The Global Scale of English and planning: A perfect partnership

Leonor Corradi
A teacher helping a student at a table

As a teacher, I realized that planning had become an 'automatic pilot' routine from which I did not learn much. Like many others, I thought scales such as the Global Scale of English (GSE) or the Common European Framework of Reference are just that; references that are beyond the realities of their lessons.

However, I've seen that the GSE is a very powerful resource to help us at the level of planning.?

If you're using a coursebook you may have noticed that, after completing one of the books in the series, students move up one level, such as from elementary to pre-intermediate or from intermediate to upper-intermediate.

We all understand what it means to be an elementary or intermediate student. These levels are usually defined in terms of structures ¨C conditional sentences, passive voice, and tenses ¨C Simple Past, Future Continuous, etc.

But why do students want to learn English? Using it means being able to listen or read and understand, interact with others, and communicate in writing. Even if it is parents who enroll their children in language institutes, what they want is for them to use the language. We can see a mismatch between how levels are defined and students' aims to study English.

Here's how the GSE can help English language teachers

First, you need the right scale for your group ¨C Pre-primary, Young Learners, Adults, Professionals or Academic, which can be downloaded at:

/languages/why-pearson/the-global-scale-of-english/resources.html

Focus on your students' level. There you will see all the learning objectives that students need to achieve to complete the level at which they are and move on in their learning journey.

What are learning objectives??They are can-do statements that clearly describe what students are expected to achieve as the result of instruction. In other words, these objectives guide teachers in our planning to help students learn.

When we plan our lessons, rather than working at lesson level only, we should reflect on how the activities proposed are referenced against the learning objectives of the level. We may see that some activities need some adapting in order to focus on the selected learning outcomes.

At the level of planning as well, I also use the GSE to analyze the activities proposed in the materials I am using. Let me tell you what I do. Let's take listening, for instance. You may use the downloaded scales or the Teacher Toolkit that the GSE provides. Let's run through how this works.?

?

Image of the GSE Teacher Toolkit

Here's the link to the Toolkit:

  • In the 'Learning Objectives' tab, choose the learner: Pre-primary, young learners, etc.
  • Then move the slides at either end of the scale so that you only work on the range you are teaching.
  • After that, select the skill you want to focus on, in this case Listening, and click on 'Show results'. You'll get a list of the LOs for listening at the selected range. You can download it as a pdf or Excel document.
  • Next, analyze the listening activity proposed in the materials used. Are the items in the activity at the right level? May the students need guidance or support? Are they required to extract information, an operation that may be beyond their level? Are there learning objectives that are not present at all?

After the analysis, I sometimes decide to add objectives, which I write on the board or will add support and guidance to the items in the activity. Occasionally, I divide the items into A and B categories, with A being at the right level and less demanding than B items.

I share this with learners and challenge them to complete some of the B items. But since they know they are more challenging, they're less likely to get frustrated if they cannot find the right answer. Also, as these tasks are more demanding, I might play the audio more often or chunk it and stop at each chunk.

You may think this is time-demanding, which is true, but it's time well invested, not wasted. On the one hand, I'm helping students reach their target level. On the other, I am tailoring all activities, personalizing them. What's not to like about this?

Since starting using the GSE myself and with groups of English teachers, I have seen improvements in students. They know what it takes to move on in their learning process and feel more responsible and committed to it. It's their decision, not mine. Another realization is that this type of reflection directly impacts my teaching methods. It makes me more reflective and focused on my students' needs and it has changed lesson planning into a learning practice.

About the author

Leonor Corradi is an English teacher based in Argentina. She is a former member of the Foreign Languages Team at the National Ministry of Education in Argentina, in charge of English and coordinator of state plurilingual schools in the City of Buenos Aires. She has extensive experience as a materials designer and coursebook writer and is an academic consultant for different educational institutions such as the British Council, and Ministries of Education in Latin America.?

She has run professional development courses for teachers and has presented extensively at national and international conferences. She is the author of the Curriculum for Foreign Languages for the City of Buenos Aires (2001, English) and has been an ELTons Judge since 2014. Leonor has been a member of the Global Scale of English (GSE) Advisory Board since 2014 and is a GSE Ambassador.

More blogs from ɫèAV

  • Teacher and pupils in classroom

    Designing learning with a horizontal syllabus

    By
    Reading time: 7 minutes

    In this final blog, I want to pull together the content of the previous two blogs ("What is a Horizontal Syllabus?" and "Seven characteristics of young learners that shape our assessments") and my recent webinar in August 2025 by applying them to a?horizontal syllabus?for a unit of study from the My Disney Stars and Heroes series. The unit of study is taken from Book 2, Unit 6 entitled "My Day¡¯" The unit focuses on daily activities and times of day. There are 11 classroom hours of study for this unit. The unit plan is depicted below with the 11th?hour for reviewing and the unit test. Please refer to the key below the table about the types of tasks in this syllabus. These are explained below.??

