B1 English Test Example: Speaking and Listening Questions

A B1 English test example for a UK settlement or citizenship application usually comes from one of two formats: the Trinity GESE Grade 5, a 10-minute one-to-one speaking and listening test with an examiner, or IELTS Life Skills B1, taken in a pair with one other test taker and an examiner. Both ask a B1 speaker to deal with familiar topics in plain, connected English. The practice questions below are original and are not taken from any past paper.

Trinity divides its test into a prepared topic discussion and a conversation on subject areas the examiner chooses, whereas IELTS uses paired discussions, short talks, listening tasks and a joint planning task. Each phase calls for particular language functions, such as giving reasons, talking about past and future events and asking questions of the other person. Knowing which phase asks for which function lets you practise in the same order the test runs.

Trinity GESE Grade 5 on the day

Trinity GESE Grade 5 is a 10-minute speaking and listening test taken one-to-one with a Trinity examiner, either remotely by video conference or at a Trinity SELT centre on a Trinity tablet set up by a personal steward. It has two assessed phases: a discussion of a topic you have prepared, lasting up to 5 minutes, and a conversation on two subject areas chosen by the examiner, lasting up to 5 minutes.

In the topic phase you give information in a series of linked long turns about the five discussion points on your topic form, and the examiner asks for more facts or details. The form is completed in advance and brought to the exam. You must also ask the examiner at least one question about the topic.

In the conversation phase the examiner selects two of six subject areas, so all six need preparing. You respond to questions, give reasons when asked and ask the examiner at least one question about a subject area. At a Trinity centre you also bring proof of identity.

• Festivals
• Means of transport
• Special occasions, such as birthday celebrations
• Entertainment, such as cinema, television and clubs
• Music
• Recent personal experiences

IELTS Life Skills B1 on the day

IELTS Life Skills B1 is a speaking and listening test taken with an examiner and one other test taker, and it is the level described for citizenship or indefinite leave to remain applications. The official sample test frames set a ceiling of 22 minutes and run through the phases below in order.

The first phase opens with name and nationality questions, after which the two candidates question each other for two minutes on a set subject. If the conversation stalls, the examiner may add prompt questions. Each candidate then prepares for one minute, makes notes if they wish, talks for about one and a half minutes and answers three questions from their partner.

• Phase 1a: the examiner asks each candidate for their name and nationality, then the pair ask each other questions on a subject
• Phase 1b: one minute of preparation, a talk of about one and a half minutes, then three questions from the partner
• Phase 2a: two recordings are played; each candidate names the topic of one recording, then hears both again and answers two detail questions
• Phase 2b: the pair plan something together by choosing from options and deciding details, then hold a general discussion on a related topic

Model answer: Asking a partner for information

Task: IELTS Life Skills B1 paired discussion. The examiner says: Find out from your partner about a place in their area where they like to spend their free time, and why they like it. You have two minutes to talk to each other.

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Hello. Can you tell me about a place where you like to spend your free time? Where is it? How do you get there, and how long does it take? What do you usually do there? Have you ever been there with friends? Why do you like it so much? Is it busy at the weekend? I'd like to visit it if I have time, so please tell me the best time to go.

What this model answer does:

• Obtaining information: the questions are varied (where, how long, what, why), which shows the ability to ask for information on a familiar topic.
• Talking with other people: the questions invite the partner to speak, as the paired task asks.
• Asking about past events: Have you ever been there with friends? fits the B1 task function of asking about past events.
• Make your meaning clear: each question is short and complete, so the partner can answer it at once.

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Example questions for each phase

Example questions for the Trinity topic phase follow the five points on your form, so they tend to ask about experience, duration, preference and plans. Suppose the topic is a local running club: the examiner might ask, Have you ever run a race? How long have you been a member? Why do you prefer running in a group? Where do you think you will run next? Tell me about your favourite route. Then ask the examiner a question of your own, such as, Do you run at all?

Conversation questions move across the six subject areas, usually asking for a short story, a preference or a reason. Examples are, Which festival do you enjoy most, and why? How did you travel to work this week? Tell me about a birthday you remember well. What kind of films do you prefer? What music do you listen to when you are tired? Think back to last weekend: what did you do?

In IELTS Life Skills B1 the examiner asks, What is your name? Can you spell it for me? Where do you come from? In the pair discussion you ask your partner about a shop or market they like and why. In Phase 1b you might talk about a meal you cooked recently, and your partner asks, How long did it take? A detail question in Phase 2a might be, At what time does the clinic open? Phase 2b asks you to plan a leaving party for a colleague and choose the venue together.

