The Global Scale of English: A decade of innovation in language education

A group of women celebrating with confetti
Reading time: 4 minutes

This year marks 10 years since the launch of the Global Scale of English (GSE) and what a journey it has been. As we celebrate this important milestone, it’s time to reflect on everything that has been achieved over the past decade.

10 years of the GSE
Play
Privacy and cookies

By watching, you agree ÃÛÌÒapp can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

What is the Global Scale of English? 

The GSE is both a proficiency scale and a language framework designed to provide a detailed understanding of learners' English levels. It is the result of extensive global research and goes beyond other language measurement tools, such as the CEFR, to offer unparalleled insights into learners' skills.  

The GSE ensures precise learner placement and measurable progress tracking. It provides tangible insights into learners' English language competencies, boosting motivation and confidence.  Ìý
 Ìý
Accurately place learners: Easily pinpoint reading, writing, listening and speaking skills on the simple 10-90 scale.

Measure and fast-track progress: Learning objectives describing what learners 'can do' at each point on the scale enable the creation of personalized learning journeys, short-term learning goals and the monitoring of progress towards these goals. Ìý
 Ìý
In just a decade, the GSE has grown to support educators, learners and businesses across diverse learning stages and languages. Now, with the Global Scale of Languages (GSL), it also supports learners of French, German, Italian and Spanish. 

The evolution of the GSE 

From the initial set of 100 new GSE Learning Objectives, we now have almost 4,000 for all types of learners, from pre-primary to adults learning English for academic study and work. Our resources include comprehensive grammar and vocabulary databases, text analysis software and job-specific tools, all aligned to the GSE. Ìý

We wouldn’t be where we are today without the support of thousands of people around the world. This includes researchers, psychometricians and the 6,000+ teachers who collaborated with us to rate and validate the new learning objectives. 

Key milestones 

The GSE's journey is marked by many key milestones that highlight its growth and impact on global language education. Here are but a few notable achievements to showcase how far the GSE has come.

Plans and frameworks: The GSE resources provide guidance and support for the language learning process. Key educational frameworks, including Pre-Primary Learning Objectives, Young Learner Learning Objectives, Adult Learning Objectives, Academic Learning Objectives and Professional Learning Objectives, have been developed to help support English teaching in all contexts and for all ages. Educators can use these frameworks to deliver effective lessons, plan curriculums, shape learning and develop lessons further.

Recognition and awards: Recognition for the GSE by other education bodies such as the Council of Europe (CEFR), EAQUALS, NEAS and ACCET has strengthened its reputation within the worldwide education community. Furthermore, the GSE's nomination for the British Council ELTons Award for Innovation in Teacher Resources in 2020 further demonstrates its value and growing recognition.

Tools and applications: Teachers and students can benefit from the GSE Toolkit and GSE Text Analyzer. These tools provide helpful resources for educators and learners to make the most of the GSE. The GSE Job Profiles tool is an innovative resource that connects language learning with specific job requirements.

Global Scale of Languages expansion: It doesn’t just stop with English either. The GSE's expansion now includes the Global Scale of Languages (GSL) for French, German, Spanish and Italian, demonstrating our commitment to supporting language learners and educators across multiple languages.

10 Years of Global Scale of English: Mike Mayor Reflects on the Journey
Play
Privacy and cookies

By watching, you agree ÃÛÌÒapp can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

°ä´Ç²Ô³¦±ô³Ü²õ¾±´Ç²Ô 

The 10-year anniversary of the Global Scale of English represents a significant milestone in language education. The GSE, a key part of ÃÛÌÒapp's learning programs, aims to provide precise, accurate, and personalized learning for students worldwide. We look forward to another decade of supporting learners, educators and businesses.Ìý

Find out about the GSE today and how it can enhance your educational journey.

More blogs from ÃÛÌÒapp

  • Childten sat at a desk staring up at a tablet

    Embracing AI for the new school year

    By Thomas Gardner
    Reading time: 2 minutes

    Back-to-school season is the perfect time to introduce something new into your teaching toolkit. With advancements in technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly important for educators to incorporate into their workflow and beneficial for students. Here are some practical ways AI can enhance your classroom experience this new school year.

    AI saves valuable time

    One of the biggest challenges teachers face is finding the time to plan and create engaging lessons. AI can maximize your time by generating word sets, images and activities. Imagine having a virtual assistant that can suggest fresh ideas for your lessons, create tailored resources and even develop entire lesson plans. By automating these time-consuming tasks, AI allows you to focus more on teaching and interacting with your students.

    How AI can help

    • Lesson planning: Generate detailed lesson plans and activities.
    • Lesson inspiration: Get new and creative ideas for classroom activities.
    • Resource creation: Develop word sets, images and other teaching materials.

