UK SELT Simulator

What happens in a GESE Grade 5 exam?

Published 26 August 2026

If you have booked Trinity GESE Grade 5 as your UK Secure English Language Test, you probably want to know exactly what happens in the room. This article walks through the exam from the moment you enter to the moment you leave — in order, with timings.

The whole exam is 10 minutes long. It has two assessed parts: the Topic phase (up to 5 minutes) and the Conversation (up to 5 minutes). There is also a short greeting at the start and a goodbye at the end. Neither of those is marked.

Before the exam: your topic form

Before exam day, you prepare a topic form. This is a page with five discussion points about a topic you have chosen yourself. Each point is one short sentence or phrase. You bring this form to the exam and hand it to the examiner at the start.

Your topic should be something personal — your work, a hobby, a place you know well, your family. It must not be one of the six Conversation subject areas listed below. The form is not a script. You are not expected to memorise it or read it aloud. Speaking in a way that sounds rehearsed or recited is penalised in the assessment.

If you arrive without your topic form, the Topic phase is cancelled and you fail the exam overall. Bring the form.

Step 1: The greeting (not marked)

The examiner greets you when you come in. This is not assessed. How you say hello does not affect your result. The greeting is simply to help you feel comfortable before the exam begins. Nothing is being written down yet.

Step 2: Topic phase — up to 5 minutes (marked)

The examiner takes your topic form and confirms the topic with you. Then the discussion begins.

The examiner selects points from your form in no particular order — you will not know which point comes first. They ask questions and make comments to keep the conversation going. You need to cover at least four of your five points during this phase.

During the Topic phase you should:

Asking the examiner a question is a requirement in this phase, not optional. It does not need to be complicated. Something like "Have you ever tried this?" or "Do you enjoy that kind of thing?" is enough. If you forget to ask, it may affect your mark.

When at least four of your five points have been covered, the examiner closes the Topic phase and moves to Conversation.

Step 3: Conversation phase — up to 5 minutes (marked)

The examiner picks two subject areas from a fixed list of six. You do not know in advance which two they will choose. You should be prepared to talk about all six:

This is a real two-way conversation. The examiner will share their own opinions and information too — it is not just a question-and-answer session. Give your views, respond to what the examiner says, and keep the exchange going.

Again, you must ask the examiner at least one question during this phase. This is separate from the question you asked in the Topic phase — one question is required in each phase.

Step 4: The goodbye (not marked)

When both subject areas are finished, the examiner ends the exam and thanks you. This is not assessed. How you say goodbye does not affect your result. It is polite to thank the examiner, but it will not change your mark.

How the exam is marked

Each phase — Topic and Conversation — receives its own letter grade:

To pass overall, you cannot get D in both phases. Getting D in both (called DD) is a fail. The two grades are combined using Trinity's conversion tables to give your final certificate: Pass, Pass with Merit, or Pass with Distinction.

There is one other automatic fail: if you did not bring your topic form, the Topic phase is marked NTP — No Topic Prepared — and you fail regardless of how well you do in the Conversation phase.

The examiner is assessing whether you can communicate — whether you complete the task, give information, and keep the conversation going. A foreign accent is not a fault. Speaking clearly and being understood matters; sounding like a native speaker does not.

A few practical notes

The 10-minute total includes the time to enter and leave the room, and time for the examiner to make notes. The actual speaking time is a little less than 10 minutes. Do not worry if the phases feel shorter than you expected.

You can bring photographs or pictures to help illustrate your topic. This is allowed and often helps the discussion feel natural.

If you do not understand something the examiner says, you can ask them to repeat it. Asking once or twice is fine. Asking very often may be noted in your assessment.

For results timing and certificate delivery, check with your test centre or directly with Trinity College London — these can vary.

What GESE Grade 5 is typically used for

GESE Grade 5 is a B1-level speaking-and-listening test that many people use for their settlement or citizenship application. What your specific route currently requires — and whether GESE Grade 5 qualifies — is set 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 5 format — Topic phase, then Conversation, in order — 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.

← Back to the blog