UK SELT Simulator

What happens in a GESE Grade 3 exam?

Published 6 October 2026

If you have booked Trinity GESE Grade 3 as your UK Secure English Language Test, you are sitting the A2 level speaking and listening test, usually for a partner visa extension. This article walks through exactly what happens in the exam room, using the official exam specification — not guesswork.

The whole exam is 7 minutes long. Like Grade 2, it has no topic form to prepare in advance and one assessed part: a conversation with the examiner, lasting up to 7 minutes.

Before the conversation: the greeting (not marked)

The examiner greets you and helps you settle in before the conversation starts. This part is not assessed. Nothing you say here affects your result.

The conversation — up to 7 minutes (marked)

This single phase is the entire assessed exam. The examiner leads a one-to-one conversation with you about everyday life and activities. They may use pictures or objects to prompt you to describe something.

At this level, the examiner is expected to support you. They will:

The conversation draws on everyday topics such as:

You will be asked to describe your daily routines and give times, give dates, say what you can and can't do, give very simple directions and the location of places, describe what people (including people in pictures) are doing right now, and describe states in the past.

What you must do

During the conversation, you need to:

Asking the examiner a question is a specific requirement, not something you do only if you feel confident. It can be very simple — something like “What do you do at the weekend?” or “Do you live near here?” is enough. The examiner will usually leave a natural gap for you to ask it.

If you do not understand

Repetition and rephrasing from the examiner are an official, built-in part of support at this level. You can ask them to repeat something — “Can you say that again, please?” or “Sorry?” is fine. Asking occasionally will not count against you. Asking very often, on almost every question, is a sign of persistent difficulty and can lower your grade — the silence and repetition allowance at Grade 3 is generous, though a little tighter than at Grade 2.

After the conversation: the goodbye (not marked)

The examiner brings the conversation to a close, and you say goodbye. Like the greeting, this part is not assessed.

How the exam is marked

Because there is only one phase, you receive a single grade for the whole conversation, based on whether you fulfil the task:

A D on this single phase means you fail the exam overall, since there is no second phase to balance it against. The examiner also gives you credit for using language from the levels below (Grades 1 and 2) correctly — keeping things simple and accurate is not held against you.

A foreign accent is not a fault. Being understood is what matters, not sounding like a native speaker.

What GESE Grade 3 is typically used for

GESE Grade 3 is an A2-level speaking-and-listening test, often used when extending a partner or family visa. What your specific route requires, and whether GESE Grade 3 currently qualifies, is decided by the Home Office. Check the current requirements at gov.uk before you book anything — requirements and approved providers can change.

Want to practise before the exam?

UK SELT Simulator runs spoken mock sessions in the GESE Grade 3 format — a single examiner-led conversation, the way the real exam works — with an AI examiner, using everyday topics like the ones above. 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, Trinity College London or LanguageCert.

← Back to the blog