Key Facts
| GESE SELT fee, Grades 2, 3 and 5 (UK) | £160 |
|---|---|
| GESE SELT fee, Grade 7 (UK) | £170 |
| ISE SELT fee, ISE I, II and III (UK) | £200 |
| Exam Protect add-on | £35, allowing one retake and one reschedule |
| GESE provisional result | Emailed by 9am the day after the exam |
| GESE final result and certificate link | 4 to 7 days after the exam date |
| ISE final result and Diagnostic Report | Within 21 days |
| Validity of a SELT result for UK applications | Two years |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
Trinity SELT tests are the Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE), a one-to-one speaking and listening exam, and Integrated Skills in English (ISE), a reading, writing, speaking and listening exam, both approved by the Home Office for UKVI applications. GESE Grade 2 maps to CEFR A1, Grade 3 to A2, Grade 5 to B1 and Grade 7 to B2, whilst ISE I maps to B1 and ISE II to B2. The right test depends on the route, so the first step is matching your visa, settlement or citizenship application to the level named on the official pages.
A GESE test is a conversation with a human Trinity examiner, which makes preparation a matter of practising speech aloud against the published criteria. The sections below set out how GOV.UK lists the tests, which grade each requirement uses, how each test runs, what happens at the centre and how to prepare.
What are Trinity's SELT tests and how does GOV.UK list them?
Trinity College London offers two Secure English Language Tests for UKVI, GESE and ISE, and GOV.UK names Trinity among the approved providers for tests sat at approved test locations in the UK. GOV.UK describes a SELT as a test with an approved provider, taken at an approved location, and it warns that a citizenship or settlement application will be refused if you send the wrong qualifications.
GESE covers speaking and listening only, in grades 1 to 12, and only Grades 2, 3, 5 and 7 are SELT exams; Grades 8 to 12 are not. ISE covers reading, writing, speaking and listening at ISE I (B1), ISE II (B2) and ISE III (C1). Trinity's UKVI page treats ISE III as a possible university sponsor requirement and not a UKVI one.
Which GESE grade or ISE level does each requirement use?
Trinity's UKVI page pairs each test with the routes it serves, and the pairing follows the CEFR level the Home Office sets for the route. GOV.UK's family visa page sets A1 for a first application. For an extension after 2.5 years, an A1 result must be followed by A2 in speaking and listening, while an A2 or higher result can be reused, and a B1 or higher result can be reused for settlement.
Candidates who need four skills at B2 sit ISE II, and the ISE I (B1) page advises checking with a sponsor, because some institutions ask for B2 on Student visas. Before booking, compare your own application guidance with the list below, since an approved test at the wrong level will not satisfy the route.
- GESE Grade 2 (A1): Further Leave to Remain for family partner or parent, Representative of an Overseas Business, International Sportsperson
- GESE Grade 3 (A2): family partner or parent visa extension
- GESE Grade 5 (B1): settlement applications made before the date Trinity's page gives, and British citizenship (naturalisation)
- GESE Grade 7 (B2): settlement applications made after the date Trinity's page gives
- ISE I (B1): Student visa below degree level
- ISE II (B2): Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Scale-up Worker, Minister of Religion, Innovator, Start-up, and Student visa at degree level and above
IELTS Preparation tutors
Mark
Master TutorI 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
Johanna
Expert TutorI 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
Owen
Expert TutorI gained an MA and MPhil at Girton College, Cambridge, and am a British Council certified counsellor. I specialise in Oxbridge preparation and university admissions, and teach A-Level English Literature, French and German, using the discursive, oral-first style of an Oxbridge supervision.
Enquire about this tutorHow does each GESE grade run?
Each GESE test is a one-to-one conversation with a Trinity examiner who joins by video conference, whilst the candidate sits at a SELT centre with a Trinity tablet set up by a personal steward. Grade 2 lasts 6 minutes as a conversation, and Grade 3 lasts 7 minutes as a conversation.
Grade 5 lasts 10 minutes in two assessed phases. The Topic phase, up to 5 minutes, discusses a subject you prepared on a Topic Form carrying five discussion points; you give linked long turns on the five points and answer the examiner's questions on them. The Conversation phase, up to 5 minutes, covers two subject areas the examiner chooses from festivals, means of transport, special occasions, entertainment, music and recent personal experiences.
Grade 7 lasts 15 minutes in three parts: a Topic phase where you may bring notes and share them with the examiner, an Interactive phase where you ask questions about a situation the examiner introduces, and a Conversation phase on two subjects the examiner picks.
How does the ISE test run?
ISE I (B1) has two parts, Reading & Writing and Speaking & Listening. Reading & Writing lasts two hours across four tasks: a long reading text with 15 questions, four shorter texts with 15 questions, writing based on the topics of those four texts, and an extended writing response to a prompt. Candidates sit it in a room with other candidates, using pen and paper at a Trinity centre.
