TRINITY

Why take the Trinity College exams, rather than the Cambridge?
The Trinity exams are the only ones among a wide range of public exams that adhere
closely to the CEFR. Thus, their value is transparent and can be measured directly
against the requirements for the level the candidates are heading for.
What is special about the Trinity exams?
The Trinity English exams are geared at different levels, from A1 to C2, offering
something for everybody, from young learners, to mature adults, from schoolchildren,
students, through to company directors.
In contrast to other public external examination bodies, we appreciate that the modern
world of the 21st century requires skills that can be adapted to the needs of the
individual, to their culture, skills and talents in a world where we are training
individuals for jobs that do not yet exist. Thus, we aim to provide skills that can be
adapted to each candidate's needs.
What is more, we offer both Speaking/Listening exams for those whose needs are more
immediately communicative - we call these GESE (Graded Examinations in Spoken
English) - and also exams reflecting the four skills of Reading, Writing, Listening and
Speaking - we call these ISE (Integrated Skills in English). Both sets of exams are
equally valid as tokens of excellence, being recognised by universities, companies, and
Education Ministries globally, in addition to Immigration Ministries worldwide.
Rather than offer a separate Grammar and Functions test in the shape of a Use of
English paper, which we consider to be less than worthwhile as an independent paper,
we have usefully incorporated these areas into our polished papers.
As in normal life, we have gone from passive skills to active, progressing from
Listening into Speaking, and Reading into Writing, following natural learning steps and
also the latest empirical findings in Applied Linguistics.
How do the Trinity exams differ from the Cambridge, and other more traditional
exams?
We strictly believe that learning is an ongoing process, and that the candidate's own
teaching center should play a greater role in instructing, aiding and helping to assess
candidates. This is certainly currently reflected in the ISE exams, and, in particular, in
the portfolio.
Moreover, we aim to assess the student's development over time, as has been widely
adopted by reputable education institutes across the globe. We maintain that the
assessment of students on the basis of a few exams alone neither does justice to the
subject, the examining body, nor, most importantly, to the candidate.

Moreover, on the subject of the candidate, we are one of the very few examination
bodies that places the candidate to the fore. We maintain that when a candidate can
identify with the course materials and see themselves in the driving seat, they will be
more motivated, learning more, deriving greater benefit, and obtaining better results.
Thus, it is for the candidate, within certain guidelines, and with assistance from their
school, to select and direct their own Topic, steering the conversation with the examiner
as they wish. Similarly, the candidate brings their own experience of the world and
expectations into play in the six Subject areas, as they do with the Interactive
Communication, and not least, adds their personal stamp to the Writing papers. We see
little value in turning out mass-produced sausages, reacting to materials that are
frequently less than stimulating.
In the Speaking papers, we do not put students together in pairs, as our examiners are
quite capable of interacting and assessing simultaneously, as experiments show this is
fairer experience to the candidate. Similarly, there is only one examiner, not two.
So, what exactly can we offer?
Whilst we offer GESE at 12 different levels, from pre-A1 to C2, and ISE at 5 different
levels, from A2 to C1, there is, very basically, something for everybody, and catered to
individual tastes. That is the main difference that makes a world of difference to our
students' motivation, learning and performance. We believe this to be reflected by the
excellent examination results that our schools achieve, and that, despite having higher
pass marks than our competitors. Did you know that we set the pass mark at 75%, also
offering merits and distinctions to candidates who achieve that excellence?
We were, in fact, the first major examination body to consider the examination structure
as an ongoing system of evaluation, rather than consider the exams in isolation.
Moreover, for the GESE exams, we provide the results to the schools on the same day,
or, at the very latest, the final day of examining, and, for the ISE exams, the list of
results reach the centers some two weeks after the date of examination. So, there is no
waiting around for weeks or months, as we appreciate that examination results are all
important to students.
Examination fees
Whilst our examination fees are subject to periodic review, just as are all examination
fees, we are proud that our fees are lower than those of our competitors. Moreover,
whilst our motivating syllabi produce results that are above the average, we offer you a
second attempt, in the event of an examination failure, whereby you can take the exam
again, merely by paying a registration fee, generally of between 20-30, depending on
the center. Furthermore, whilst other examination bodies make you wait for their
scheduled sessions, we are happy to arrange for our specially trained and well qualified
examiners from the UK to attend at our centers when the center requests. As our
examiners do not have set scripts, being required to think on their feet, in contrast to
other examination bodies, you can rest assured that the examiner you encounter will be
especially well qualified, carefully selected, trained and diligent in their performance,
and giving you every opportunity to prove your worth fairly. Once again, you will see
that we do our utmost to service our learning centers and their candidates.

Special relationship with Trinity Centers

Not only do we have a national administration office in Barcelona, but also experienced
academics and practitioners covering the various autonomous regions of Spain, and
have an obligation to provide effective and timely back-up to our examination centers,
by way of methodology, didactics, materials and administrative support. We can offer
seminars for teachers and students, enabling you to keep to the forefront of
developments. We pride ourselves on this tailor-made service, as it is at the very heart of
our philosophy. We attend regional, national and international conferences and
educational fairs, where we are always happy to talk with center staff and their students.
Ongoing learning
We believe in providing guidance to our learning centers as regards materials, teaching
and direction, but leave critical decisions regarding learning and exam preparation to the
individual exam centers. Nevertheless, we naturally encourage a student-fronted
classroom, regular and ongoing learning, both in general and specialised English, not to
mention group and pair work, relying on the multitude of resources available globally in
the 21st century. Naturally, we also provide full details of our syllabi, ongoing changes
to exams and video clips online free of charge, so that our schools and their students
know exactly what to expect.
In order to pass the exams, it is essential that candidates provide all lexical items, ie
vocabulary, structures, grammar, functions, phonology and resources, appropriate to the
level. It goes without saying that such items lower to the grade will also be produced by
candidates without problems.
The format of the exams
GESE
At B1 level, the exam lasts just ten minutes and consists of two parts:
Topic
and two of the six prescribed Subjects
At B2 level, it is a 15-minute exam, comprising three parts:
Topic
Interactive Communication
and two of the six prescribed Subjects
ISE
In connection with our ongoing plans to update and upgrade our exams to enhance their
excellence, there are changes coming to the ISE exams from September 2015. However,
as present, the following provides a basic overview of requirements at B1 and B2 levels.

ISE I

Task

Task
weighting

Component
weighting

Portfolio

Correspondence
Factual writing
Creative/descriptive writing

20%
40%
40%

20%

50%
50%

30%

Controlled written Task 1

exam
Task 2
Topic
Discussion of portfolio and
conversation

50%
50%

50%

ISE II

Task

Task
weighting

Component
weighting

Portfolio

Correspondence
Factual writing
Creative/description writing

20%
40%
40%

20%

50%
50%

30%

Interview

Controlled written Task 1

exam
Task 2
Interview

Topic
Interactive Task
Discussion of portfolio and
conversation

33.33%
33.33%
33.33%

50%

Closing comments

We trust that these comments have given you an insight into the
Trinity College, our philosopy, exams, value, how we work, together
with the stimulating learning experience that awaits you.
It is now for the British Institute Huelva to decide how to convert
these opportunities with you based on their own expertise.