UK ESOL Qualications

Building condence with learner-centred exams

Opportunities for people around the world can be enhanced by learning English. For anyone living in the UK, procient communication in English language not only benets his or her personal aspirations, study or employment, but also helps to bring about social cohesion in a multicultural Britain. Trinity College London has designed specic learner-centred exams that focus on building condence in English language communication for learners living in the UK. Trinity has been setting standards and testing English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) for more than 70 years. Trinitys UK ESOL exams cover a wide range of topics and tasks, which are inclusive and relevant to every learner regardless of nationality, culture or gender. Trinity Certicates in ESOL Skills for Life Trinity Certicates in ESOL Skills for Life are available from Entry 1 to Level 2 in the National Qualications Framework (NQF). The assessment leads to an all-mode qualication and/or single-mode qualication in Speaking & Listening. Trinity also offers ESOL Step 1 and Step 2 Certicates in Speaking & Listening to learners who are not yet ready for Entry 1. These qualications are popular among beginners looking to boost their condence in English.

photo: Richard Chambury

Trinity Certicates in ESOL Skills for Life

Who are the qualications for? Designed for a wide range of learners, these qualications are available to those aged 16 and above whose native language is not English and who live or plan to live in the UK. These learners include refugees, asylum seekers, those from settled communities and partners or spouses of people settled in the UK. Assessment There are three elements to the all-mode Trinity ESOL Skills for Life qualication Speaking & Listening, Reading, and Writing. The single-mode Speaking & Listening qualication is identical to the Speaking & Listening units that form part of the all-mode qualication. Trinity Certicates in ESOL Skills for Life are external assessments designed to reect the use of English language in real-life situations, appropriate to the needs of learners living in the UK. Trinity Certicates in ESOL Skills for Life: Key features Flexible: Speaking & Listening assessments are offered on demand any time, any place, anywhere, including evening and weekend sessions Competitive: fees are fully inclusive with no hidden costs or centre registration fees and are comparable with other exam boards Convenient: more opportunities a year for candidates to sit the Reading and Writing exams than any other ESOL Skills for Life externally assessed exam Culturally sensitive: centres have the option of requesting only female or only male examiners Motivational: a learner-centred Speaking & Listening exam that tests what candidates can do, not what they cant. ESOL Step 1 and Step 2 Certicates are also excellent at motivating beginners  Time-efcient: an exam that removes the pressure on teachers to prepare and deliver the assessment, allowing them to focus on what they do best Supportive: teacher seminars held annually and a professional support team offering centre visits and academic advice Speaking & Listening: The aim of the Speaking & Listening exam is to replicate real-life exchanges in which participants pass on information, share ideas and opinions and debate topical issues. The Speaking & Listening exam is comprised of two components and is offered on demand on the centres date of choice. Component 1 (Interview): a one-to-one, face-to-face interview between the candidate and an examiner. For Step 1, Step 2 and Entry 1 candidates there is no Component 2. Component 2 (Group Discussion): after four candidates have met individually with the examiner for Component 1, a group discussion will immediately follow, with the candidates teacher usually acting as facilitator to the discussion. Reading: For Entry 1, 2 and 3, candidates read a range of short texts on topics from everyday sources and use the information obtained to answer a variety of questions. At Level 1 and Level 2, the multiple-choice National Adult Literacy Test is taken. Writing: The Writing tasks concentrate on three main areas text, sentence and word. Markers assess written composition as a whole, including grammar and punctuation as well as spelling and handwriting. The Reading and Writing papers can be taken in the same exam session and are regularly available throughout the year. Please see the Trinity website for the latest Reading and Writing exam dates www.trinitycollege.co.uk/examdates

Assessment summary Level Step 1 Step 2 Qualications awarded as all-mode or single-mode ESOL Step 1 Certicate in Speaking & Listening ESOL Step 2 Certicate in Speaking & Listening Entry Level Certicate in ESOL Skills for Life Qualication number: 100/4266/0 Entry Level Certicate in ESOL Skills for Life (Speaking and Listening) Qualication number: 100/4513/2 Entry Level Certicate in ESOL Skills for Life Qualication number: 100/4267 /2 Entry Level Certicate in ESOL Skills for Life (Speaking and Listening) Qualication number: 100/4514/4 Entry Level Certicate in ESOL Skills for Life Qualication number: 100/4268/4 Entry Level Certicate in ESOL Skills for Life (Speaking and Listening) Qualication number: 100/4515/6 Level 1 Certicate in ESOL Skills for Life Qualication number: 100/4269/6 Level 1 Level 1 Certicate in ESOL Skills for Life (Speaking and Listening) Qualication number: 100/4516/8 Level 2 Certicate in ESOL Skills for Life Qualication number: 100/4270/2 Level 2 Certicate in ESOL Skills for Life (Speaking and Listening) Qualication number: 100/4517 /X Component 1 Interview 8 mins (3 tasks) Component 2 Group discussion 10 mins (1 task) Component 1 Interview 8 mins (3 tasks) Component 2 Group discussion 10 mins (1 task) Speaking & Listening Interview 5 mins (1 task) Interview 6 mins (1 task) Reading 15 items 30 mins (2 tasks) 20 items 45 mins (3 tasks) 20 items 60 mins (3 tasks) National Literacy Test 60 mins National Literacy Test 60 mins Writing 20 mins (2 tasks)

