Assessing listening skills with the GSE

Leonor Corradi
A teacher standing next to a student who is sat down, he has a pen and is gesturing to her work on the table.
Reading time: 4 minutes

In today¡¯s interconnected world, effective communication in English is more crucial than ever. As educators and language learners seek to measure and improve English proficiency, a resource like the Global Scale of English (GSE) offers a valuable framework for assessment. This blog post will explore how the GSE can be used to assess listening skills, providing insights into how it also helps tailor instruction and support language development.

For listening skills, the GSE focuses on how well learners can understand spoken English in different contexts. It assesses comprehension at varying levels of complexity:

Understanding simple information: At lower levels, learners are expected to understand basic information, such as simple instructions or everyday topics. The GSE provides learning objectives for how well learners can grasp essential details.

Understanding main ideas: As proficiency grows, learners should be able to identify main ideas and key points in more complex spoken texts, such as conversations and broadcasts. The GSE outlines how well learners can extract important information from various sources.

Understanding detailed information: At advanced levels, learners are expected to comprehend detailed and nuanced information, including implicit meaning and speaker intent. The GSE describes the level of detail and depth of understanding required at these stages.

The GSE also shows how students engage in different operations of listening, from global comprehension, recognizing information and identifying specific information to extracting information. By taking this into account, teachers can monitor students¡¯ progress and assess their listening skills. An example will show this in action.

Let¡¯s consider a level, say GSE 30-35 (equivalent to low A2 on the CEFR) and focus on how students process information. When checking a listening activity, rather than simply focusing on whether the answers are correct or incorrect, we can analyze our learners using the GSE and see what progress they are making and what we need to do as teachers to help them move on. Heres how:

Learning objectives

GSE

Date 1

Date 2

Date 3

Date 4

Can understand basic information about someone when introduced to them using simple language.

28

?

?

?

?

Can recognize phrases and content words related to basic personal and family information.

30

?

?

?

?

Can identify simple information in a short video, provided that the visual supports this information and the delivery is slow and clear.

30

?

?

?

?

Can extract key factual information - prices, times and dates - from short clear, simple announcements.

30

?

?

?

?

Can identify basic factual information in short, simple dialogues or narratives on familiar everyday topics, if spoken slowly and clearly.

32

?

?

?

?

Can understand key information about arrangements in simple dialogues spoken slowly and clearly.

32

?

?

?

?

Can understand information related to people's daily routines.

32

?

?

?

?

Can understand the main information in short, simple dialogues about familiar activities, if spoken slowly and clearly.

33

?

?

?

?

Can identify key information from short audio recordings, if spoken slowly and clearly.

33

?

?

?

?

Can understand the main information in simple conversations about hobbies and interests.

34

?

?

?

?

Can extract key factual information such as prices, times and dates from a recorded phone message.

35

?

?

?

?

Can recognize some fixed expressions used to confirm information.

35

?

?

?

?

Can identify specific information in short, simple dialogues in which speakers make arrangements to do something, if spoken slowly and clearly.

35

?

?

?

?
We should analyze the items in the listening activity using the following criteria, criteria that we can find by analyzing the learning objectives
  • Should there be any support?
  • Are learners being asked to use a number of different listening modes?

Every class will include a range of different abilities: some students get all of the questions right, whereas others may not. In this case, the GSE provides teachers with an extremely valuable tool to assess learners¡¯ performance.

We may see that students are performing well at the understanding and recognition level but still find it hard to identify and extract specific information. Will we solve this by simply giving them more listening activities? Well, no. To support them in identifying and extracting specific information, we need to help them understand and identify clues in a text. Analyzing the written audioscripts is the best way to help learners understand what they are listening to.

We can also use the same table, above, to record information each time we do a listening activity.

Students write the date and compare results to the ones they fill out in the future. This way, they can truly see progress and if they¡¯ve mastered a particular learning objective, something hard for them to see, even if we tell them so.

Utilizing the GSE

The Global Scale of English provides a structured and detailed approach to assessing speaking and listening skills. By using the?GSE framework, teachers can offer precise, level-appropriate feedback and tailor their instruction to meet learners' needs. This not only enhances the learning experience but also ensures that learners effectively develop their English communication skills. Whether you're a teacher or a learner, embracing the GSE can lead to more targeted, effective, and meaningful language assessment.

Explore the teaching resources available at GSE to support learning, including tools like our .?

Read our other posts 'How the GSE can help teachers personalize activities' and 'The Global Scale of English and planning'.

Learn more about the GSE

More blogs from ɫèAV

  • A teacher sat with young students while they work and hold crayons

    Icebreaker activities for the beginning of the school year

    By
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    The beginning days of school are both exciting and occasionally nerve-wracking for teachers and students alike. Everyone is adjusting to new faces, routines and a fresh environment. As a teacher, you can help make this shift smooth, inviting and enjoyable. One effective way to achieve this is by using icebreaker activities.

    Icebreakers are simple games or activities that help students get to know each other, feel comfortable and start building a positive classroom community. When students feel connected, they are more likely to participate, help each other and enjoy learning. Here are some easy-to-use icebreaker activities and tips for making the beginning of the school year memorable for everyone. Here are just a few ideas for icebreakers you can use in your classroom.

  • Women talking around a table

    Three teaching tips that encourage Japanese students to speak up

    By Junko Yamanaka
    Reading time: 5 minutes

    In the EFL classroom, it is essential to provide students with opportunities for enjoying authentic communication. What is authentic communication? It¡¯s about asking questions that you really want to ask and saying what you really want to say, rather than memorization or role-plays. How can we, in the classroom context, create situations where students naturally feel like saying something or asking questions and enjoy conversing?

    One effective way to make this happen is to set students up to exchange their opinions, or points of view, in English. Asserting an opinion is not a drill or a practice, it¡¯s a form of authentic communication. Students need to think over and make judgements before they can express their thoughts at a level that matches the student¡¯s own intellectual abilities, leading to deeper learning. In addition, many students enjoy expressing their points of view and finding out what other people think.

    Some of you might be thinking, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too challenging for shy Japanese students?¡± Not at all. With appropriate teaching materials and methodology, even elementary students can experience the joy of exchanging their points of view in English. I have heard negative comments about Japanese students: that Japanese young people generally don¡¯t have their own opinions or that they don¡¯t like to differ from the peers. As far as I¡¯m concerned, that¡¯s not true. I know from my extensive experience teaching in Japan that Japanese students do like exchanging their points of view, are interested in what other people think, and, this may come as surprise, but they actually don¡¯t hesitate to differ when they don¡¯t agree with others. We just need to deploy the right techniques.

    Here are some proven tips that help get your students talking:

    1. Choose topics that are relevant and engaging
    2. Present an unusual viewpoint
    3. Give students tools to help with speaking
  • Children sat at desks in a classroom with their hands all raised smiling

    Back to school: Inclusive strategies to welcome and support students from day one

    By
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    As the new school year begins, teachers have an opportunity to set the tone for inclusion, belonging and respect. With the right strategies and activities, you can ensure every student feels seen, heard and valued from the very first day. Embracing diversity isn¡¯t just morally essential: it¡¯s a proven pathway to deeper learning, greater engagement and a more equitable society (Gay, 2018).

    Research consistently shows that inclusive classrooms foster higher academic achievement, improved social skills and increased self-esteem for all students (Banks, 2015). When students feel safe and respected, they are more likely to take risks, collaborate and reach their full potential.