ESOL Levels Explained: Entry 1 to Level 2

ESOL levels in England run across five steps, Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3, Level 1 and Level 2, and each step is assessed separately in speaking and listening, reading and writing. Trinity College London, City & Guilds and Pearson each offer ESOL Skills for Life qualifications at all five levels, built on the National Standards for Adult Literacy and closely aligned to the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum. Entry 1 is the first step for learners with basic English, and Level 2 is the highest, so the right level depends on what a learner can already do in each skill.

Initial assessment at a centre usually decides the starting level, and the published unit titles, task timings and assessment criteria show what each level asks of a candidate. Reading those documents before booking lets a learner compare the tasks with their own reading, writing and speaking. Awards in each skill can be taken at any level, which allows a confident speaker to sit a higher speaking Award whilst reading and writing are still developing.

What are the five ESOL levels?

The five levels are Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3, Level 1 and Level 2, ordered from beginner to advanced, and ESOL Skills for Life qualifications are available at each of them. They are designed for people aged 16 and over who need English for everyday life, study and employment, and they give evidence of English language skills at each step from Entry 1 to Level 2.

Trinity's qualifications are listed on the Regulated Qualifications Framework and accredited by Ofqual, and City & Guilds and Pearson offer the same five levels under their own qualification numbers. Because each Award is a qualification in its own right, a learner can take one skill at a time and build towards a Certificate in stages. Entry 1 suits learners who are beginning with basic English, and Level 2 suits those who handle longer, more complex texts and discussions.

What can a learner do at each level?

A learner at Entry 1 can speak to convey basic information, feelings and opinions, read short texts on familiar topics along with common signs and symbols, and write simple sentences and complete simple forms. At Entry 2 the learner can listen to other people and speak on familiar topics, including in discussion, read short straightforward chronological and instructional texts, and write to convey information with some adaptation for the audience, using correct punctuation, grammar and spelling. At Entry 3 the learner speaks with appropriate formality, makes points and responds to others in discussions, reads continuous descriptive and explanatory texts from everyday sources, and writes both information and opinions.

Within Level 1, a learner adapts spoken responses to the needs of the listener and reaches a shared understanding, reads continuous descriptive, explanatory and persuasive texts from different sources while inferring meaning, and writes with length, format, style, vocabulary and grammar suited to the purpose and audience. Moving to Level 2, the learner makes clear and effective contributions in discussion, taking account of listener needs, medium, purpose and situation, reads texts of varying length, detail and complexity while identifying, evaluating and comparing ideas and opinions, and writes effectively for the context and audience.

ESOL tutors

Mark

Master Tutor

11+ PreparationAudition PreparationCambridge English ExamsCreative Writing

I have thirty years in education, including Head of English at an independent school and GCSE and A-Level examiner. I teach English, Literature, Language, Creative Writing and Critical Thinking, ages four to eighteen. I start from what a student can already do and adapt my methods to them.

Enquire about this tutor

Hannah

Master Tutor

11+ PreparationCommon Entrance PreparationCreative WritingCritical Thinking

I am a UK-qualified teacher with 15+ years across private and state schools in the UK and abroad, and hold a BSc from LSE and a PGCE with QTS. I teach English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, 11+ and Common Entrance preparation. My approach is personalised, confidence-building and rigorous.

Enquire about this tutor

Johanna

Expert Tutor

BMAT PreparationCambridge English ExamsCommon Entrance PreparationCreative Writing

I have two decades' teaching experience in English Literature, English Language and Philosophy, and hold a PhD in English Literature. I teach GCSE, A-Level, Oxbridge entrance and UCAS personal statements. My approach is person-centred, working through dialogue and ongoing assessment.

Enquire about this tutor

See all tutors

How do ESOL levels line up with the CEFR and the national standards?

A national research report maps the five ESOL levels onto the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which describes ability as basic user (A1, A2), independent user (B1, B2) and proficient user (C1, C2). Its content mapping placed Entry 1 reading and writing at A1 or A1+, Entry 1 speaking at A1+ or A2, and Entry 3 components at B1 or B1+. The report also gives standard linking findings for writing from Entry 1 to Level 1.

At the pass threshold the levels sit closer together than their names suggest. Entry 2 and Entry 3 writing were both mapped to A2+ for some qualifications, and Entry 3 writing reached A2+ or low B1 at most. The report's writing findings stop at Level 1, so they give no CEFR figure for Level 2, and a learner who needs a CEFR statement for another purpose should check what the receiving body asks for.

The qualifications themselves are built on the National Standards for Adult Literacy and closely aligned to the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum. According to the same report, those standards were written mainly for learners with English as a first language, so some criteria, such as accuracy of spelling at Entry 1, can look demanding for new learners.

How does initial assessment place a learner?

Initial assessment places a learner by identifying their current English language capabilities and areas for development, any ESOL or other English qualifications they have already completed, and the qualification and level they should work towards. City & Guilds expects a centre to carry it out before the programme begins, and recommends an induction that explains the requirements of the qualification and the responsibilities of the learner and the centre.