Model answer: Opinion with a reason in conversation

Task: Examiner's question in the Trinity GESE Grade 5 conversation phase, on the subject area of means of transport: Do you think buses in cities should be free? Why, or why not?

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I think buses should be cheap, but I don't think they should be free. In my town many people use the bus every day for work, so a low fare helps them a lot. However, if the bus is free, the council will need more money from taxes, and the service might get worse. I prefer a small fare because it pays for more buses. What do you think about it?

What this model answer does:

• Giving reasons: the opinion is followed by two reasons, which the conversation phase requires when the examiner asks for clarification.
• Language functions: expressing a preference ("I prefer") and predicting ("the service might get worse").
• Quantifying: a lot and many people show the adjectives and adverbials of quantity listed for Grade 5.
• Interaction: the final question to the examiner covers the requirement to ask a question about a subject area.

What examiners listen for

Trinity examiners listen for appropriate responses to their questions, reasons for what you say and the language functions listed for Grade 5. These are talking about the future by informing and predicting, expressing preferences, talking about events in the indefinite and recent past, giving reasons, stating the duration of events and quantifying. The grammar listed includes the present perfect with for, since, ever, never and just, clauses with because, will for the future and expressions such as "I prefer" and "I'd rather".

Pronunciation is part of the published requirements too: topic vocabulary pronounced correctly, weak forms and contractions such as "I've been to", and no speech patterns of recitation. That last point matters most for the topic phase, because a memorised script tends to sound flat and cannot answer a follow-up question.

IELTS Life Skills B1 is designed to assess whether you can listen and respond, make your meaning clear and talk with other people. Tasks can ask you to show contrast, cause, reason or purpose, to narrate, to ask about past or future events and to express future certainty or possibility. The page also describes sharing information, feelings and opinions on familiar topics using appropriate formality, and making relevant points in reply to what others say.

Choosing a topic for Trinity GESE Grade 5

The best Trinity GESE Grade 5 topic is something personal that interests you and that you already know enough about to discuss for up to 5 minutes. Trinity suggests avoiding your family, and advises against the six conversation subject areas (festivals, means of transport, special occasions, entertainment, music and recent personal experiences), because they come up in the second phase. It also describes family, best friend and pet topics as rarely productive, since they tend to produce only the present simple.

Trinity's own preparation materials give a sequence for narrowing the choice. List about three possible topics, draw a mind map for each in English and drop the one with the most technical vocabulary or the least interest. Then test the remaining two against the Grade 5 language list and keep the one that gives you most chances to use it.

From the chosen mind map, select the five best points for the topic form. Good points allow reasons, preferences, recent and past events with the present perfect, and predictions with will. Prepare one question to ask the examiner as well, and avoid learning long new vocabulary lists, since nerves make them harder to recall.

Model answer: Answer about a prepared topic

Task: Examiner's question in the Trinity GESE Grade 5 topic phase, where the prepared topic is a local cycling club: Tell me how long you have been a member of the club, and why you joined.

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I've been a member of the club for about three years. I joined because I wanted to get fit, and I didn't know many people in the city at that time. Since then I've cycled in the hills at least twice a month. I've also made some good friends. I think I'll stay in the club for a long time, because I prefer cycling in a group to cycling alone. Have you ever tried a long ride?

What this model answer does:

• Linked long turn: the answer covers duration, reason and future in one connected reply, which the topic phase asks for.
• Language functions: stating duration (for three years, since then), giving reasons (because) and expressing a preference (prefer).
• Grammar: present perfect with for and since, and will for a prediction.
• Interaction: the closing question to the examiner meets the requirement to ask about the topic.

Practising at home

Practise in the order the test runs: first the language, then the phases, then the full timing. Start with the Grade 5 language list and write three sentences for each function, using the present perfect with for and since, because for reasons, will for predictions and "I prefer" for preferences. Say them aloud until contractions such as "I've" and "I'll" come out naturally.

For Trinity, record yourself answering the topic questions in the Example questions section, play the recording back and tick off each function you used. Practise each of the six subject areas for a short turn, and add a question for the examiner to every answer. Ask a friend to play the examiner and choose the questions, so the order changes each time.

For IELTS, work with a partner and use the official sample tests from the IELTS website. Time one minute of notes, then a talk of about one and a half minutes, and have your partner ask three questions. Practise listening with short recorded messages, noting times, places and reasons, and check your answers against what you heard.

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