communicative skills
Understand short, simple questions, requests and statements
Respond with appropriate actions and positive and negative short form answers
Contribute to the conversation using memorised phrases and short statements
Use a basic range of words and simple phrases related to personal details and situations
Ask for very basic personal information, eg about possessions
Language requirements
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 questions about personal details
Grammar
The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand:
Present simple tense questions
Question words who? when?
Present continuous tense questions
Determiners some, any
The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand and use:
Present simple tense
There is/are and has/have got/have you got? Do you have?
Question words where? how?
Prepositions of place in, on, under, between, next to
Determiners their, its
Possessive pronouns mine, yours, his, hers
Yes/no answers to present continuous tense questions
12
GESE Grade 2 — Language
Language requirements continued
Lexis
The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand and use vocabulary related to:
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
Words and phrases relating to the language functions listed on page 12
Phonology
The clear pronunciation of words relevant to the lexical areas
Basic intonation patterns for simple questions
Contractions, eg I’ve, I’m, he’s
Grade 2 communicative skills and language requirements have been mapped to CEFR level A1.
13
GESE Grade 2 — Example activities
GESE Grade 2 — Example activities
In the following pages there are some examples of how you can prepare for a Trinity GESE Grade 2 exam
with your students. Students can prepare for their Grade 2 exam in their English classes, for example, by
asking each other questions in the classroom and making sure that they understand the answers.
It can be useful for teachers and students to work together to create wall charts of samples of the
language required for Grade 2. In order to make the exam practice as authentic as possible, you can use
these materials to play the role of the examiner, asking the suggested questions and adding your own to
elicit the required language from your students. The practice exam materials and questions have been
divided into three different groups. Please use the examples on pages 15–18 to help you develop your
own materials for exam practice, and remember there are many possible ways of preparing for the exam.
There are videos of GESE Grade 2 exams at trinitycollege.com/GESE-initial
Please note the suggestions given in this booklet are only examples of some of the many ways of
practising for the real exam. The suggestions are NOT models to be memorised. Examiners will use a
range of methods and questions to help the candidates demonstrate the required language of Grade 2.
14
Prepositions
GESE Grade 2 — Example activities
Examiner materials/gestures Examiner questions
Using flashcards Look at this cat. Where is it?
Examiner points to incorrect picture Is it on the box?
Where is it?
15
Rooms, household objects, prepositions, present continuous
GESE Grade 2 — Example activities
Before the activity, ask your students:
� Do you live in a house or a flat?
How many rooms are there?
What rooms are there in your house/flat?
Put your students into A/B pairs and give them either the A or B half of this picture (or a similar picture).
Tell the students not to show each other their pictures.
They must describe their rooms and furniture to their partner.
Their partner must draw and then describe what they hear.
Remember, they need to use the correct prepositions! At the end, ask the class:
Where are the cats?
Where is the teddy bear?
Where is the tree?
Where is the woman?
Is the woman sleeping?
Is she eating?
Is she drinking?
Is she watching TV?
Have you got a computer? Where is yours?
16
A. Describe your house!
GESE Grade 2 — Example activities
B. Describe your house!
17
Present continuous
GESE Grade 2 — Example activities
Examiner materials/gestures Examiner questions
Using flashcards Look at these pictures
Examiner points to a mixture of correct and Is he …ing?
incorrect pictures, asking… Is she …ing?
Are they …ing?
18
GESE Grade 3 (CEFR A2.1) — Introduction
GESE Grade 3 (CEFR A2.1) — Introduction
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 (see pages 20–21).
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. 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 4.
19
GESE Grade 3 — Language
GESE Grade 3 — Language
Exam format
Total exam time: 7 minutes
The exam consists of one assessed phase:
Conversation with the examiner (up to 7 minutes).
Candidate performance
In addition to the items listed for the previous grade, the candidate is expected to demonstrate the following
communicative skills and meet the language requirements listed below during the exam.