Pearson describes the same process as a way of addressing knowledge gaps before a learner takes a nationally recognised qualification. Because speaking and listening, reading and writing are separate Awards, the outcome can point to different starting points for different skills, and earlier unit passes from other awarding organisations may be recognised towards a Certificate.

What units and modes do Trinity, City & Guilds and Pearson offer?

Trinity offers three Awards at each level, Speaking and Listening worth 12 credits, Reading worth 6 credits and Writing worth 9 credits, and an overarching ESOL Skills for Life Certificate worth 27 credits once all three are passed at the same level. Each Award is a qualification in its own right, so a candidate can sit them on separate occasions.

City & Guilds ESOL Skills for Life, qualification number 4692, offers single-mode Awards and full-mode Certificates at the same five levels, with three units at each level: Reading to obtain information, Writing to convey information, and Speaking and listening to obtain and convey information. A Certificate-sized qualification combines all three modes.

Pearson offers Awards in reading, writing, and speaking and listening at each level, with Certificates at Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3, Level 1 and Level 2. The Level 1 and Level 2 Certificates are each worth 27 credits and 270 guided learning hours, and the units use Pearson-devised assessment.

How are the tests taken and marked?

Marking depends on the awarding body: Trinity assesses externally, City & Guilds sets the assignments and has centres mark them at Entry 1 to Entry 3 and for Level 1 and Level 2 Writing and Speaking and Listening, and Pearson sets tests and tasks that the centre assessor marks with a Pearson mark scheme. Pearson centres then verify the marking internally, and a Pearson Standards Verifier samples it.

City & Guilds marks the Level 1 and Level 2 Reading tests itself. Each is a one-hour multiple choice test with one mark per question, and the pass range is 24 to 27 at Level 1 and 25 to 29 at Level 2, depending on the version issued. All City & Guilds assessments are timed, supervised, unseen and the candidate's own unaided work, and Reading can be taken on paper or onscreen.

Trinity Reading and Writing are paper-based controlled exams at registered centres, whilst Speaking and Listening is taken face to face or by video conference with an examiner. The Trinity formats by level are:

• Entry 1: conversation with an examiner, 2 tasks, 5 minutes; group discussion, 1 task, up to 4 minutes; reading, 24 questions in 3 tasks, 45 minutes; writing, 3 tasks, 30 minutes
• Entry 2: conversation, 3 tasks, 8 minutes; group discussion, 1 task, up to 5 minutes; reading, 24 questions in 3 tasks, 60 minutes; writing, 3 tasks, 50 minutes
• Entry 3: conversation, 3 tasks, 8 minutes; group discussion, 1 task, up to 6 minutes; reading, 27 questions in 3 tasks, 60 minutes; writing, 3 tasks, 70 minutes
• Level 1: conversation, 3 tasks, 10 minutes; group discussion, 1 task, up to 7 minutes; reading, 30 questions in 3 tasks, 60 minutes; writing, 3 tasks, 110 minutes
• Level 2: conversation, 3 tasks, 14 minutes; group discussion, 1 task, up to 8 minutes; reading, 30 questions in 3 tasks, 60 minutes; writing, 3 tasks, 110 minutes

How do learners move up a level?

A learner moves up a level by registering for the Awards at the next level and passing each one, and the Certificate follows once Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing are all held at the same level. Awards can be taken at any level, so progress in one skill does not have to wait for the others, although the Certificate needs all three at one level within the awarding body's time limit.

Preparation tied to the marking starts with the assessment criteria in the specification, because every task is marked against them. A sensible order begins with Reading, where the City & Guilds criteria list tracing the main events of a text, distinguishing purposes, scanning for specific detail, identifying grammatical and punctuation features and working out word meaning, all practised in timed one-hour multiple choice papers.

Writing comes next, with the timed tasks completed within the paper's length and each draft checked against the unit criteria on purpose, audience, length, format, style, vocabulary and grammar. Speaking and Listening follows closer to the exam, rehearsing a timed conversation and a group discussion with a partner and listening back to confirm that each point answers what the other speaker said. Learners are advised to attempt every question or task.

Related guides

• What is ESOL?
• CEFR levels explained for employers
• How long B1 to B2 takes
• Business English or general English?
• Assessing English in recruitment
• English training for relocated staff

English tuition for adults with Taylor Tuition

Adults who come to us for English usually know the situation they need it for, whether that is a job, a test or daily life in the UK, so lessons start with a level check against the CEFR scale and are then built around the tasks the learner actually faces.

English for adults is taught one-to-one or in small groups, at every level from beginner (CEFR A1) to proficient (C2), online or in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level, there is no registration fee and the initial consultation is free. Employers can book programmes for staff and are invoiced directly.

Read more about our English tuition for adults, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.

For IELTS, see our IELTS preparation tutors.