Using the GSE

There are four main types of Global Scale of English (GSE) users – teachers, learners, professionals and institutions. Read more about how the GSE aligns to and benefits each type.

Quick links

Map the exact level and learning goals of your students

Prepare for lessons, map the levels of your students and set precise learning goals using our GSE resources.

Teachers can use the GSE alongside any language materials, or select the aligned teaching and learning materials and assessments.

Benefits:

understand your students’ levels of proficiency more precisely
monitor students’ progress in a more accurate way
make more informed choices in selecting materials or assessments

“Previously we were benchmarking using the CEFR, but we found that the GSE was an enhancement because it focused more on the needs of academic learners – particularly on writing skills.”

Vic Stephenson, Head of Curriculum (English), Study Group, UK

Help learners see progress more often

We all know that one of the most difficult challenges when learning English is staying on track and keeping motivated. Seeing progress when you are learning gives you the boost you need to keep going.

This is where the Global Scale of English elevates English language learning. It works at a more granular level than other common measurements of proficiency, placing you at a precise point on a scale from 10 to 90. As a learner, you can see which GSE learning objectives are appropriate for your level, giving you a clear understanding of precisely what needs to be learned to progress to the next level, which can be extremely empowering.

As well as a single overall score, the Global Scale of English gives you a separate score for each skill – speaking, listening, reading and writing, so you always know where your strengths are and where you need to improve.

“With the GSE we have much more control and insight into how the learner is progressing, and know precisely where we need to focus to help the learner progress.”

Liliana Burga, E-learning & Special Projects Academic Co-ordinator, Britanico, Peru

English language learning designed for the real world

Learners

Learners preparing for their first job can use the specific GSE Learning Objectives to understand what they might need to know to prepare for the world of work. For example, preparing for interview, writing the letter or email, or having a telephone conversation.

More experienced learners find the Learning Objectives can be selected in a number of ways, depending on specific roles, business skills or industries, ensuring that what they learn is relevant and appropriate for the real world.

Teachers

The adult GSE learning objectives and aligned courseware and assessments make it easy to create and select the right content, tailored to the specific needs of your learners.

You may have to create an English course for a specific industry, equip your learners with real world language skills or teach a mixed-ability group.

Teachers find the GSE solution has everything they need to support English language teaching in a professional context.

“I felt like a kid in a candy shop when hundreds of business-specific objectives appeared. Reading the objectives gave me a firm footing in what B1, B2 and C1 students should be able to do.”

Karly Semenov, Freelance ELT writer, Texas, USA

Employers

Getting it right, first time, is a priority for any business or organisation.

Having employees with the right level of English for their role can be critical for the health and success of your business or organisation.

That's why we've developed specific GSE content to match specific skills and job profiles to save you time and effort when looking for the right hire or helping develop the skills of your existing employees.

Having a global standard not only helps raise standards in teaching and learning, but by using a more granular approach, can help governments, districts or institutions measure outcomes more effectively.

Authors, academic researchers and teachers are increasingly aware of the need to be learner-focused and to create syllabuses and courses that not only reflect learner needs and expectations, but are also rooted in real-world contexts. The GSE constitutes a detailed and graded model of student target performance across a range of skills and domains. Having clearly stated learning objectives ensures that learning, teaching and assessment elements are all working together to support the learner in acquiring their new language skill.

Our goal to improve learner outcomes, enables us to focus on providing empirically valid research to support our work and in doing so to significantly enhance the advancement of English around the world.