Communicative skills
Show understanding by responding appropriately to simple questions and requests
Use basic sentence patterns and phrases to communicate limited information related to simple
everyday situations
Exchange basic information about everyday life and activities by asking and answering
simple questions
Link groups of words in a very simple way using and, and then
Language requirements
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
Grammar
The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand and use:
Present continuous tense
Can and can’t
Prepositions of movement from, to, up, down, along, across
Prepositions of time on, in, at
Prepositions of place near, in front of, behind, opposite
Past tense of the verb to be
Link words and and then
20
GESE Grade 3 — Language
Language requirements continued
Lexis
The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand and use vocabulary related to:
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 on page 20
Phonology
The clear pronunciation of words relevant to the lexical areas
The use of contractions where appropriate
Basic stress and intonation patterns for words, short sentences and simple questions
Grade 3 communicative skills and language requirements have been mapped to CEFR level A2.1.
21
GESE Grade 3 — Example activities
GESE Grade 3 — Example activities
In the following pages there are some examples of how you can prepare for and practise a Trinity GESE
Grade 3 exam with your students. Students can prepare for their Grade 3 exam in their English classes,
for example, by asking each other questions in the classroom and making sure that they understand the
answers. It can be useful for teachers to give the class lots of activities for asking questions and finding
out information from other students in the class.
In order to make the exam practice as authentic as possible, you can use these materials to play the role
of the examiner, asking the suggested questions and adding your own questions to elicit the required
language from your students. The practice exam materials and questions have been divided into four
different groups — these four examples are only suggestions. Please use the examples to help you develop
your own materials for exam practice, and remember there are many possible ways of preparing for the
exam. There are videos of GESE Grade 3 exams at trinitycollege.com/GESE-initial
Please note the suggestions given in this booklet are only examples of some of the many ways of
practising for the real exam. The suggestions are NOT models to be memorised. Examiners will use a
range of methods and questions to help the candidates demonstrate the required language of Grade 3.
22
Places in the local area
GESE Grade 3 — Example activities
Examiner materials/gestures Examiner questions
Tell me about your house. Is it near this school?
Walking from this school to your house,
what can you see? A park? Some shops?
If a window with a view is available Look out of the window. What can you see?
Do you have a question for me?
Time, Daily routines, Free time
Examiner materials/gestures Examiner questions
Tell me about your daily routine. What time
do you go to school?
What subjects do you study at school?
What time does school finish?
What do you do in your free time?
What do you do with your brother/sister/parents/friends?
23
Jobs
GESE Grade 3 — Example activities
Examiner materials/gestures Examiner questions
Tell me about your family. What are their jobs?
Look at these pictures. What jobs can you see?
What’s her job?
Examiner shows the student pictures of And his?
different jobs Do you have a question for me?
24
Free time, Present continuous, Can/can’t
GESE Grade 3 — Example activities
Examiner materials/gestures Examiner questions
Look at these pictures of free time activities.
What are they doing?
What’s she doing?
Examiner points to different activities What’s he doing?
Can you …?
Have you got a question for me?
25
The next steps — GESE Elementary stage
Introduction to the Elementary stage
Candidate profile
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.
Exam format
Assessed Not assessed
1 Greetings and setting at ease P
2 Topic discussion P
3 Conversation task P
4 End of conversation and leave-taking P
Overview of the Elementary stage
The Elementary stage exams have two phases. Each phase lasts up to five minutes. In the first phase, the
Topic discussion, the candidate has a conversation with the examiner on a topic of personal interest
which they have prepared before the exam. The candidate gives a completed topic form to the examiner.
The candidate can make their own form or use the Trinity form. The examiner will use the topic form to ask
questions about the topic the candidate has chosen to talk about.
In the second phase, the Conversation, the examiner and candidate have two short discussions about two
of the subject areas listed for the conversation. The examiner will start the conversation.
Please see trinitycollege.com/GESE-elementary for more information.
26
This booklet provides teachers with a comprehensive breakdown
of the requirements and some preparation techniques for Trinity
Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE) Grades 1–3.
trinitycollege.com/English
