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Introduction

GESE Grade 2 (CEFR A1) — Introduction

Grade 2 is a conversation with a Trinity examiner, which lasts up to six minutes. During this time, the candidate has the opportunity to show how much they have progressed since their Grade 1 exam. They are now able to use English at level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The Grade 2 exam is a friendly and communicative experience and the candidate will use short phrases and statements and ask their examiner a question. The list of what learners should be able to do is longer (see pages 14 and 15).

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GESE Grade 2 — Language

Exam format Total exam time: 6 minutes

The exam consists of one assessed phase:

w Conversation with the examiner (up to 6 minutes).

Candidate performanceIn addition to the items listed for the previous grade, the candidate is expected to demonstrate the following communicative skills and meet the language requirements listed below during the exam.

Communicative skills

w Understand short, simple questions, requests and statements

w Respond with appropriate actions and positive and negative short form answers

w Contribute to the conversation using memorised phrases and short statements

w Use a basic range of words and simple phrases related to personal details and situations

w Ask for very basic personal information, eg about possessions

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Language requirements

Language functionsw Indicating the position of people and objects

w Describing people, animals, objects and places very simply

w Stating simple facts

w Informing about possessions

w Asking very simple questions about personal details

GrammarThe candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand:

w Present simple tense questions

w Question words who? when?

w Present continuous tense questions

w Determiners some, any

The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand and use:

w Present simple tense

w There is/are and has/have got/have you got? Do you have?

w Question words where? how?

w Prepositions of place in, on, under, between, next to

w Determiners their, its

w Possessive pronouns mine, yours, his, hers

w Yes/no answers to present continuous tense questions

LexisThe candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand and use vocabulary related to:

w Rooms in the home

w Household objects

w Family and friends

w Pets

w Possessions

w Days of the week and months of the year

w Cardinal numbers up to 50

w Words and phrases relating to the language functions listed above

Phonologyw The correct pronunciation of words relevant to the lexical areas listed above

w Basic intonation patterns for simple questions

w Contractions, eg I’ve, I’m, he’s

Grade 2 communicative skills and language requirements have been mapped to A1 on the CEFR.

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GESE Grade 2 — Example practice materials

In the following pages there are some examples of how you can prepare for a Trinity GESE Grade 2 exam with your students. Students can prepare for their Grade 2 exam in their English classes, for example, by asking each other questions in the classroom and making sure that they understand the answers.

It can be useful for teachers and students to work together to create wall charts of samples of the language required for Grade 2. In order to make the exam practice as authentic as possible, you can use these materials to play the role of the examiner, asking the suggested questions and adding your own to elicit the required language from your students. The practice exam materials and questions have been divided into three different examples. Please use the examples on pages 17–20 to help you develop your own materials for exam practice, and remember there are many possible ways of preparing for the exam.

photo: Zute Lightfoot

Please note the suggestions given in this document are only examples of some of the many ways of practising for the real exam. The suggestions are NOT models to be memorised. Examiners will use a range of methods and questions to help the candidates demonstrate the required language of Grade 2. Therefore, teachers who want to practise a real Grade 2 exam should use a range of pictures, objects and questions for preparing.

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Prepositions

Using flashcards

— Look at this cat. Where is it?

Point to incorrect picture – Is it on the box?

– Where is it?

Prepositions: What language are we testing?

Please check the criteria listed on pages 14–15.

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Rooms, household objects, prepositions, present continuous

Before the activity, ask your students:

– Do you live in a house or a flat?

– How many rooms are there?

– What rooms are there in your house/flat?

w Put your students into A/B pairs and give them either the A or B half of this picture (or a similar picture).

w Tell the students not to show each other their pictures.

w They must describe their rooms and furniture to their partner.

w Their partner must describe what they hear.

Remember, they need to use the correct prepositions! At the end, ask the class:

– Where is the tree?

– Where is the woman?

– Is the woman sleeping?

– Is she eating?

– Is she drinking?

– Is she watching TV?

– Have you got a computer? Where is yours?

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A. Describe your house!

B. Describe your house!

Home/Rooms: What language are we testing?

Please check the criteria listed on pages 14–15. 19

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Present continuous

Point to a mixture of correct and incorrect pictures, and ask:

– Look at these pictures

– Is he …ing?

– Is she …ing?

– Are they …ing?

Using flashcards

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