Speaking & Listening lasts 18 minutes and is delivered by a Trinity examiner over video conference. It has a 4-minute Topic task, for which you complete a Topic Form in advance, a 2-minute Conversation on one subject area the examiner picks, and a 10-minute independent listening task. In the listening task you hear two recordings, each played twice, and answer the examiner's questions.
What ID and booking rules apply at a SELT centre?
You must bring ID that is valid on the exam date, and Trinity accepts a UK eVisa, passport, EEA national identity card, Convention Travel Document or Stateless person's Travel Document. Trinity's Candidate Identification & Security Policy gives the detail, and the examiner also confirms your identity during the test.
Centres provide a locker for personal items, and bags, phones, headphones and smartwatches stay out of the exam room; breaking that rule may lead to disqualification and a ban from future Trinity SELTs. Book directly with Trinity as the approved provider, and tick the special needs box on the booking form if you need adjustments, after which a SELT staff member contacts you. An optional Exam Protect add-on allows one retake and one reschedule.
How do results work and what do you give the Home Office?
A GESE candidate receives a provisional result by email first, followed by the final result and a link to a digital certificate; Trinity describes the provisional result as unconfirmed and potentially subject to change until it approves it. ISE candidates receive the final result and a Diagnostic Report, with a certificate link following a pass.
Your application carries the reference number Trinity's certificate shows, which GOV.UK calls the UER for Trinity tests, and GOV.UK warns that an application without it may be refused. The Home Office also expects the test to have been taken at an approved test location and to fall inside GOV.UK's validity window, so check the dates against your application.
How should you prepare for a Trinity SELT?
Preparation follows the way examiners mark, since every GESE phase is graded A to D against one criterion, task fulfilment, and C is a pass. Band B describes contributions that are generally effective with good coverage of the grade's skills, functions and language, whilst band C describes partial fulfilment with isolated samples and some hesitancy. Aiming for B coverage gives a margin.
Work in this order. First, draft the Topic Form with five discussion points you can each talk about for a minute, and practise them as a conversation with a partner who interrupts and asks for details, because a memorised script works against the criteria and the Grade 5 sheet lists avoiding recitation under phonology. Second, rehearse every conversation subject on your grade's list. Third, prepare at least one genuine question for the examiner in each phase, since Grade 5 requires it.
Finally, record yourself, play it back against the band descriptors, and tick off the language the Grade 5 sheet lists: present perfect with for, since, ever, never and just, because-clauses, will for predictions, expressions of preference and talking about past and future events. For ISE, practise the four reading and writing tasks within the two-hour limit and rehearse the listening task by answering questions on a recording played twice.
Related guides
- English requirements for UK visas by route
- B1 English test example questions
- English test for a spouse visa
- B2 English test for the Skilled Worker visa
- LanguageCert SELT
- English requirement exemptions for UK visas
- SELT tests explained
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.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a Trinity SELT be taken outside the UK?
- GOV.UK lists Trinity College London among the providers for tests in the UK, and it lists PSI Services (UK) Ltd instead of Trinity for tests outside the UK. GOV.UK also says a result must come from an approved test location, and that you may have to travel to another country if your own has none. Check the current approved centre list on GOV.UK before booking.
- Does GESE Grade 5 test reading and writing?
- GESE tests speaking and listening only, so a Grade 5 candidate is not assessed on reading or writing. Trinity states that the examiner does not assess the writing on the Topic Form, and that the topic is a discussion and not a formal presentation. Routes that name a four-skill requirement use ISE, which has a Reading & Writing module and a Speaking & Listening module.
- What happens if a candidate does not prepare a topic for GESE Grade 5?
- A Grade 5 candidate who brings no prepared topic cannot be assessed for the Topic phase, and Trinity's look-up table treats a No Topic Prepared grade as a fail at the Elementary stage. The Topic Form carries five discussion points and must be completed in advance and brought to the exam. The topic should be personal and not taken from the Conversation subject list.
- Is a Trinity SELT marked by a computer?
- Trinity states that GESE is a one-to-one conversation with an accredited human examiner who joins by video conference, and it describes the exam as designed to feel like a conversation instead of a formal question and answer interview. At a SELT centre you sit at a Trinity tablet set up by your personal steward. The at-home option was a pilot that Trinity says has ended.
- What is the difference between a provisional and a final GESE result?
- A provisional GESE result arrives by email early the next day, and Trinity describes it as unconfirmed and potentially subject to change until Trinity approves it. The final result follows after approval, and a digital certificate email arrives afterwards. The certificate carries the reference number that your visa application needs, so wait for the final result before you apply.
Enquire about IELTS Preparation tutoring
Start your enquiryHow Taylor Tuition can help
Expert, one-to-one support from specialist tutors.
Editorial Notice
We use automated research tools to help collate and maintain information across our website. While each post is reviewed before publication, some details may be incomplete or inaccurate.
Taylor Tuition
Educational Consultancy
Contributing expert insights on education, exam preparation, and effective learning strategies to help students reach their full potential.