Tailoring language learning for diverse needs with the GSE

Heba Morsey
Children sat next to their teacher in a classroom, smiling at eachother
Reading time: 5 minutes

Why inclusive language teaching matters more than ever

You’ve probably heard the word “inclusive” more and more in recent years, though I first encountered it over 20 years ago. (I say 20 because that’s when I graduated, and we had a course on diverse learners called “individual differences.” But back then, actually meeting their needs wasn’t nearly as comprehensive as it is today.)

Today, learners come with a wide range of proficiency levels, cognitive styles, educational background, and personal goals. That’s why — it’s essential. In simple terms, inclusive teaching means making sure all learners feel they belong and can succeed.

It calls for differentiated instruction, flexible assessment and learning materials that respect individual needs. That’s where the Global Scale of English (GSE) comes in.

Inclusive language teaching with the GSE
Play
Privacy and cookies

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

What is the GSE and why is it useful for inclusion?

TheGlobal Scale of English(GSE), acts like a detailed map of English proficiency, breaking down skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing from 10 to 90. Its “can-do” statements clearly show what learners can do at each stage, removing guesswork about their readiness. Instead of just labeling a student as "intermediate", you can specify skills like "taking messages", "communicating enquiries" and "explaining problems" (GSE 53 – Skill: writing).

These descriptors are "SMART":

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Realistic
  • Time-bound

This supports the kind of individualized goal-setting that inclusive teaching demands (Kormos, 2017).

How the GSE supports inclusive teaching practices

Understanding learner profiles with the GSE

One of the first steps in inclusive teaching is figuring out each learner's starting point, which is challenging in a diverse classroom. The GSE helps track progress in listening, speaking, reading and writing, .

For example, two learners in the same "intermediate" class may have different skills: one may excel in discussion but struggle with writing, while the other may be the opposite. The GSE can identify these differences, allowing tailored support instead of generic solutions.

Setting personalized goals for progress

Once you understand your learners' starting point, the next step is knowing where and how to guide them. The GSE simplifies this with its library of clear, ready-to-use "can-do" statements. Unlike vague goals such as “improve reading” these are specific targets like “Can understand short, simple personal emails and letters” (GSE 37). This clarity helps learners see progress and keeps your planning and feedback focused.

Example:For a learner with dyslexia who excels in speaking and listening but struggles with reading and writing, the GSE allows you to highlight strengths like “Can give or seek personal views and opinions in discussing topics of interest.” (GSE 46) and areas for support such as “Can make simple, logical paragraph breaks in a longer text.” (GSE 45).

Planning inclusive lessons and activities

Now that you’ve set personalized goals, you can adapt one task to meet various needs in the classroom while staying aligned with the same learning outcome. No need for multiple lesson plans – just tweak the task with the GSE as your guide.

To make that happen, you might:

  • Provide differentiated task sheets
  • Offer varied texts
  • Adjust the complexity of output
  • Use flexible grouping

Example: If the class aims for "Can write an email” (GSE 36–50), one group uses a sentence-starter, another writes freely, and a third refines tone and style. It’s the same task, adapted to each learner's level.

And what about ESP? If you’re teaching something like English for Nursing, the GSE can still help, for example, by timing your content so that learners won’t be overwhelmed.

Example – English for Nursing:

  • GSE 50: Can make a set of instructions easier to understand by uttering them slowly, a few words or signs at a time, employing verbal and non-verbal emphasis to facilitate understanding.
  • GSE 62: Can describe how to do something, giving detailed instructions.

Instead of jumping into complex hospital vocabulary too soon, you can scaffold toward it with general English descriptors.

Designing inclusive assessments

Assessment can make or break an inclusive classroom. Done well, it opens doors; done poorly, it can shut them. The GSE helps you design assessments that:

  • Reflect real skill growth
  • Allow different ways to demonstrate learning
  • Maintain high standards with flexibility

To make this work in practice, you can:

  • Use performance-based tasks (like presentations or role-plays)
  • Build portfolios that show progress over time
  • Add self- and peer-assessment using GSE descriptors
  • Offer flexible formats (such as oral, written, visual and tech-based)

Example: For the goal “Can understand short, simple personal emails and letters", let learners choose between writing to a friend, replying to an invitation, or requesting information from a company. The objective is the same, but the paths to get there are different.

And for learners who are neurodiverse? You can:

  • Break tasks into smaller steps (chunking)
  • Use visual checklists tied to “can-do” goals
  • Simplify instructions without watering down the objective
  • Add audio or visual options to support processing

These aren’t extra accommodations, they’re examples of good teaching.

To recap, the GSE helps us set goals with students, track progress via portfolios, offer task choices, scaffold lessons, introduce ESP content when ready and design group work based on GSE strengths.

Read our blog posts 'GSE Teacher Toolkit: Teaching mixed ability classes' and 'Why don’t my students speak English in class?'.

Learn more about the GSE

About the author

Hebatallah Morsy has over 18 years of experience in teaching, curriculum design, and educational leadership. She’s worked with prestigious national and international organizations, where she’s led everything from curriculum development to launching creative initiatives like extracurricular clubs for eager learners. A regular at ELT conferences, she enjoys sharing insights on educational development, assessment, and teacher growth—always with a fresh perspective and a thoughtful approach.

More blogs from app

  • Understand your English level

    By Sam Colley
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    Learning English as a second language is a journey that can be fun and tough. A key part of this journey is knowing your current skill level. The Global Scale of English (GSE) helps learners check their skills. The GSE is a scale from 10 to 90 that measures English ability. It gives clear information about what learners can do at each level. In this blog, we’ll look at how to find out your English level using GSE scores, levels, and "I can..." statements.

