UK SELT SimulatorGESE Grade 5 vs LanguageCert B1: which should I book?
Published 30 August 2026
Both are approved by the Home Office for settlement and citizenship applications. Both test speaking and listening at B1. The difference is what happens in the exam room — and that is the only thing that should drive your choice.
What your specific route requires is decided by the Home Office, not by us. Check the current requirements at gov.uk before you book anything, including which providers are currently on the approved list.
The basics
Trinity GESE Grade 5 is a 10-minute exam, one-to-one with an examiner. It has two assessed phases: a Topic phase (up to 5 minutes) and a Conversation (up to 5 minutes). There is a short greeting at the start and a goodbye at the end. Neither is marked.
LanguageCert ESOL SELT B1 (also called the Achiever) runs for 11 to 13 minutes, one-to-one with an examiner. It has four parts, always in the same order.
What happens in GESE Grade 5
Before the exam, you prepare a topic form. It has five points about a personal topic you have chosen — your job, a hobby, a place you know. You bring it on exam day and hand it to the examiner at the start. If you forget the form, you fail. There are no exceptions.
The exam has two phases:
- Topic phase — up to 5 minutes. The examiner picks points from your form in no set order and asks about them. You need to cover at least four of your five points. You must ask the examiner at least one question during this phase.
- Conversation — up to 5 minutes. The examiner picks two subject areas from a fixed list of six: Festivals, Means of transport, Special occasions, Entertainment, Music, and Recent personal experiences. You need to be ready for any two. You must ask the examiner at least one question in this phase too.
What happens in LanguageCert B1
You bring nothing to this exam. All the content is provided on the day.
- Part 1 — 1.5 to 2.5 minutes. You confirm your identity, including spelling your family name letter by letter. The examiner then asks four personal questions, one from each of four topic areas.
- Part 2 — 1.5 to 2 minutes. Two short role-plays, about two turns each. In the first, the examiner speaks first. In the second, the examiner sets up the situation and then says “You start.” and waits.
- Part 3 — 2.5 minutes. You and the examiner look at a sheet with six options and a shared goal. You discuss the options together and try to agree on one.
- Part 4A — 3 minutes. The examiner reads a short text — around 130 words — twice, at a normal pace. You have 10 seconds to read three printed questions before the first reading, and you may take notes. Then you answer the three questions aloud.
- Part 4B — 2.5 to 3 minutes. The examiner gives you a topic linked to the text you just heard. You have 30 seconds to prepare notes, then speak alone for up to 1.5 minutes. A few follow-up questions close the exam.
How each exam is marked
The two exams report results very differently.
GESE Grade 5 marks each phase separately: A (Distinction), B (Merit), C (Pass), or D (Fail). Your overall result — Pass, Pass with Merit, or Pass with Distinction — comes from combining the two grades. Getting D in both phases is a fail overall.
LanguageCert B1 gives the whole exam a score out of 30, across five areas: Listening and Responding (up to 10), Interactive Communication and Task Fulfilment (up to 5), Grammar (up to 5), Vocabulary (up to 5), and Pronunciation, Intonation and Fluency (up to 5). According to LanguageCert’s published marking information, the pass threshold is 18 out of 30 — confirm this with them before you rely on it, as it can change. There is one certificate level: Pass.
For both exams: a foreign accent is not a fault. What the examiner is assessing is whether you can be understood and whether you complete the tasks. Sounding like a native speaker is not required.
Which exam may suit you
Neither exam is easier. They are different in shape. The right choice is the one you can get to and sit calmly.
GESE Grade 5 may fit you better if:
- You are comfortable choosing your own topic and talking about it naturally
- You prefer free conversation over fixed tasks
- You are happy preparing a topic form at home before the exam
- You find natural discussion easier than role-plays or a listening test
LanguageCert B1 may fit you better if:
- You prefer knowing what structure each part will have before you go in
- You are comfortable with a listening task: hearing a text twice and answering questions
- You prefer having a clear task — a role-play, a picture sheet, a prepared short talk
- You would rather not prepare any materials in advance
Practical things to consider
Centre availability differs by city and by provider. Some people book whichever test has a slot in the coming weeks. That is a completely valid reason to choose one over the other.
Fees and resit rules are set by each provider and change over time. Check directly with Trinity College London or LanguageCert for current pricing and approved test centres near you. Do not rely on any third-party source for this — including us.
Before you book
We are a practice product, not an immigration adviser. Whether GESE Grade 5 or LanguageCert B1 is accepted for your specific route, and whether you qualify for an exemption, is decided by the Home Office. Check the official requirements at gov.uk and check again shortly before you book — approved tests and providers can change.
Practise the format you are taking
UK SELT Simulator runs spoken mock sessions in both formats — GESE Grade 5 (Topic phase, then Conversation) and LanguageCert SELT B1 (all four parts, in order) — with an AI examiner and a short report after each session. Choose your provider when you set up your account, and the mock will match your exam. See how it works.
UK SELT Simulator is independent practice software. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by UKVI, the Home Office, Trinity College London, or LanguageCert.