ESOL Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3: What Each Covers

ESOL Entry 3 is the third and highest of the three Entry levels in the adult ESOL Skills for Life framework, sitting above Entry 1 and Entry 2 and below Level 1, and published research maps its content to CEFR B1/B1+. At Entry 3 a learner follows straightforward explanations, speaks with appropriate formality, reads everyday texts such as e-mails, letters and short reports independently, and writes information and opinions with some adaptation to the reader.

Entry 1 sits below it, mapped to CEFR A1/A1+, with Entry 2 between the two. Trinity College London, City & Guilds and Pearson each offer Awards in Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing at all three levels, and each combines them into a Certificate when the three units are passed at the same level.

What can a learner do at ESOL Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3?

At Entry 1 a learner can listen to simple narratives, statements, questions and single-step instructions, and speak about basic information, feelings and opinions on familiar topics. At Entry 2 the listening widens to straightforward information, short narratives, explanations and instructions, and discussion can involve one or more people. By Entry 3 the learner also follows straightforward explanations, speaks with appropriate formality, and makes relevant points while responding to what others say to reach a shared understanding.

Entry 1 reading covers short texts with repeated language patterns on familiar topics, together with public signs and notices, lists, forms, notes, records and simple narratives. Entry 2 adds e-mails, letters and diagrams, and the texts become short and straightforward. At Entry 3 the learner reads short straightforward texts on familiar topics accurately and independently, taking information from everyday sources such as forms, notes, e-mails, letters, diagrams, simple instructions and short reports.

Entry 1 writing communicates information to an intended audience in forms, lists, messages, notes and records. At Entry 2 the learner shows some awareness of the audience and also writes e-mails and simple narratives. At Entry 3 the learner writes information and opinions with some adaptation to the intended audience, in documents such as forms, notes, e-mails, letters, narratives, simple instructions and short reports.

How do Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3 relate to CEFR A1, A2 and B1?

Entry 1 aligns with CEFR A1, Entry 3 with B1, and Entry 2 falls between them. The GOV.UK research report on ESOL Skills for Life qualifications placed Entry 1 reading and writing at A1/A1+ and judged Entry 1 speaking to be at A1+/A2, while the Entry 3 content mapping gave B1/B1+. The report gives no separate content mapping for Entry 2, though pass standards for some Entry 2 writing qualifications were mapped to A2+, the same as Entry 3.

According to the report, the match is approximate. Standard linking found some Entry 3 reading exams closer to A2+, and Entry 3 writing at the pass threshold at A2+ to low B1, with Entry 2 and Entry 3 writing not clearly differentiated at that point. For that reason the CEFR labels are best read as a guide, and the Entry level descriptors from the awarding bodies describe what is actually tested.

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How does Trinity College London test Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3?

Trinity College London offers Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3 as separate Awards in Speaking and Listening (12 credits), Reading (6 credits) and Writing (9 credits), with an overarching Certificate of 27 credits when every unit has been passed at the same level. The qualifications are for people aged 16 and over who live in the UK, and unit credits at the same level from other awarding organisations count towards the Certificate.

Trinity's exams are 100% externally assessed and available on demand, held at a venue such as a school, college or place of work. Speaking and Listening has a conversation and a group discussion: the conversation has two tasks at Entry 1 and three tasks at Entry 2 and Entry 3, and the group discussion is one task at every level. Reading and Writing each have three tasks at all three levels, with 24 reading items at Entry 1 and Entry 2 and 27 at Entry 3. The table gives the timings.

How do City & Guilds and Pearson test Entry level ESOL?

City & Guilds assesses each Entry level through three units in qualification 4692: Reading to obtain information, Writing to convey information, and Speaking and listening to obtain and convey information. At Entry level the assignments are set by City & Guilds and marked by the centre, with City & Guilds quality assurance, and the grading is Pass or Fail. Every assessment is supervised, time-bound, presented to candidates unseen and must be the candidate's own unaided work.

In City & Guilds Speaking and Listening, the activities are completed with an approved interlocutor and recorded electronically. The pass mark appears on the mark scheme for each assessment and is set by City & Guilds; it may differ between versions so that each version makes equal demands on candidates. The table shows the time allowed for each component at each Entry level.

Pearson offers Awards in Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening from Entry 1 to Level 2, and Certificates from Entry 1 to Level 1, all using Pearson-devised assessments that are internally assessed and externally verified. Learners pass a paper-based test in Reading and Writing, and a task in Speaking and Listening. The centre assessor marks with the Pearson mark scheme, the centre verifies internally, and a Pearson Standards Verifier samples the results. Centres choose from three assessments per skill and level, and Speaking and Listening is assessed without booking a Pearson assessor.

What do example tasks look like at each Entry level?

Entry 1 tasks involve personal details and very familiar topics: completing a library membership form, reading a sign that says where the toilets are, or saying in a short conversation what you do at the weekend. The language is simple sentences, and the writing is mostly a form, a list or a short note.

Entry 2 tasks involve short, straightforward exchanges: reading an e-mail from a college about a change of room, writing a reply to a teacher to say you will be absent, or describing your daily routine in a conversation. The answer needs the right information and some awareness of who will read it.

