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With several established English language tests already in use, it is a fair question for institutions to ask: do we really need to accept another one? 

However, in today’s evolving admissions landscape, the focus is shifting from maintaining the status quo to maximizing access and competitiveness. 

Global student mobility continues to grow, but access to testing remains a significant barrier. Limited test center availability, travel constraints and long result waiting times can all restrict students’ ability to apply, particularly in emerging or underserved markets. 

PTE Express directly addresses these challenges by offering fully online, flexible testing experience that allows candidates to take the test from anywhere at any time. This removes barriers from a geographic standpoint and opens the door to a wider, more diverse pool of applicants. 

Being an English language teacher means you’re also probably (definitely) a materials writer. You likely tailor or create language materials for your students that are suited to their needs and interests, either as supplements to your course materials or for communicative lessons. Alternatively, you might be a teacher who creates paid, published materials available for students worldwide to enjoy.

With this in mind, think of the materials you’ve developed and ask yourself the following:

• How do you level your grammar or vocabulary for the content you write?
• How do you find topic-related vocabulary to extend your students’ knowledge of language?
• How do you contextualize new grammar or vocabulary?

You can use many different resources, from online dictionaries to course workbooks to a Google search. Still, the Global Scale of English is a reference that provides everything you need to write great learning materials, all in one place. It can help save you valuable time as a teacher and materials writer.

For me, the GSE was a game changer as an English teacher, and it continues to be as I write materials. The GSE is not just a tool; it’s a companion in the complex journey of material development, offering clarity and direction at every step. It can guide you in creating effective, engaging learning resources.

How to use the GSE toolkit to create your own materials

1. Establishing clear Learning Objectives

The GSE helps you start with a clear roadmap. It provides detailed descriptors for language proficiency at every level, ensuring your materials align with specific learning objectives. For instance, if you’re creating a beginner-level reading comprehension activity, the GSE descriptors will guide you on the appropriate complexity of vocabulary and sentence structures.

Take a look at the Learning Objectives tab in the GSE Toolkit to learn more.

2. Designing level-appropriate content

Once objectives are set, the GSE assists in tailoring the content difficulty to the targeted proficiency level. Its numerical scale, ranging from 10 to 90, allows you to pinpoint the exact level of language skills required and design your materials accordingly. This precision ensures that learners are neither overwhelmed nor under-challenged.

You can set the level you are looking for by sliding the bar along the scale, so it corresponds to the appropriate CEFR level or GSE range.

It's incredible that thousands of languages are spoken worldwide, each with its own set of challenges for learners. A question that often pops up is: "Which language is the hardest to learn?". Today we take a closer look at this question and consider different factors that make learning a language challenging.

What is the hardest language to learn? 

Learning a language is a complex process that involves several components, including phonetics (sounds), morphology (word formation), syntax (sentence structure), semantics (meaning), and pragmatics (communication in context). These factors all contribute to the perceived difficulty of a language.

Language difficulty

The U.S. Foreign Service Institute ranks languages based on their difficulty for English speakers. Factors include similarity to English and script complexity.

FSI Language Difficulty Rankings

• Category I: Easiest languages (e.g. Spanish, French, Italian)
• Category II: Moderately difficult languages (e.g. German, Indonesian)
• Category III: Difficult languages (e.g. Russian, Hebrew, Arabic)
• Category IV: Very difficult languages (e.g. Chinese, Japanese, Korean)

In theory, you should also be able to apply this the other way around to work out how hard It would be for someone to learn English. But it isn't quite as simple as that in practice.