Trinity Exams: An Overview of GESE and ISE
Two families of exams, twelve grades and five levels — explained by Philo and Sophia.
•Trinity exams, at a glance
Trinity College London offers two main families of English exams. GESE (Graded Examinations in Spoken English) tests speaking and listening only, in a one-to-one conversation with an examiner, across twelve grades. ISE (Integrated Skills in English) tests all four skills, at five levels. Both are mapped to the CEFR, from Pre-A1 to C2, so you can always see how a Trinity grade compares with a Cambridge exam.
PhiloSophia, the Cambridge exams I understand: one exam per level, four skills, and a partner in the Speaking test. What makes Trinity different?
SophiaTwo things, mainly. First, in GESE there is no partner: it’s you and the examiner, talking. Second, the steps are smaller. Instead of jumping from A2 to B1 in one exam, you climb twelve grades, one at a time.
PhiloSo more steps, but each one is shorter.
SophiaExactly. A Grade 2 exam lasts six minutes. You can take your first exam very early, and feel you’re climbing.
The two families
GESE
Speaking & Listening · 12 grades
ISE
All four skills · 5 levels
1GESE: Graded Examinations in Spoken English (5–25 minutes)
GESE is a face-to-face conversation with one examiner. There is no written paper. The twelve grades are grouped into four stages, and each stage adds new tasks. At every grade, Trinity publishes the exact grammar and vocabulary and the conversation subjects you need, so you know precisely what to prepare.
The twelve grades
The four stages, and their tasks
Initial · Grades 1–3
- Conversation with the examiner on the grade’s subjects: family, home, animals, daily routine…
- Grade 1 starts with very simple instructions and answers: pointing, naming, one-word replies are fine.
Elementary · Grades 4–6
- Topic discussion: you choose and prepare a topic you love, and talk about it with the examiner.
- Conversation on two of the grade’s subjects.
Intermediate · Grades 7–9
- Topic discussion on your prepared topic.
- Interactive task: the examiner gives you a situation, and you lead the conversation, asking questions.
- Conversation on the grade’s subjects.
Advanced · Grades 10–12
- Topic presentation and discussion: a short, formal presentation, then questions.
- Interactive task, Conversation, and a Listening task: the examiner reads three short passages, and you suggest how they end or say who is speaking and where.
GESE, grade by grade
Each grade has its own guide, with its tasks, its themes and topics, and the language the examiner listens for:
Worked example — Grade 5, the topic discussion
Philo has prepared his topic: “The Library of Alexandria”.
ExaminerSo, Philo, what’s your topic today?
PhiloMy topic is the Library of Alexandria. I chose it because I work there, and I think it’s the most interesting place in the world.
ExaminerHow many books are there?
PhiloNobody knows exactly, but people say there are hundreds of thousands of scrolls. The kings sent people all over the world to buy them, and they even copied the books from every ship that came into the harbour.
ExaminerHave you got a favourite part of the Library?
PhiloYes, the reading room. I’ve spent so many hours there that I know every table. If I could change one thing, I’d put more lamps in it, because it gets dark very early in winter.
Tips for GESE
- Choose a topic you really care about: your enthusiasm is easy to hear.
- Don’t learn a speech by heart. The examiner will ask questions and take the conversation in new directions.
- Check your grade’s list of language functions and grammar, and make sure you use them: at Grade 5, for example, the present perfect and ways of talking about the future.
- In the interactive task (Grades 7–12), you must keep the conversation going: ask questions, react, and make suggestions.
2ISE: Integrated Skills in English (two modules)
ISE tests reading, writing, speaking and listening, at five levels. Each level has two modules, which you can take together or separately, and you receive a certificate for each module you pass. The big idea of ISE is integration: you read something, and then you write about it, using what you have read, as you would at school or at work.
Module 1 · Reading & Writing
- Long reading: one longer text, with questions.
- Multi-text reading: several short texts on one theme, compared.
- Reading into writing: you write a text using information from the texts you have just read.
- Extended writing: an essay, article, letter, review or story.
Module 2 · Speaking & Listening
- Topic task: you discuss a topic you have prepared, as in GESE.
- Collaborative task (from ISE I): the examiner presents a situation, and you lead the discussion.
- Conversation on the level’s subjects.
- Independent listening: you listen to a recording and report what you have understood.
Worked example — ISE I, reading into writing
PhiloSo in the Reading into writing task, I read three short texts about, let’s say, healthy eating, and then I write an article about it?
SophiaYes, but in your own words. The examiners want to see that you can take the ideas from the texts, choose the important ones, and put them together. If you copy whole sentences, you lose marks.
PhiloLike writing a summary of three scrolls for the Librarian.
SophiaExactly like that. Read, choose, connect, and write it for your reader.
Tips for ISE
- In Reading into writing, paraphrase: use the ideas, not the sentences.
- Plan before you write: who is the reader, what type of text is it, and what are your three main points?
- In the Independent listening task, take notes: the recording is played twice, and you report what you heard.
- Because the modules are separate, you can retake just one of them if you need to.
3GESE, ISE or Cambridge? (choosing)
Choose GESE if…
- you want to focus on speaking, and build confidence step by step;
- you are young, or a beginner: Grade 1 is a five-minute chat;
- you prefer one examiner to a partner.
Choose ISE if…
- you need all four skills certified;
- you like reading and writing about real texts;
- you want a qualification for school, university or work (ISE is widely recognised, including for some UK visa purposes, at approved centres).
Choose Cambridge if…
- you want one exam per level (A2 Key, B1 Preliminary, B2 First…);
- you prefer a speaking test with a partner;
- you want the exam your school or employer asks for by name.
Comparing levels
An approximate guide to how the exams line up on the CEFR
A2
GESE 3–4 · ISE Foundation · A2 Key
B1
GESE 5–6 · ISE I · B1 Preliminary
B2
GESE 7–9 · ISE II · B2 First
C1
GESE 10–11 · ISE III · C1 Advanced
C2
GESE 12 · ISE IV · C2 Proficiency
•How Trinity exams are graded
Trinity exams give a result with three passing grades, so even a pass tells you how well you did:
DistinctionAn excellent performance: you met all the requirements of the grade with confidence and range.
MeritA good performance: you met the requirements clearly, with only small weaknesses.
PassYou met the requirements of the grade. Well done: on to the next one!
Not passedYou didn’t yet meet the requirements. The examiner’s report shows you what to work on.
In GESE, the examiner listens for communicative skills, interaction, and accurate use of the grade’s language. In ISE, each module is graded separately. For the latest details of tasks, timings and dates, always check Trinity College London’s own website or ask your exam centre.