    As you prepare for the upcoming school year, consider how integrating AI tools can elevate your teaching practice, making your lessons more engaging while freeing up precious time for interactions with your students.

    Personalized learning and targeted feedback

    Every student learns differently, and tailoring lessons to meet individual needs can be challenging. AI can help by providing personalized learning experiences and targeted feedback. Using data-driven insights, AI tools can identify areas where learners are struggling and offer customized recommendations to help them improve. This not only enhances the learning experience but also ensures that no student is left behind.

    Benefits of AI in personalization

    • Personalized lessons: Adapt lessons to suit individual learning styles.
    • Targeted feedback: Provide specific feedback to help students improve.

    Creating an inclusive classroom

    ÌýAI can play an important role in creating an inclusive classroom environment. AI can generate visuals, audio, videos and text, or a combination of all four, catering to different learning preferences. This ensures that all learners, regardless of their learning styles or abilities, have access to the same educational content.

    AI in inclusion

    • Multimodal content: Use various formats to cater to different learning preferences.
    • Accessibility: Ensure that all students can engage with the material.

    Supporting independent learning

    Encouraging students to take charge of their own learning is essential for their development. AI can support independent learning by providing platforms that facilitate self-study at home. These platforms offer a range of resources and tools that help students learn at their own pace, making education more flexible and accessible.ÌýExplore how supports independent learning with immersive AI-powered conversations.

    AI tools for self-study

    • Independent learning: Foster a culture of self-directed learning.
    • Self-study resources: Provide tools and platforms for students to use at home.

    Integrating AI into your teaching practice can revolutionize the way you educate and engage with your students. From saving time on lesson planning to creating an inclusive classroom and supporting independent learning, the benefits are significant.

    Want more AI tips and tricks for the classroom? Join us on the page for the next video in our series.

  • A class of children with tablets standing and talking

    Supporting wellbeing using AI in the classroom

    By
    Reading time: 3.5 minutes

    According to , 2012 students with higher levels of emotional, behavioral, social, and school wellbeing, on average, have higher levels of academic achievement and are more engaged in school. It’s no wonder that fostering wellbeing in the classroom has become a priority for educators. The rise of technology brings up new challenges and issues, but with AI, there are now innovative ways to support student wellbeing like never before.

    In this guide, we’ll explore how AI can be a powerful ally in promoting learner wellbeing. From suggesting wellbeing exercises to providing personalised support, AI offers a variety of tools that can help you create a more supportive and engaging learning environment.Ìý

  • A teachet stood in front of a class in front of a board, smiling at his students.

    How to assess your learners using the GSE Assessment Frameworks

    By Billie Jago
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    With language learning, assessing both the quality and the quantity of language use is crucial for accurate proficiency evaluation. While evaluating quantity (for example the number of words written or the duration of spoken production) can provide insights into a learner's fluency and engagement in a task, it doesn’t show a full picture of a learner’s language competence. For this, they would also need to be evaluated on the quality of what they produce (such as the appropriateness, accuracy and complexity of language use). The quality also considers factors such as grammatical accuracy, lexical choice, coherence and the ability to convey meaning effectively.

    In order to measure the quality of different language skills, you can use the Global Scale of English (GSE) assessment frameworks.

    Developed in collaboration with assessment experts, the GSE Assessment Frameworks are intended to be used alongside the GSE Learning Objectives to help you assess the proficiency of your learners.

    There are two GSE Assessment Frameworks: one for adults and one for young learners.

    What are the GSE Assessment Frameworks?

    • The GSE Assessment Frameworks are intended to be used alongside the GSE Learning Objectives to help teachers assess their learners’ proficiency of all four skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing).
    • The GSE Learning Objectives focus on the things a learner can do, while the GSE Assessment Frameworks focus on how well a learner can do these things.
    • It can help provide you with examples of what proficiencies your learners should be demonstrating.ÌýÌý
    • It can help teachers pinpoint students' specific areas of strength and weakness more accurately, facilitating targeted instruction and personalized learning plans.
    • It can also help to motivate your learners, as their progress is evidenced and they can see a clear path for improvement.

    An example of the GSE Assessment Frameworks

    This example is from the Adult Assessment Framework for speaking.

    As you can see, there are sub-skills within speaking (andÌýfor the other three main overarching skills – writing, listening and reading). Within speaking, these areÌýproductionÌýandÌýfluency, spoken interaction, language range andÌýaccuracy.

    The GSE range (and corresponding CEFR level) is shown at the top of each column, and there are descriptors that students should ideally demonstrate at that level.

    However, it is important to note that students may sit across different ranges, depending on the sub-skill. For example, your student may show evidence of GSE 43-50 production and fluency and spoken interaction, but they may need to improve their language range and accuracy, and therefore sit in a range of GSE 36-42 for these sub-skills.