Entry 1

Interview 7 mins (2 tasks)

40 mins (2 tasks)

Entry 2

60 mins (2 tasks)

Entry 3

100 mins (3 tasks) 100 mins (3 tasks)

Component 1 Interview 10 mins (3 tasks) Component 2 Group discussion 15 mins (1 task)

Level 2

Component 1 Interview 15 mins (3 tasks) Component 2 Group discussion 20 mins (1 task)

Support
Support for teachers Trinity offers a wide range of valuable resources for teachers to help prepare learners for the assessments. In print: Trinity syllabuses for ESOL Skills for Life are available free of charge. The syllabus is an essential tool for teachers, guiding them through each exam level and outlining the format, procedures and criteria for assessment. Online: The Trinity website contains a wide range of valuable resources including past papers, practice tasks, practical tips, syllabus downloads and videos of real Speaking & Listening exams at each of the levels. Face-to-face: Trinity offers individual visits to help new exam centres get started with the exams. We also provide teacher support seminars at various UK locations throughout the year. Support for centres Convenient exam sessions: Trinitys Speaking & Listening exams are available on demand and can be held at the centres choice of venue including schools, colleges and places of employment. Centres must contact Trinity at least one month in advance to arrange their Speaking & Listening exam date of choice. Trinitys Reading and Writing exams are available regularly throughout the year. Please see the Trinity website for the latest Reading and Writing dates at www.trinitycollege.co.uk/examdates Trinity Online: This website gives administrators direct access to their own candidate information held on Trinitys central database. Features include results tracking, candidate statistics, examiner information and access to timetables and materials. Direct contact: Registered centres have direct communication with an appointed Trinity co-ordinator. How to become a registered centre If you are a teacher or institution looking to offer Trinitys ESOL qualications you will need to become a Registered Exam Centre. Registration is easy and free all you need to do is complete and return the centre registration forms. These forms are available to download from the Trinity website at www.trinitycollege.co.uk/sregistration or by contacting Trinitys London ofce directly. Once your application has been approved, you will receive a Trinity Registered Centre pack, which includes syllabuses and exam posters, and you will also have access to your own Trinity Registered Exam Centre logo for use on your centre materials. Funding for qualications Full or partial funding is available to those who qualify. The Skills Funding Agency will have the most up-to-date information regarding funding and eligibility. Please see www.skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk for further information.

Trinity College London the international exam board

Trinity is regarded as one of the worlds leaders in examining English. Available in over 60 countries, Trinity exams are contemporary and learner-centred, focusing on practical and communicative English skills. The Trinity ESOL qualication suite
NQF CEFR Level Grade 1 Entry 1 Entry 2 Entry 3 A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12 ISE 0 ISE I ISE II SEW 3 ISE III ISE IV SEW 4 Level 2 SEW 1 SEW 2 Level 1 Entry 1 Entry 2 Entry 3 GESE ISE SEW Trinity ESOL Skills for Life*

Recognition
Membership of professional organisations Trinity is a full member of professional language organisations worldwide including the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE). Trinitys Skills for Life exams have been awarded the Q-mark, meeting all of ALTEs quality standards.
A full member of

Qualications and Ofqual In the UK, Trinity College London has corporate recognition from Ofqual and its respective partners in Wales and Northern Ireland. With the exceptions of ESOL Step 1 and Step 2 Certicates in Speaking & Listening, all of Trinitys UK ESOL qualications are accredited by Ofqual and sit on the National Qualications Framework (NQF). Trinity and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) Trinitys Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE) and Integrated Skills in English (ISE) exams are robustly aligned within the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This is evidenced by a research report submitted to the Council of Europe in 2006. The full report can be downloaded from www.trinitycollege.co.uk/cefr UK university recognition

Level 1

Level 2 Level 3

*Trinity also provides ESOL Step 1 and Step 2 qualications for those who are not yet ready to take Entry 1 ESOL Skills for Life. NQF: National Qualications Framework CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference GESE: Graded Examinations in Spoken English ISE: Integrated Skills in English exams SEW: Spoken English for Work exams

In the UK, Trinitys ISE and GESE qualications are recognised by universities and colleges as suitable evidence of English language prociency for entry to degree programmes. The list of institutions recognising these exams can be found at www.trinitycollege.co.uk/universitylist

Trinity College London providing assessments and qualications worldwide since 1877 Trinity qualications are available in: English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) Teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) Music Drama Dance Arts

Trinity College London 89 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TP UK T +44 (0)20 7820 6100 F +44 (0)20 7820 6161 E esol@trinitycollege.co.uk www.trinitycollege.co.uk/esol