  • Grammar 101: insider tips and tricks to instantly improve your writing (part 4)

    By
    Reading time: 7 minutes

    Punctuation makes your writing easier to read and understand, but it can be tricky to master. As an editor and proofreader, I often notice people confusing semi-colons and colons, so we'll explore the difference between them. And because both are often used in lists, we'll also look at the humble comma ¨C and its sometimes-controversional cousin, the Oxford comma.?

    Semi-colons and colons both connect phrases in a sentence but are used in different situations.?

    Understanding colons

    Colons introduce important information and explanations. They're often used before lists as a replacement for phrases like "they are" and "which is":

    • He offered me a choice of drinks: tea, coffee or hot chocolate.?
    • I packed the essentials in my bag: water, pens and a magazine.?
    • She speaks three languages: English, French and Portuguese.?

    You can also think of a colon as a spotlight, with the phrase that comes after the colon explaining or expanding what came before it.?

    • In 1903, travel was changed forever by an important event: Orville and Wilbur Wright's first successful flight.
    • He loves visiting the animals at the farm: cows are his favourite.?
    • There is one rule I live by: I treat others as I wish to be treated.

    The secrets of semi-colons

    A semi-colon links two ideas that are closely related and that would be two complete sentences if you used a period instead. They give a softer transition than a period would, and they're often used instead of conjunctions like "and", "but" and "because":

    • I love eating pizza; my sister loves eating burgers.
    • I wanted to go for a swim; I couldn't find my goggles.?
    • It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

    Semi-colons also seperate items in long lists to make life easier for the reader and stop a sentence becoming a sea of apostrophes. For example:

    • I've got my shopping list ready: peppers, carrots and oranges from the market; toothpaste, shampoo and pain relief from the drugstore; and a newspaper, snack and drink from the newsstand. ?

    Standard comma or Oxford comma?

    An Oxford comma goes before "and" or "or" at the end of a list. The first example has an Oxford comma, the second doesn't.?

    • Please bring me a sandwich made with cheese, lettuce, and tomato.?
    • Please bring me a sandwich made with cheese, lettuce and tomato.?

    American English generally favors the Oxford comma, British English typically omits it, unless needed for clarity. Compare:

    • I love my parents, Taylor Swift and Keanu Reeves.
    • I love my parents, Taylor Swift, and Keanu Reeves.?

    As with many areas of punctuation, whether you choose to use the Oxford comma is a matter of personal preference. However, the most important thing is to be consistent in your usage.?

  • A person in a striped shirt writes with a marker on a whiteboard, holding a clip board

    Clear path to fast-track progress: Why choose assessment underpinned by the GSE

    By
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    At the beginning of every school year, we welcome new learners into our classrooms with the same core question: Where are our students now, and how far can we take them?

    For English teachers, this reveals a huge challenge. In a single class, we might have one student at an A2 level, while others are solidly B1 or just entering A2+. Navigating such a wide range of abilities can feel overwhelming.

    We¡¯ve all seen it: students can spend months (or even years) studying English and still feel like they haven¡¯t moved up a level. Teachers work incredibly hard, and students put in the effort, but progress feels intangible. Why is that? And more importantly, how can schools make it easier to see and support that progress?

    In recent years, I have found a powerful ally in answering that question: the Global Scale of English (GSE). Backed by ɫèAV and aligned with the CEFR, the GSE offers more than just levels, it provides a clear, data-informed path to language growth. Most importantly, it gives teachers and school leaders the ability to set meaningful goals and measure real progress.

    But, how is this useful at the beginning of the school year?

    Starting with assessment

    To get a clear picture from the start, assessment is essential; there¡¯s no doubt about it. However, it can't just be a punctuation mark at the end of a term or a requirement from administration. Used strategically, this first assessment can be the compass that guides instruction and curriculum decisions, empowering both teachers and students from day one. This is why choosing the correct assessment tools becomes fundamental.

    The GSE difference: Precision, clarity, confidence

    Unlike the broad bands of the CEFR, the GSE provides a granular scale from 10 to 90, breaking down each skill into precise learning objectives. This allows educators to monitor progress at a much closer level, often identifying improvements that would otherwise go unnoticed.

    When learners see that their score has moved from 36 to 42, even if their overall CEFR level hasn¡¯t changed, they gain confidence. They recognize that learning is a continuous process rather than a series of steps. Teachers, in turn, are able to validate growth, provide clear evidence of learning and tailor instruction to the learner¡¯s current needs, not just their general level.

    For example, two students might both be classified as "A2", but the GSE gives us a much clearer picture: a student with a GSE score of 35 is likely mastering simple sentences, while another student scoring 40 might already be comfortable writing simple stories and is ready to tackle B1-level tasks.

    This isn't just data: it's a roadmap. It tells us exactly what to teach next, allowing us to differentiate with confidence instead of relying solely on gut feeling.

    GSE tools that make it happen

    ɫèAV offers a comprehensive range of GSE-aligned assessment tools that support different stages of the learning journey. Each tool plays a distinct role in placement, diagnosis, benchmarking or certification.