How to choose your GESE Grade 5 topic

Published 11 September 2026

One thing makes GESE Grade 5 different from all other B1 English tests for UK visas: you choose your own topic. Before the exam, you prepare a topic form with five discussion points about a subject you have chosen yourself. This does not exist in the LanguageCert exam. Many people are confused about this because articles comparing the two tests do not always explain it clearly.

This article explains what the topic form requires, how to pick a safe topic, and what will happen when the examiner picks up your form.

What your route currently requires is decided by the Home Office, not us. Check the current requirements at gov.uk before you book.

What the topic form is

The topic form is a single page with five discussion points. Each point is one short sentence or phrase. You prepare it at home before exam day and bring it with you. At the start of the exam, you hand it to the examiner.

The form drives the first part of your exam — the Topic phase, which lasts up to 5 minutes. The examiner picks points from your form in no particular order and asks about them. You do not know which point they will start with.

If you arrive without your topic form, the Topic phase is cancelled and you fail the whole exam. There are no exceptions. Bring the form.

Six topics you cannot use

The second part of the exam — the Conversation phase, up to 5 minutes — uses a fixed list of six subject areas. The examiner picks two from the list and you discuss them together. You need to be ready for all six:

• Festivals
• Means of transport
• Special occasions (for example, birthday celebrations)
• Entertainment (for example, cinema, television, clubs)
• Music
• Recent personal experiences

Your topic for the form must not be one of these six. This is an official rule. The topic form keeps the two phases separate — the Topic phase is yours, and the Conversation phase uses the examiner’s list.

What makes a good topic

Your topic must be personal. It should be something from your own life: your job, your work history, a hobby, a sport, a skill you have learned, a place you have lived or worked, something you have spent a long time doing.

The most important thing is this: pick something you genuinely know. The examiner will ask follow-up questions. They will ask you to explain why, not just what. If you chose a topic because it sounded impressive but you cannot talk about it in detail, the conversation will run out quickly.

You do not need an unusual or complex topic. A straightforward one that you can discuss naturally is much stronger.

The official sample: “My career”

Trinity College London publishes one official sample topic form: My career. Its five points are:

1. What I have achieved so far in my career
2. How my current job compares to my last job
3. Why I chose this career
4. My plans for the future
5. What I did before this job

Each point exercises a different language function: talking about the past, comparing things, giving reasons, talking about the future. A strong topic naturally leads to different kinds of questions. This sample shows what that looks like in practice.

You do not have to use this topic. It is a model for how five points should work together.

How to write your five points

• Be specific. “Why I started running” is a better point than “My hobby.” A specific point gives the examiner something real to ask about.
• No filler points. Points like “Introduction” or “What happened next” are not allowed. Every point must be a real discussion point, not a heading or a link between other points.
• Someone else can write the form for you. That is allowed. But the content — the ideas and the personal details — must come from you. The examiner will ask about these things in the exam.
• You may bring photographs or pictures. This is optional. You hand them to the examiner along with your form. Some candidates find a picture helps the conversation feel more natural.

Prepare to explain why, not just what

In the Topic phase, the examiner is not only checking that you can describe your subject. They want to see whether you can give reasons, connect ideas, and talk in linked, longer sentences — not short answers.

If one of your points is “why I chose this career,” be ready to explain more than once. The examiner may say “Can you tell me a bit more about that?” or “Why was that important to you?” At B1 level, you are expected to keep the conversation going without constant prompts.

Practising your reasons — not just your facts — is the most useful preparation you can do.

You must ask the examiner a question

During the Topic phase, you must ask the examiner at least one question. This is a marked requirement. If you do not ask one, it will affect your grade.

The question does not need to be complicated. Something like “Have you ever done something like this?” or “Do you enjoy that kind of work?” is enough. The point is that you can move the conversation in both directions — you are participating, not just answering.

Do not memorise a script

The official GESE assessment criteria state clearly that speaking in a way that sounds recited or rehearsed is penalised. If you have memorised what to say for each point and deliver it like a speech, the examiner will notice. It counts against you in the phonology part of the assessment.

Prepare your five points so you know them well. But talk about them naturally, the way you would if a friend asked you about your life.

Practise before the exam

UK SELT Simulator runs spoken mock sessions in the GESE Grade 5 format — Topic phase, then Conversation — with an AI examiner, using a topic you choose. You get a short report after each session. See how it works.

UK SELT Simulator is independent practice software. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by UKVI, the Home Office, or Trinity College London.

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