Trinity B2 test tips: GESE Grade 7

What to do in each part

1. Part 1

   Topic phase

   up to 5 minutes

   You introduce a topic you have prepared and lead the discussion in long turns. Trinity's guidance says you are responsible for engaging the examiner, and must be ready to ask and answer questions, handle interruptions and respond to requests for clarification.

   • Choose a topic with something to argue about, not only facts to list. You need opinions to explain.
   • Do not take it directly from the six conversation subject areas. Trinity says a personal topic lets you show a wider range of language.
   • There is no topic form at this grade. Trinity strongly encourages brief notes, a mind map or a diagram, which you share with the examiner.
   • Do not write a script. Trinity says recitation has a negative effect on the mark.
   • Prepare enough for five minutes and no more.
   • Plan where you will bring the examiner in: "Have you ever...?", "What do you think about...?"
   • Expect to be interrupted, and treat it as part of the conversation: answer, then carry on.

   Phrases for leading a discussion

   • I'd like to talk about...
   • The main reason is that...
   • What surprised me was...
   • Have you ever had that experience?
   • As I was saying...
2. Part 2

   Interactive phase

   up to 4 minutes

   The examiner gives a short spoken prompt and then stops. Trinity says you must find out more by questioning the examiner and making comments, that the examiner's turns will be much shorter than yours, and that the examiner will not take over if you stop. The emphasis is on using the functions of the grade, more than on accurate grammar.

   • Start with a reaction and an open question: "That sounds difficult. What happened?"
   • Ask at least four or five questions. Each answer should give you the next question.
   • Move from questions to advice: "Have you thought about...?", "If I were you, I would..."
   • Weigh both sides aloud: "The advantage is... but the disadvantage is..."
   • Disagree politely when you do: "I'm not sure that's the best idea, because..."
   • If you did not catch the prompt, ask. Trinity says you may ask the examiner to repeat it.
   • Never let silence end the task. Have a spare question ready: "What do your family think?"

   Phrases to keep the exchange going

   • Really? Why is that?
   • Have you thought about...?
   • If I were you, I would...
   • You could always...
   • What do you think you'll do?
3. Part 3

   Conversation phase

   up to 5 minutes

   The examiner chooses two of six subject areas: education, national customs, village and city life, national and local produce and products, early memories, and pollution and recycling. Trinity says you and the examiner share responsibility for keeping the conversation going.

   • Prepare opinions, not only facts, on all six areas.
   • Use "used to" for past habits. Early memories and customs are made for it.
   • Use the second conditional for ideas: "If I could choose, I would live near the sea."
   • Show uncertainty when you feel it: "I'm not sure", "It might be", "It may depend on..."
   • Use the passive for products and processes: "Mangoes are grown in the south."
   • Turn questions back: "What about you?", "Would you agree?"

   Sentences that show Grade 7 language

   • We used to leave our doors unlocked.
   • If I were in charge, I would change that.
   • It might depend on the price.
   • A lot of the cloth is made by hand.
   • I don't completely agree.

Common mistakes

• Waiting to be asked. At Grade 7 you lead the topic and run the interactive task. Waiting looks like Grade 5.
• Going quiet in the interactive task. Trinity says the examiner will not intervene, so the phase ends early and is not rated highly.
• Reciting the topic. Recitation lowers the mark for the phase. Talk from notes.
• Answering the prompt instead of asking about it. The task is to question the examiner and comment, not to give a speech.
• Agreeing with everything. Expressing agreement and disagreement is a function of the grade. Disagreeing politely is expected.
• Preparing only some subject areas. The examiner chooses two of the six.
• Booking before checking. When we checked, Trinity had announced Grade 7 for settlement but bookings had not opened and it was not on the GOV.UK list.

A six-week study plan

About thirty minutes a day. Speak out loud every day, with another person as often as you can.

Week 1

Choose your topic and make a one-page mind map. Talk through it every day without reading.

Week 2

The interactive task. Ask a friend to tell you a problem, then ask six questions and give advice. Do one a day.

Week 3

Grammar in use: say ten sentences a day with "used to", "If I... I would", "might" and the passive.

Week 4

Subject areas 1 to 3: education, national customs, village and city life. Practice tests 1 and 2.

Week 5

Subject areas 4 to 6: produce and products, early memories, pollution and recycling. Practice tests 1 and 3.

Week 6

Full fifteen-minute run-throughs with a partner, with a new prompt and two new subject areas each time.

Last days

Check Trinity's site and the GOV.UK list for the current status of the test before your appointment.

Questions

How is GESE Grade 7 marked?

The examiner gives a letter, A, B, C or D, for each of the three parts. Trinity's specifications say a candidate with two D grades does not pass, whatever the third is.

Is accuracy or fluency more important?

For the interactive task, Trinity says the emphasis is on using functional language, more than on accurate grammar. Keeping the conversation moving matters most there.

How long does it take to go from B1 to B2?

It varies a great deal, but expect months of regular practice, not weeks. That is why the plan on this page is in weeks.

Do I need a British accent?

No. You need to be understood. Speak clearly at a steady speed in your own accent.

Can I prepare without a teacher?

You can prepare the topic and the language alone, but the interactive task needs another person. Ask a friend to play the examiner, using the prompts in our practice tests.

Official sources

• Trinity College London: GESE specifications from January 2026
• Trinity College London: A1 English test (GESE Grade 2)
• Trinity College London: A2 English test (GESE Grade 3)
• Trinity College London: B1 English test (GESE Grade 5)
• Trinity College London: B2 English test (GESE Grade 7)
• GOV.UK: Prove your English with a secure English language test (SELT)

TestWise Prep is independent and is not connected to Trinity College London. Where this page says what Trinity expects, it is taken from Trinity's GESE specifications, read on 10 October 2026. The rest of the advice is our own.