Understand your English level

Sam Colley
Reading time: 4 minutes

Learning English as a second language is a journey that can be fun and tough. A key part of this journey is knowing your current skill level. The Global Scale of English (GSE) helps learners check their skills. The GSE is a scale from 10 to 90 that measures English ability. It gives clear information about what learners can do at each level. In this blog, we’ll look at how to find out your English level using GSE scores, levels, and "I can..." statements.

Why understanding your English level matters

You may wonder, ‘Why is it important for me to know my language level’? If you start studying without knowing your skill level, you might feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or find learning too easy and be put off or not make any learning progress.
Knowing your English level helps you in many ways, such as to:

  1. Set realistic goals: Tailor your learning objectives to your current abilities.
  2. Choose appropriate materials: Select books, courses, and resources that match your proficiency.
  3. Track progress: Measure improvement over time and stay motivated.

GSE levels and what they mean

The GSE levels range from Starter to Expert, each with specific "I can..." statements that describe what you should be able to do at that level. Here’s a breakdown of each level, along with some practical examples:

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GSE 10-19: Starter – CEFR <A1

At this level, you can use and understand a small number of words and phrases.

For example: You can say hello and introduce yourself. Simple phrases like "My name is John" or "How are you?" are within your grasp.

GSE 20-29: Beginner – CEFR <A1-A1

As a beginner, you can ask and answer simple questions, write short sentences, and share personal information.

For example: You can order food and drink in a simple way. For instance, you might say, "I would like a coffee, please," or "Where is the bathroom?"

GSE 30-39: Pre-intermediate – CEFR A2+

At this stage, you can talk about everyday topics and understand the main information in conversations.

For example: You can make a hotel reservation over the phone. You might say, "I need a room for two nights," or "Do you have free Wi-Fi?"

GSE 40-49: Intermediate – CEFR B1

Intermediate learners can share their opinions, explain their reasoning, and write longer texts, such as short essays.

For example: You can describe your weekend plans. For example, "This weekend, I am going to visit my grandparents and go hiking."

GSE 50-59: High Intermediate – CEFR B1+

At this level, you can lead and participate in conversations on familiar and unfamiliar topics, and write documents expressing opinion or fact, such as reports and articles.

For example: You can make a complaint. You might say, "I am not satisfied with the service because my order was incorrect."

GSE 60-69: Pre-advanced – CEFR B1-B2

Pre-advanced learners can speak more fluently about a broad range of topics and share detailed ideas and explanations in writing.

For example: You can understand a wide range of TV shows and films. For example, you can follow the plot and dialogue of a drama series without subtitles.

GSE 70-79: Advanced – CEFR B2+-C1

At the advanced level, you can speak fluently in personal, professional, and academic contexts and understand unfamiliar topics, even colloquialisms.

For example: You can make and understand jokes using word-play. For instance, you might understand a pun or a play on words in a conversation.

GSE 80-90: Expert – CEFR C1-C2

Expert learners can talk spontaneously, fluently, and precisely, read and write documents with ease, and understand spoken English in all contexts.

For example: You can participate in fast-paced conversations on complex topics. You might discuss global economic issues or debate philosophical ideas with ease.

Assessing your English proficiency

To accurately find out your GSE level, consider taking a standardized test that provides a GSE score. Many language schools and online platforms offer assessments specifically designed to measure your English proficiency according to the GSE framework or you could try the ɫèAV Test of English (PTE) or ɫèAV English International Certificate (PEIC).

Understanding yourself to improve your English study

Understanding your English level as an ESL learner is an essential step in mastering the language. Whether you're a beginner who can recognize simple greetings or an advanced learner who can understand complex arguments in newspaper articles, the GSE provides a clear pathway for your language learning journey so you can clearly see where you stand and what you need to work on next.

