TRINITY

Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE)

Practice Test Material Notes

Contents
Trinity GESE
Elementary Stage (Grades 46)
Trinity GESE Test Material Notes: Elementary Stage
Intermediate Stage (Grades 79)
Trinity GESE Test Material Notes: Intermediate Stage
Trinity GESE Practice Tests
Trinity GESE

Trinitys Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE) provide a reliable and valid
scheme of assessment of a candidates ability to understand and speak English. GESE
exams are divided into four stages:
Initial (Grades 13)
Elementary (Grades 46)
Intermediate (Grades 79)
Advanced (Grades 1012)

Assessment
Each part of the exam is awarded a mark (AD) based on the examiners assessment of
the candidates ability to fulfil the tasks set. The requirements for these marks can be
described briefly as follows:
A (Distinction): Very effective and comprehensible. Comprehensive and highly accurate
coverage of target language and functions. No problems in interacting with examiner.
Excellent overall impression.
B (Merit): Mainly effective and comprehensible. Good coverage of target language and
functions. Good level of accuracy, although inaccuracies occur and occasionally affect
communication. Interaction generally good, although there may be some hesitation. Good
overall impression.
C (Pass): Moderately effective communication. Some coverage of and control over target
language and functions. Inaccuracies tend to affect communication. Some hesitancy and
requests for repetition. The candidate may need some support. Moderate overall
impression.
D (Fail): Poor communication. General lack of accuracy and appropriacy. Major aspects
of the task unfulfilled, even with support. Little coverage of target language and
functions. Communication frequently breaks down and prevents interaction from
proceeding effectively. Poor overall impression.

Elementary Stage (Grades 46)

GESE Elementary Stage consists of two phases, each lasting five minutes. In the first
phase (topic) candidates talk about a topic they have prepared, e.g. My summer holiday.
Candidates write the main points of the topic on their topic form, which they give to the
examiner at the beginning of the exam. There are five points at Grade 5, and six at Grade
6. The examiner asks questions about the points on the topic form, not necessarily in the
order in which they appear on the form. The aim is to have a conversation about a subject
which the candidate is interested in and able to talk about. At all grades candidates are
expected to ask the examiner at least one question during the discussion of the topic.
During this phase candidates need to demonstrate that they can use the language and
functions of the grade. Candidates should bear this in mind when selecting a topic.

The topic phase is followed by a conversation which is led by the examiner. Two subject
areas will be chosen: these are listed in the GESE Syllabus. Again, in the conversation
Trinity GESE Practice Tests
phase candidates should take the opportunity to show that they are able to handle the
language and functions of the grade.

Tip: It is better if candidates choose topics different from those listed in the
conversation phase. Thus, at Grade 5, candidates should avoid choosing festivals,
means of transport, special occasions, entertainment, music, and recent personal
experiences as their topic. Other subjects are preferable.

As in any exam, some candidates are likely to be nervous, although most will by now
have had experience of a Trinity oral exam. As far as possible, candidates should try to
engage the examiner in a real conversation, using the target language and functions of the
grade. If the candidate fails to use the appropriate language during the conversation
phase, the examiner will try to elicit it. Candidates should be aware of this and listen out
for cues they can respond to.

Grade 5
New language at this grade includes the present perfect tense used with for and since
(Ive lived here for three years / since 2010); clauses beginning with because (I dont like
classical music because its boring); and will for talking about the future (Ill visit my
grandmother tomorrow). Candidates should look for opportunities to use these structures
in both the topic and the conversation phases of the exam.

In the conversation phase the examiner chooses two subjects from those listed in the
GESE Syllabus. Candidates should familiarise themselves with these subjects and think
about what questions the examiner might ask and what answers they might give, e.g.:
Means of transport
Have you ever ridden a bike? / Yes, Ive ridden a bike since I was seven.
Why dont you buy a car? / Because cars are too expensive.
Will you buy a car this year? / No, I wont buy a car this year.

Grade 6
New language at this grade includes first conditional clauses (If you come with me to the
cinema, Ill pay for the ticket); the past continuous tense (What were you reading this
morning?); and modal verbs, such as must / need to / have to (What do you need to wear
if you go to a wedding?). Candidates should look for opportunities to use these structures
in both the topic and the conversation phases of the exam.