    Why understanding your English level matters

    You may wonder, ‘Why is it important for me to know my language level’? If you start studying without knowing your skill level, you might feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or find learning too easy and be put off or not make any learning progress.
    Knowing your English level helps you in many ways, such as to:

    1. Set realistic goals: Tailor your learning objectives to your current abilities.
    2. Choose appropriate materials: Select books, courses, and resources that match your proficiency.
    3. Track progress: Measure improvement over time and stay motivated.

    GSE levels and what they mean

    The GSE levels range from Starter to Expert, each with specific "I can..." statements that describe what you should be able to do at that level. Here’s a breakdown of each level, along with some practical examples:

  • Students sat ina library studying with laptops in front of them chatting to eachother

    Teaching engaging exam classes for teenagers

    By Billie Jago
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    Teachers all over the world know just how challenging it can be to catch their students’ interest and keep them engaged - and it’s true whether you’re teaching online or in a real-world classroom.

    Students have different learning motivations; some may be working towards their exam because they want to, and some because they have to, and the repetitiveness of going over exam tasks can often lead to boredom and a lack of interest in the lesson.

    So, what can we do to increase students’ motivation and add variation to our classes to maintain interest?

    Engage students by adding differentiation to task types

    We first need to consider the four main skills and consider how to differentiate how we deliver exam tasks and how we have students complete them.

    Speaking - A communicative, freer practice activity to encourage peer feedback.

    Put students into pairs and assign them as A and B. Set up the classroom so pairs of chairs are facing each other - if you’re teaching online, put students in individual breakaway rooms.

    Hand out (or digitally distribute) the first part of a speaking exam, which is often about ‘getting to know you’. Have student A’s act as the examiner and B’s as the candidate.

    Set a visible timer according to the exam timings and have students work their way through the questions, simulating a real-life exam. Have ‘the examiners’ think of something their partner does well and something they think they could improve. You can even distribute the marking scheme and allow them to use this as a basis for their peer feedback. Once time is up, ask student B’s to move to the next ‘examiner’ for the next part of the speaking test. Continue this way, then ask students to switch roles.

    Note: If you teach online and your teaching platforms allow it, you can record the conversations and have students review their own performances. However, for privacy reasons, do not save these videos.

    Listening – A student-centered, online activity to practice listening for detail or summarising.

    Ask pairs of students to set up individual online conference call accounts on a platform like Teams or Zoom.

    Have pairs call each other without the video on and tell each other a story or a description of something that has happened for their partner to listen to. This could be a show they’ve watched, an album they’ve listened to, or a holiday they’ve been on, for example. Ask students to write a summary of what their partner has said, or get them to write specific information (numbers, or correctly spelt words) such as character or song names or stats, for example. Begin the next class by sharing what students heard. Students can also record the conversations without video for further review and reflection afterwards.

    Writing –A story-writing group activity to encourage peer learning.

    Give each student a piece of paper and have them draw a face at the top of the page. Ask them to give a name to the face, then write five adjectives about their appearance and five about their personality. You could also have them write five adjectives to describe where the story is set (place).

    Give the story’s opening sentence to the class, e.g. It was a cold, dark night and… then ask students to write their character’s name + was, and then have them finish the sentence. Pass the stories around the class so that each student can add a sentence each time, using the vocabulary at the top of the page to help them.

    Reading –A timed, keyword-based activity to help students with gist.

    Distribute a copy of a text to students. Ask them to scan the text to find specific words that you give them, related to the topic. For example, if the text is about the world of work, ask students to find as many jobs or workplace words as they can in the set amount of time. Have students raise their hands or stand up when they have their answers, award points, and have a whole class discussion on where the words are and how they relate to the comprehension questions or the understanding of the text as a whole.

    All 4 skills –A dynamic activity to get students moving.

    Set up a circuit-style activity with different ‘stations’ around the classroom, for example:

    • Listening
    • Reading
    • Writing (1 paragraph)
    • Use of English (or grammar/vocabulary).

    Set a timer for students to attempt one part from this exam paper, then have them move round to the next station. This activity can be used to introduce students to certain exam tasks, or a way to challenge students once they’ve built their confidence in certain areas.

  • Students sat at a desk looking at a textbook together, with a teacher pointing to it

    Real-world English: How GSE Job Profiles bridge learning and work

    By Sara Davila
    Reading time: 5 minutes

    Did you know that improving your English proficiency can increase earning potential by up to 50% and safeguard your career against AI? Recent research by app highlights that English is not just a skill but a career-defining advantage in today’s globalized workplace. For millions of adult learners, the journey from the classroom to the workplace requires more than general conversational abilities—it’s about gaining targeted, job-ready skills as quickly as possible. For English language educators, understanding what “jDz-𲹻” English is and how to identify “jDz-𲹻” skills can provide a significant advantage in ensuring learners are prepared to communicate effectively and collaborate with their future coworkers.

    That’s where the Global Scale of English (GSE) Job Profiles comes in. For educators and program developers, it offers a bridge between real-world job skills and the English learners need to perform them. Whether you’re creating programs for nursing assistants, hospitality workers, or IT professionals, this tool ensures that learners build the precise English skills they need to thrive in their roles.

    Let’s walk through how to create a GSE Job Profile and explore its practical use for building programs that align with today’s professional realities.