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.
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:
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:
At this level, you can use and understand a small number of words and phrases.
For example: You can say hello and introduce yourself. Simple phrases like "My name is John" or "How are you?" are within your grasp.
As a beginner, you can ask and answer simple questions, write short sentences, and share personal information.
For example: You can order food and drink in a simple way. For instance, you might say, "I would like a coffee, please," or "Where is the bathroom?"
At this stage, you can talk about everyday topics and understand the main information in conversations.
For example: You can make a hotel reservation over the phone. You might say, "I need a room for two nights," or "Do you have free Wi-Fi?"
Intermediate learners can share their opinions, explain their reasoning, and write longer texts, such as short essays.
For example: You can describe your weekend plans. For example, "This weekend, I am going to visit my grandparents and go hiking."
At this level, you can lead and participate in conversations on familiar and unfamiliar topics, and write documents expressing opinion or fact, such as reports and articles.
For example: You can make a complaint. You might say, "I am not satisfied with the service because my order was incorrect."
Pre-advanced learners can speak more fluently about a broad range of topics and share detailed ideas and explanations in writing.
For example: You can understand a wide range of TV shows and films. For example, you can follow the plot and dialogue of a drama series without subtitles.
At the advanced level, you can speak fluently in personal, professional, and academic contexts and understand unfamiliar topics, even colloquialisms.
For example: You can make and understand jokes using word-play. For instance, you might understand a pun or a play on words in a conversation.
Expert learners can talk spontaneously, fluently, and precisely, read and write documents with ease, and understand spoken English in all contexts.
For example: You can participate in fast-paced conversations on complex topics. You might discuss global economic issues or debate philosophical ideas with ease.
To accurately find out your GSE level, consider taking a standardized test that provides a GSE score. Many language schools and online platforms offer assessments specifically designed to measure your English proficiency according to the GSE framework or you could try the ÃÛÌÒapp Test of English (PTE) or ÃÛÌÒapp English International Certificate (PEIC).
Understanding your English level as an ESL learner is an essential step in mastering the language. Whether you're a beginner who can recognize simple greetings or an advanced learner who can understand complex arguments in newspaper articles, the GSE provides a clear pathway for your language learning journey so you can clearly see where you stand and what you need to work on next.
Read our blog posts ¡®Learning a language while working full-time¡¯ and ¡®English conversation mistakes to avoid¡¯
As the leaves turn golden and the air becomes crisp, it's not only the ghosts and ghouls that come out to play. Halloween may happen only once a year, but learning about spooky idioms and phrases can add an exciting twist to your language journey throughout the year. So, grab your torch and let's delve in.
It¡¯s almost Halloween, and the ghosts and vampires will soon be coming out to play. Did you know that although we often associate Halloween with pumpkin carving and eating candy, the festival has much older origins??
is an ancient Gaelic festival that celebrates the end of the harvest and the start of winter. This is why people often associate the colors of orange and black with Halloween: orange is the color many leaves turn in autumn and black is the color of the darker winter months.
People used to believe that spirits walked the Earth on the night of Samhain. The tradition of dressing up as ghosts and demons started as a way to hide from the spirits who walked the streets. Similarly, people used to leave treats outside their houses for the spirits and from this came the tradition of trick-or-treating.
So to help get your younger students in the Halloween spirit, here are five spooky ideas to try in your primary classes.?
Pumpkin carving is fun - but it¡¯s also messy and pumpkins can be really heavy. Instead, bring in an orange for each student and give them a black marker pen. Get them to draw a scary face on their orange and then write a short text describing it.?
My pumpkin orange, Ghoulie, has two big eyes. He¡¯s got a small nose and a big mouth, with lots of teeth. This Halloween, he¡¯s going to sit outside my house. He¡¯s going to scare people but he doesn¡¯t scare me. I think he¡¯s very funny.
This is a great way to practice questions and review language with your younger students. Have your students cut out bat shapes on card and tell them to write a question on the back of each one. They can write personal information questions, such as ¡®What do you eat for breakfast?¡¯ or questions related to topics you¡¯re studying at the moment, like ¡®How do you spell dinosaur?¡¯?
Attach a paper clip to each bat and put them on the floor, with the questions face down. Then attach a magnet to a piece of string.
Divide the class into teams and have students take turns to fish a bat from the floor. When they catch a bat using the magnet, a student from another team asks them the question written on the bat. If the team can answer correctly, they keep the bat. If they don¡¯t answer correctly, the bat goes back on the floor.
When all the bats have been fished, the team with the most wins.?
This is a good activity to review prepositions of place and house vocabulary. Before you start, elicit some scary things from the students, such as ghost, spider, witch, zombie. If these words are new for your students, draw a picture dictionary on the board for them to refer to in the next stage.
Next, give students an outline of a house with the rooms labeled, but without any furniture. Then dictate a sentence to the students and have them draw what you say on their individual houses. For example, ¡®In the kitchen, there¡¯s a big cupboard. In the cupboard, there¡¯s a witch.¡¯ Or, ¡®In the living room, there¡¯s an old sofa. A zombie is sitting on the sofa.¡¯
You can then divide the class into pairs or small groups and have them take turns dictating sentences to each other. When they finish, they can compare their pictures and then write a short story about their haunted houses.?
Draw a 7x5 grid on card and add Start and Finish squares. Number the other squares so the students know what direction to move in. Then, on some of the squares write Trick and on some of the other squares write Treat. Finally, prepare a set of ¡®trick¡¯ and ¡®treat¡¯ cards for each group. (There are some ideas for tricks and treats below).?
Before students play, teach them some phrases to use while playing the game. For example:
Then divide the class into groups of four and give each group a board, a set of ¡®trick-or-treat¡¯ cards, a dice and a counter. Have them take turns to roll the dice and move. If they land on a Trick?or Treat square, they have to take a card and do what it says. Then they put the card at the bottom of the pile.?The winner is the first person to reach the Finish square.
Ideas for ¡®trick¡¯ cards
Ideas for ¡®treat¡¯ cards
Are your students bored of celebrating Halloween every year? Mix things up with stories or readers. Allowing their imagination to run wild. There are lots of you can use or get inspiration from, creating your own. If you want your pupils more involved you could also have them make or take part in your very own 'create your own adventure' spooky story.?
After reading the story, have your students create comic strips of different parts of the book and display them around the classroom. If your students prefer theatrics, get them to act out or sing parts of the story.?
Why is it that some groups work smoothly together, whereas for others it always seems to end in arguments? It may seem logical to avoid group work with classes where it often leads to disagreement, but is there such a thing as ¡®healthy disagreement¡¯?
Perhaps the groups that appear to be working well together are actually just letting one or two people do everything? This would certainly avoid conflict, but they might also be avoiding learning very much.?
Sometimes conflict is a necessary step that teachers (of all subjects, not just language teachers) have to acknowledge as an important part of a learner's development.?
