Trinity GESE Grade 5: the B1 test explained
Trinity GESE Grade 5 is a 10-minute, one-to-one speaking and listening test with a Trinity examiner by video call, taken at a Trinity SELT centre. You discuss a topic you've prepared, then chat about two everyday subjects. It costs £160, you must bring a completed topic form, and a provisional result arrives by 9am the next day.
The format
| Part | Time | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Topic | up to 5 minutes | The examiner picks points from your topic form, in any order, and asks you about at least four of them. You ask the examiner at least one question about your topic. |
| Conversation | up to 5 minutes | The examiner chooses two of six subjects and talks with you about them. You ask at least one question here too. |
The six conversation subjects are festivals, means of transport, special occasions (for example birthday celebrations), entertainment (for example cinema, television, clubs), music, and recent personal experiences. You need to be ready for all six, but Trinity's guide is clear that the examiner tests your language, not your knowledge.
At a Trinity centre you sit at a Trinity tablet that a steward sets up for you, and the examiner joins by video.
The topic form
Before the test you fill in a topic form: a title in the middle and five discussion points around it, one short phrase each. You can use Trinity's form or make your own, and someone else can write it out for you, as long as the ideas are yours. A few rules matter:
- Choose a personal topic, not one of the six conversation subjects.
- Every point must be a real theme. "Introduction" or "What I did next" aren't allowed.
- Don't write a script. Reciting counts against you.
- Bring the form. Without it you can't take the test, and a topic phase that can't take place means a fail.
Stuck for a subject? See our GESE Grade 5 topic ideas.
How it's graded
The examiner gives each part a grade from A to D for task fulfilment, covering how you communicate, the Grade 5 language you use, and your fluency. The two grades combine into one result:
- Distinction: AA or AB
- Merit: AC, BB or BC
- Pass: AD, BD, CC or CD
- Fail: DD
For a UK visa or citizenship application, any pass is a pass.
Fee and booking
- Fee: £160. Exam Protect costs £35 more and lets you book one retake and reschedule once.
- Book: online at Trinity's SELT booking site (GESE Grade 5), or by phone on 0333 358 3183.
- Where and when: Trinity has over 20 SELT test centres across the UK and tests seven days a week.
- On the day: bring your ID and your completed topic form. You can't take personal items into the exam room.
More booking tips are on how to book a B1 test.
Results
Your provisional result is emailed by 9am the day after your test, and your final result within four to seven days. Within 24 hours of the final result email, "Trinity College London via Accredible" emails you a link to your digital certificate. If you've passed, you use your UER number on your application. A printed certificate costs £12.50 by phone. Results for all four tests.
How to prepare
- Plan your topic early so you can talk about every point comfortably without notes, and answer follow-up questions on each.
- Practise the Grade 5 language Trinity lists: the present perfect ("I've lived here since 2019"), "will" for predictions, "I prefer" and "I'd rather", "because", how long things last, and words like "a lot of" and "not very much".
- Practise asking questions, since you need at least one in each part.
- Use Trinity's free materials: the Grade 5 candidate guide, preparation activities and sample report forms on its study help page.
- Rehearse out loud with our free GESE Grade 5 rehearsal, where an AI examiner asks about your own topic form.
Common questions
Can I fail if one part goes badly?
Only two Ds fail. A D in one part with a C or better in the other is still a pass. The exception is coming without a topic form: then the topic phase can't take place and the whole test is a fail.
Is GESE Grade 5 still the right test for settlement after March 2027?
For citizenship, yes. For settlement, only on the routes that stay at B1 (Hong Kong BN(O), Domestic Workers, HM Armed Forces families) or for applications made before 26 March 2027. B1 or B2?
Is it the same as the GESE Grade 5 taken in schools?
Book the SELT version through Trinity's SELT booking site. Only a test taken at an approved SELT centre counts for UK immigration and citizenship.
General information. We're independent of Trinity College London and the Home Office. Sources: Trinity: B1 English test (GESE Grade 5); Trinity: prepare for your B1 test; Trinity: results and certificates; GESE Specifications (January 2026); GESE Grade 5 candidate guide; GESE conversion tables; Trinity SELT booking; GOV.UK: Secure English Language Tests. Checked 20 October 2026.