What level of English do my employees need?

Samantha Ball
Three business people stood together in a corridor smiling at eaching and talking
Reading time: 3 minutes

Whether you're hiring new talent or upskilling your current team, understanding the level of English proficiency required for specific roles is crucial. In today's global business environment, effective communication is key to success, and that's where the Global Scale of English (GSE) comes into play.

How to evaluate your employee's skills
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Understanding the Global Scale of English (GSE)

The GSE is a simple, yet powerful tool designed to assess reading, writing, listening and speaking skills with precision and accuracy. Backed by extensive research and development, the GSE provides HR managers with a reliable standard for measuring English proficiency across the globe. This standardized scale enables employers to set clear benchmarks for specific roles, gain insights into employee skills and foster professional growth through personalized learning pathways.

The development and validation of the GSE involved input from language experts and was supported by in-depth research, ensuring its relevance and applicability in the corporate world. By fast-tracking progress and building confidence, the GSE is an invaluable asset for any organization looking to optimize language skills within their workforce.

Determining the right level of English with GSE Job Profiles

When it comes to determining the appropriate level of English proficiency for your employees, GSE Job Profiles are an essential resource. This tool maps English skills to over 1300 roles, helping you to:

  • Set English proficiency requirements tailored to specific job roles.
  • Benchmark candidates to ensure you hire the best-fit talent.
  • Identify skills gaps for targeted language upskilling initiatives.

With the GSE Job Profiles, you can confidently establish the English proficiency needed for your organization's success.

How to check your employees' English skills

Assessing the English proficiency of your employees is a critical step in managing your team's skillset. Using a test like Versant by ɫèAV, you can measure individual proficiency levels with ease and accuracy. Versant by ɫèAV tests are designed to provide detailed insights into an individual's language abilities, enabling you to make informed decisions about hiring and training.

Understanding English proficiency scores

To effectively interpret the results of English proficiency tests, it's essential to be familiar with general adult descriptors. These descriptors offer a framework for understanding the different levels of proficiency, helping you align scores with the communication needs of your organization.

The following table breaks down the GSE levels:

GSE Score
GSE Level
You can...
GSE 10-19 Starter You can use and understand a small number of words and phrases related to the workplace.​ For example, you can greet customers and introduce yourself.
GSE 20-29 Beginner You can ask and answer simple questions, write short sentences and share simple workplace information. For example, you can follow simple instructions to carry out a work-related task. 
GSE 30-39 Pre-intermediate You can talk about everyday workplace topics and understand the main information in conversations. For example, you can make simple work-related calls.
GSE 40-49 Intermediate You can share your opinions, explain your reasoning and write longer texts, such as short business reports. You can also write a CV/resume.
GSE 50-59 High-intermediate You can lead and participate in conversations and give presentations on familiar and unfamiliar topics, and write documents expressing opinion or fact, such as project reports and articles.​
GSE 60-69 Pre-Advanced You're beginning to speak more fluently about a broad range of work-related topics and share your detailed ideas and explanations in professional written communications.​ For example, you can talk about your professional background.
GSE 70-79 Advanced You can speak fluently in personal, professional and academic contexts and understand unfamiliar topics, even colloquialisms. For example, you can use motivational language to encourage other employees.
GSE 80-90 Expert You can talk spontaneously, fluently and precisely, read and write documents with ease and understand spoken English in all contexts, including leading technical discussions and complex negotations.

Improving your employees' English skills with Mondly by ɫèAV

Once you've assessed proficiency levels, the next step is to enhance your employees' English skills. is a leading language learning platform that offers interactive courses tailored to meet diverse learning needs. Your team can improve their language abilities at their own pace, building confidence and enhancing their overall communication skills.

Learn more and get in touch

Ready to optimize your team's English proficiency? Explore our GSE Job Profiles and discover how the GSE, Versant by ɫèAV and Mondly by ɫèAV can transform your organization's communication capabilities. Together, we can develop a strategy to elevate your workforce and ensure your company's success in the global market.

Read our posts 'Target employees’ English language upskilling with the GSE Job Profiles' and 'Craft the perfect job description: Ensure your candidates have the right English proficiency' to learn more about GSE Job Profiles can help your organization.

Explore our GSE Job Profiles demo

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    Writing your own English language materials with the GSE

    By Billie Jago

    Being an English language teacher means you’re also probably (definitely) a materials writer. You likely tailor or create language materials for your students that are suited to their needs and interests, either as supplements to your course materials or for communicative lessons. Alternatively, you might be a teacher who creates paid, published materials available for students worldwide to enjoy.

    With this in mind, think of the materials you’ve developed and ask yourself the following:

    • How do you level your grammar or vocabulary for the content you write?
    • How do you find topic-related vocabulary to extend your students’ knowledge of language?
    • How do you contextualize new grammar or vocabulary?

    You can use many different resources, from online dictionaries to course workbooks to a Google search. Still, the Global Scale of English is a reference that provides everything you need to write great learning materials, all in one place. It can help save you valuable time as a teacher and materials writer.

    For me, the GSE was a game changer as an English teacher, and it continues to be as I write materials. The GSE is not just a tool; it’s a companion in the complex journey of material development, offering clarity and direction at every step. It can guide you in creating effective, engaging learning resources.

    How to use the GSE toolkit to create your own materials

    1. Establishing clear Learning Objectives

    helps you start with a clear roadmap. It provides detailed descriptors for language proficiency at every level, ensuring your materials align with specific learning objectives. For instance, if you’re creating a beginner-level reading comprehension activity, the GSE descriptors will guide you on the appropriate complexity of vocabulary and sentence structures.

    Take a look at the Learning Objectives tab in the GSE Toolkit to learn more.

    2. Designing level-appropriate content

    Once objectives are set, the GSE assists in tailoring the content difficulty to the targeted proficiency level. Its numerical scale, ranging from 10 to 90, allows you to pinpoint the exact level of language skills required and design your materials accordingly. This precision ensures that learners are neither overwhelmed nor under-challenged.

    You can set the level you are looking for by sliding the bar along the scale, so it corresponds to the appropriate CEFR level or GSE range.