In the conversation phase the examiner chooses two subjects from those listed in the
GESE Syllabus. Candidates should familiarise themselves with these subjects and think
about what questions the examiner might ask and what answers they might give, e.g.:
Money
What will you do if you win the lottery? / Ill buy a nice car.
Where were you working last year? / Last year I was working in a hotel.
Will you buy a car this year? / No, I wont buy a car this year.
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Do you have to show your passport if you want to change money? / No, I dont think you
have to.

Trinity GESE Test Material Notes: Elementary Stage

The aim of the Trinity GESE Test Material is to help students and teachers prepare for
the requirements of the various Grades of the GESE exam. At the Elementary stage, tests
consist of open-ended questions requiring a full response from the student. The examples
are the sorts of questions that are likely to come up in the conversation phase of the exam.
Students can work in pairs to ask and answer these questions. Make sure that each student
gets a turn at both asking and answering.

Intermediate Stage (Grades 79)

GESE Intermediate Stage consists of three phases each lasting five minutes. In the first
phase (topic) candidates talk about a topic they have prepared. In the Intermediate Stage
candidates do not have to prepare a topic form for the examiner. They have to introduce
the topic, outline its main points, and lead the discussion that follows. As before, it is
better not to choose subject areas which the examiner may want to use in the
conversation phase.

The next part of the exam is an interactive task. Here the examiner will set out a problem
or seek advice about a situation. To begin with, the situation may not be entirely clear,
e.g.:
Examiner: A funny thing happened to me yesterday.
Candidate: What happened to you?
Examiner: Well, I met an old friend and I was really surprised.
Candidate: Why were you surprised?

Thus, the candidate has then to ask questions to get further information from the
examiner, make comments, and (in many cases) suggest a solution to the problem or
proffer advice on the situation. In the interactive task the focus is on the candidates
comprehension and communication skills rather than on grammatical or lexical accuracy.

The interactive task phase is followed by a conversation which is led by the examiner.
Two subject areas will be chosen: these are listed in the GESE Syllabus.

Candidates should look for opportunities to use the structures of the grade in both the
topic and the conversation phases of the exam.

In the conversation phase the examiner chooses two subjects from those listed in the
GESE Syllabus. Candidates should familiarise themselves with these subjects and think
about what questions the examiner might ask and what answers they might give, e.g.:
Pollution and recycling
If you were in charge of cleaning up your city, what would you do? / Id start a
programme of recycling.
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Is rubbish recycled in X? / Some of it is recycled, but not all of it.
Do the people who live in X care about pollution? / Yes, they do, but they need to be
helped.

Trinity GESE Test Material Notes: Intermediate Stage

The aim of the Trinity GESE Test Material is to help students and teachers prepare for
the requirements of the various Grades of the GESE exam. At the Intermediate stage,
tests consist of open-ended questions or statements requiring a full response from the
student, and conversation exercises.

Example: Grade 7 Conversation phase
Students can work in pairs for this exercise. Give them a minute or two to practise asking
and answering the questions, and making statements and responding to them. Make sure
the asker and the answerer swap roles. Then ask a few pairs to act out their conversations.

Example: Grade 7 Interactive phase
In the interactive task part of the Grade 7 exam, what students have to do is keep the
conversation going by asking questions (What did you do? / Why? / What happened
then?) or using responses that encourage the initial speaker to keep going (Really? /
Thats amazing! / Oh dear!). They dont have to solve problems or provide answers to
the initial speaker they just have to keep the conversation going by asking questions or
making comments (Really? / Oh no! / Thats terrible!) to encourage the initial speaker to
continue.

Students work in pairs to act out the first conversation. Choose two or three pairs to act it
out for the class. Next, students put the questions and responses in the correct order to
continue the conversation.

Jenny Cath
Im going to talk to him again. C What are you going to say?
I used to think mobile phones werent
necessary for kids, but Ive changed my mind.
A What do you think now?
If your daughters got a mobile, she can tell
you where she is. Then you dont have to
worry about her.
E Thats true. But arent mobile phones
very expensive?
Theyre not expensive if you pay every
month.
B Youre right. Do you think hell
listen to you?
I dont know, but Im going to try! D Good for you. Im sure youll make
him change his mind!

Finally, students work in pairs to keep a similar conversation going in the same way.
Some of the questions the responder could ask include these:
Why do you want to travel on your own?
Why arent your parents keen on the idea?
Are you paying for yourself?
Trinity GESE Practice Tests
Can you do anything to persuade them?