Trinity’s Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE) are popular exams taken by kindergarten and lower primary students. They are excellent for demonstrating a child’s English speaking and listening abilities, and good results are important when applying to top primary schools in Hong Kong. The exams test whether a child can have a conversation with a native English speaker, and they’re a great way for children to experience the language as part of their lives rather than just a subject at school.

I have seen many students go through the Trinity Preparation Course at one of our tutorial centres, and it’s wonderful to see them develop their speaking skills quickly and become clear communicators. The Trinity examiners’ reports always express how confident i-Learner students are, and our students’ results reflect this.

Grade 1

The GESE Grade 1 exam lasts around 5 minutes, during which time, students have a friendly conversation with the examiner and answer a range of questions based on set topics. At this level, students are not expected to use full sentences, but they are expected to demonstrate their understanding and communication skills. 

To help your child prepare for their exams between their weekly i-Learner classes, try the following activities at home. Additionally, we have prepared some excellent Grade 1 flashcards to revise essential topics and vocabulary for the exam.

Roleplaying Introductions

Practise introducing yourself to your child through role-playing. Take on different characters to give your child a chance to practise introducing themselves to different people and responding to slight variations in questions.

Example A:

Parent: Hello! My name is Mr Smith. What’s your name?

Child: My name is Sarah.

Parent: Nice to meet you, Sarah. How are you today?

Child: I’m good, thank you. How are you?

Parent: I’m fine, thank you. How old are you?

Child:  I’m five years old.

Example B:

Parent: Good morning. I’m Ms Seymour. What is your name?

Child: My name is Sarah.

Parent: Hi Sarah. How old are you?

Child: I’m five years old.

Parent: And how are you today?

Child:  I’m fine, thank you.

Play Simon Says

Simon Says is a classic game that builds listening skills and vocabulary. In this game, you take on the role of Simon; whenever you say ‘Simon says…’ your child has to do what you say. However, if you don’t say ‘Simon says’ your child shouldn’t follow your instruction. This is a great way of practising the vocabulary needed for the exam.

Example:

Parent: Simon says, ‘Point to the door.’

-Child points to the door-

Parent: Touch your shoes.

-Child stays still and doesn’t touch their shoes-

Parent: Simon says, ‘Point to the chair.’

-Child points to the chair-

Actions phrases for the parent

Show me…

Point to…

Touch…

Give me…

Vocabulary areas for the child to practise

Numbers 1-20

Colours

Items of Clothing

Practise Questions

The best way to prepare for the questions is to practise answering them! Make sure your child can answer the questions below using the Grade 1 vocabulary.

What are these/those?

What’s this/that?

How many ______ are there?

Is this a ______? What is it?

What colour is this?

What colour is/are ______?

Is this your/my/his/her/their  ______?

Is this [number/animal/colour]?

Our Trinity Preparation Courses cover all the essential topics, grammar and vocabulary needed to get a Distinction. Find out more about the tests and preparation courses or visit one of our education centres to find out more.