How to assess your learners using the GSE Assessment Frameworks

Billie Jago
Billie Jago
A teachet stood in front of a class in front of a board, smiling at his students.
Reading time: 4 minutes

With language learning, assessing both the quality and the quantity of language use is crucial for accurate proficiency evaluation. While evaluating quantity (for example the number of words written or the duration of spoken production) can provide insights into a learner's fluency and engagement in a task, it doesn¡¯t show a full picture of a learner¡¯s language competence. For this, they would also need to be evaluated on the quality of what they produce (such as the appropriateness, accuracy and complexity of language use). The quality also considers factors such as grammatical accuracy, lexical choice, coherence and the ability to convey meaning effectively.

In order to measure the quality of different language skills, you can use the Global Scale of English (GSE) assessment frameworks.

Developed in collaboration with assessment experts, the GSE Assessment Frameworks are intended to be used alongside the GSE Learning Objectives to help you assess the proficiency of your learners.

There are two GSE Assessment Frameworks: one for adults and one for young learners.

What are the GSE Assessment Frameworks?

  • The GSE Assessment Frameworks are intended to be used alongside the GSE Learning Objectives to help teachers assess their learners¡¯ proficiency of all four skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing).
  • The GSE Learning Objectives focus on the things a learner can do, while the GSE Assessment Frameworks focus on how well a learner can do these things.
  • It can help provide you with examples of what proficiencies your learners should be demonstrating.??
  • It can help teachers pinpoint students' specific areas of strength and weakness more accurately, facilitating targeted instruction and personalized learning plans.
  • It can also help to motivate your learners, as their progress is evidenced and they can see a clear path for improvement.

An example of the GSE Assessment Frameworks

This example is from the Adult Assessment Framework for speaking.

As you can see, there are sub-skills within speaking (and?for the other three main overarching skills ¨C writing, listening and reading). Within speaking, these are?production?and?fluency, spoken interaction, language range and?accuracy.

The GSE range (and corresponding CEFR level) is shown at the top of each column, and there are descriptors that students should ideally demonstrate at that level.

However, it is important to note that students may sit across different ranges, depending on the sub-skill. For example, your student may show evidence of GSE 43-50 production and fluency and spoken interaction, but they may need to improve their language range and accuracy, and therefore sit in a range of GSE 36-42 for these sub-skills.

The GSE assessment frameworks in practice?¨C let¡¯s try

So, how can you use these frameworks as a teacher in your lesson? Let¡¯s look at an example.

Imagine you are teaching a class of adult learners at GSE 43-50 (B1). This week, your class has been working towards writing an essay about living in the city vs the countryside. Your class has just written their final essay and you want to assess what they have produced.

Look at the writing sub-skills in the GSE Assessment Framework for adults. Imagine these are the criteria you are using to assess your students¡¯ writing.

You read one of your student's essays, and in their essay they demonstrate that they can:

  • Express their opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of living in the city vs the countryside
  • Make relevant points which are mostly on-topic
  • Use topic-related language
  • Connect their ideas logically and in a way that flows well
  • Write in clear paragraphs

However, you notice that:

  • They tend to repeat common words, such as city, town, countryside, nice, busy
  • They don¡¯t use punctuation effectively, for example missing commas, long sentences, missing capitalization
  • They have some issues with grammatical structures

Compare the above notes to the GSE Assessment Frameworks. What level is your learner demonstrating in each sub-skill? How could you evidence this using the criteria?

Now, compare your answers to the ideas below.

The points marked in the GSE 43-50 column are evidence that the student is at the expected writing level for their class, based on what you observed in their essay. The points marked in the GSE 36-42 column could be shown to the student to tell them what they need to focus on to improve, based on their essay.

Customizing the GSE assessment frameworks

The GSE Assessment Frameworks are flexible and customizable, and you can use the descriptors for your specific purpose. You can choose the appropriate GSE Assessment Frameworks for your context, and build your own formative assessment based on these.

In the example above, you were only assessing an essay, so you could ignore any contexts that were not applicable to that scenario. For example, writes personal and semi-formal letters and emails relating to everyday matters, or incorporates some relevant details from external sources.

Another benefit of the frameworks is that you can personalize assessments and create tailored learning roadmaps for individual students. Of course, not all learners are the same, so the descriptors allow students to see which sub-skill they need to work on in order to bring their writing (or speaking, listening or reading) up to their expected level. It also helps you as the teacher to understand what sub-skills to focus on in lessons to improve these main skills.

Finally, don¡¯t be afraid to introduce your students to these descriptors or translate them into the learner's first language for lower levels. It is a great way for them to pinpoint and reflect on their strengths and areas for improvement, rather than simply getting a score and not understanding how to get to the next level of confidence and ability.

By incorporating the GSE Assessment Frameworks into your course for formative assessment, you can build students¡¯ confidence and help them better reflect on their learning.

Learn more about the GSE

More blogs from ɫèAV

  • 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.

  • A girl sat at a laptop with headphones on in a library

    5 myths about online language learning

    By Steffanie Zazulak
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    Technology has radically changed the way people are able to access information and learn. As a result, there are a great number of tools to facilitate online language learning ¨C an area that¡¯s been the subject of many myths. Here we highlight (and debunk) some of the bigger ones¡­

    Myth #1: You will learn more quickly

    Although online learning tools are designed to provide ways to teach and support the learner, they won¡¯t provide you with a shortcut to proficiency or bypass any of the key stages of learning.?Although you may well be absorbing lots of vocabulary and grammar rules while studying in isolation, this isn¡¯t a replacement for an environment in which you can immerse yourself in the language with English speakers. Such settings help you improve your speaking and listening skills and increase precision, because the key is to find opportunities to practise both ¨C widening your use of the language rather than simply building up your knowledge of it.

    Myth #2: It replaces learning in the classroom

    With big data and AI increasingly providing a more accurate idea of their level, as well as a quantifiable idea of how much they need to learn to advance to the next level of proficiency, classroom learning is vital for supplementing classroom learning. And with the Global Scale of English providing an accurate measurement of progress, students can personalise their learning and decide how they¡¯re going to divide their time between classroom learning and private study.

    Myth #3: It can¡¯t be incorporated into classroom learning

    There are a huge number of ways that students and teachers can use the Internet in the classroom. Meanwhile, ɫèAV¡¯s online courses and apps have a positive, measurable impact on your learning outcomes.

    Myth #4:?You can't learn in the workplace

    Online language learning is ideally suited to the workplace and we must create the need to use the language and opportunities to practise it. A job offers one of the most effective learning environments: where communication is key and you¡¯re frequently exposed to specialized vocabulary. Online language learning tools can flexibly support your busy schedule.

    Myth #5: Online language learning is impersonal and isolating

    A common misconception is that online language learning is a solitary journey, lacking the personal connection and support found in traditional classrooms. In reality, today¡¯s digital platforms are designed to foster community and real interaction. With features like live virtual classrooms, discussion forums and instant feedback, learners can connect with peers and educators around the world, building skills together.