Read our blog posts ‘Learning a language while working full-time’ and ‘English conversation mistakes to avoid’

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  • a young man sat in a lecture hall with other students behind him

    How the GSE helped Salem State University meet learner needs

    By Sara Davila

    Salem State University is one of the largest and most diverse public teaching universities in Massachusetts. In total, it has about 8,700 students enrolled, 37% of whom are people of color. It also educates 221 international students from 59 different countries – with China, Albania, Brazil, Morocco, Nigeria and Japan among the most represented countries on campus.

    The university runs an intensive English language program. Most students who enrol come from China, Brazil, Albania, Vietnam, and Japan. The program also has a number of part-time English language learners from the local community.

    In 2016, Associate Director Shawn Wolfe and teachers at the American Language and Culture Institute did a review and found that areas for growth included establishing a universal documentation for identifying learner needs, goals and progress.

    “The biggest challenge was that we needed to have a better way of placing students,” Wolfe says. “We also needed to have a way to have our curriculum, our assessment and our student learning outcomes unified.”

    The team lacked programmatic data related to learning gains and outcomes. Additionally, they realized that assessments could be used to inform students about entry requirements at the university and other programs. And that’s where the Global Scale of English (GSE) came in, as a tool which enabled the staff at the American Language and Culture Institute to personalize and diversity their English teaching program to meet learner needs.

    Cultural and linguistic diversity

    David Silva PhD, the Provost and Academic Vice President, highlights the need for this type of personalization when it comes to education.

    “We have to be prepared for an increasing variety of learners and learning contexts. This means we have to make our learning contexts real,” he says. “We have to think about application, and we have to think about how learners will take what they learn and apply it, both in terms of so-called book smarts, but also in terms of soft skills, because they’re so important.”

    Silva makes the point that, as the world gets smaller and technology becomes a bigger part of our lives, we can be anywhere at any time, working with anyone from across the globe. “We need to be prepared,” he says, “for those cultural and linguistic differences that we’re going to face in our day-to-day jobs.”

    The ability to change and adapt

    So how does the curriculum at the American Language and Culture Institute help prepare students for the world of study and work?

    At the Institute, the general review led to the realization that the program needed to be adaptive and flexible. This would provide a balance between general English and academic preparation and would also encompass English for specific purposes (ESP).

    Wolfe says, “The GSE fit with what we were trying to do because it offers three different options; English for academic learners, English for professionals and English for adults, which is another area that we realized we needed to add to our evening program so that we can serve working adults that are English language learners in our community.”

    The English language instructors at the Institute were also impressed with the capabilities of the GSE. Joni Hagigeorges, one of the instructors, found the GSE to be an excellent tool for tracking student progress.

    “What I really like is that you can choose the skill – , listening, speaking – and you’re given the can-do statements, the learning objectives that each student will need to progress to the next level,” she said.

    Wolfe also commented on the GSE Teacher Toolkit and the way that it supports assessment and planning, allowing instructors to get ideas for specific learning objectives for groups or individual students. “It’s enabled us to personalize learning, and it’s changed the way that our teachers are planning their lessons, as well as the way that they are assessing the students.”

    A curriculum that will meet learner needs

    The GSE has allowed the team at the Institute to become more responsive to changing student expectations. The alignment of placement and progress tests to the GSE has allowed instructors to have more input into the courses they are teaching.

    Elizabeth Cullen, an English language instructor at the Institute, said, “The GSE helps us assess the strengths and weaknesses of various textbooks. It has helped us develop a unified curriculum, and a unified assessment mechanism.”

    This unification means that the curriculum can easily be tweaked or redesigned quickly to meet the needs of the students. What’s more, as Elizabeth points out, the students benefit too. “The Global Scale of English provides students with a road map showing them where they are now, where they want to go and how they’re going to get there.”

    Standing out from the crowd

    In this time of global hyper-competition, the challenge for any language program is finding innovative ways to stand out from the crowd while staying true to your identity. At Salem State, the staff found that the GSE was the perfect tool for the modern, data-driven approach to education, inspiring constant inquiry, discussion and innovation. It offers students, instructors and administrators a truly global metric to set and measure goals, and go beyond the ordinary.