Entry 3 tasks ask for information and opinions: reading a letter from a housing office and picking out what to do next, writing a message to a neighbour about a shared problem, or discussing in a group how to organise a street event. The learner makes points, responds to others and chooses a suitable level of formality. The three model answers below were written for tasks invented for this page.

Model answer: Entry 1 personal information form

Task: You are joining a library. Complete the membership form with your own details. Write one short answer for each line. Allow 10 minutes. Form lines: Family name. First name. Address. Phone number. Country of birth. First language. Job. Why do you want to join the library?

"

Family name: Petrova

"

First name: Elena

"

Address: 14 Mill Road, Leeds LS6 2AB

"

Phone number: 07700 900123

"

Country of birth: Bulgaria

"

First language: Bulgarian

"

Job: I am a cleaner.

"

Why do you want to join the library? I want to read English books and learn new words.

What this model answer does:

• Completes every line of the form, which meets the Entry 1 writing descriptor of writing to communicate information in forms.
• Writes simple sentences correctly on the two lines that need a sentence, with a capital letter at the start and a full stop at the end.
• Gives details in the order and format the form asks for, such as a postcode in the address, which shows careful reading of each line.

Model answer: Entry 2 short email to a teacher

Task: You cannot come to your English class on Thursday. Write an e-mail to your teacher, Mr Hughes. Say why you cannot come, ask about homework and say what you will do. Write 40 to 60 words. Allow 15 minutes.

"

Dear Mr Hughes,

"

I am sorry, but I cannot come to class on Thursday because I have a hospital appointment at ten o'clock. Please could you tell me what the homework is? I can collect it on Friday morning. I will practise the new words at home.

"

Thank you for your help.

"

Best wishes,

"

Elena Petrova

What this model answer does:

• Covers all three points in the task (the reason, the homework question and what the writer will do), which shows information conveyed in full.
• Uses an opening, a polite request and a closing suited to a teacher, which meets the Entry 2 requirement of some awareness of the intended audience.
• Keeps punctuation, spelling and verb forms accurate in short, straightforward sentences, matching the criterion of correct punctuation, grammar and spelling.
• Stays within the word limit and links ideas with simple connectors such as because, which keeps the message clear.

Model answer: Entry 3 short message to a neighbour

Task: Your neighbour often leaves the shared bins on the pavement outside your building. This makes it hard for people with pushchairs to pass. Write a message to your neighbour. Explain the problem, give your opinion and suggest a solution. Write 60 to 80 words. Allow 20 minutes.

"

Hello Mrs Clarke,

"

I am writing about the bins outside our building. Since Monday they have been left on the pavement all day, and I think this makes it difficult for people with pushchairs. Could we agree to move them back inside after each collection? I am happy to bring them in on Tuesdays if you can do it on Fridays. Please let me know what you think.

"

Thank you,

"

Daniel (Flat 4)

What this model answer does:

• Explains the problem, states an opinion with "I think" and offers a solution, which meets the Entry 3 requirement to convey information and opinions.
• Chooses a polite, friendly register for a neighbour and softens the request with could we, showing some adaptation for the intended audience.
• Links ideas with since, and, and if, and keeps tenses and punctuation accurate, matching the criterion of correct punctuation, grammar and spelling.
• Closes with a clear request for a reply, so the reader knows what to do next.

How do learners move from one Entry level to the next?

Learners move up by taking the Award units at the next level. Pearson states that a learner with an Award or Certificate can progress to the next level of Award or Certificate as their needs require, to Functional Skills English units or, for 16 to 19-year-olds, to GCSE English or other English qualifications.

Each skill is a separate Award, so a learner can sit Speaking and Listening at Entry 3 whilst still working towards Entry 2 Reading. Pearson allows Awards to be combined across levels but needs the same level in all three areas for the Certificate, and Trinity likewise awards its overarching Certificate once every unit has been passed at the same level.

The step from Entry 3 to Level 1 shows in the descriptors: listeners adapt their response to speaker, medium and context, speakers adapt content to the listener, writers choose length, format and style to suit purpose and audience, and readers handle texts of varying lengths on a variety of topics.

How should you prepare for an Entry level ESOL test?

Preparation works best when it follows the marking, so the first step is to ask your centre which awarding body it uses and to practise against that body's mark scheme and timings. City & Guilds and Pearson both mark against published mark schemes, and Pearson tells centres to make sure learners attempt every question, so practise finishing every item and every task inside the time.

A sensible order is Reading first, because it has a fixed number of items (24 or 27 on Trinity's papers) and gives quick, checkable results. Writing comes next, in timed blocks that match the writing time at your level. Speaking and Listening follows, recorded on a phone and played back, since City & Guilds records its speaking activities.

To check written work, use the descriptors as a checklist. At Entry 1, forms and simple sentences are completed correctly; at Entry 2, information is conveyed with some awareness of the audience; at Entry 3, information and opinions are included, the message is adapted to the reader, and punctuation, grammar and spelling are checked. Ask a teacher to mark a practice piece against the awarding body's mark scheme and compare the result with the descriptor.

Related guides

• What is ESOL?
• ESOL levels, Entry 1 to Level 2
• ESOL Level 1 and Level 2
• ESOL courses and free places in England
• Functional Skills English Level 2
• Functional Skills English Level 1
• CEFR levels explained for employers

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