The price
Trinity GESE Grade 5 as a SELT costs £160 in the UK, the same as every Trinity SELT grade. The fee covers one attempt. Trinity sells an optional Exam Protect add-on for £35 that gives you one retake and one reschedule; for a nervous candidate that is cheaper than a second £160.
The other approved B1 speaking-and-listening tests (IELTS Life Skills B1, LanguageCert International ESOL SELT B1, PTE Home B1) are priced by their own providers and change more often; expect the same range, £150 to £200. The comparison of formats is on the SELT page.
Costs people forget: travel to the centre (Trinity has more than 20 UK centres, but not in every town), a day off work, and a retake if it goes wrong. Budget £200 and you will not be surprised.
Booking Trinity GESE Grade 5
- On trinitycollege.com go to SELT, then B1 GESE Grade 5, then Book your test.
- Choose a centre and a date. Centres run tests seven days a week; weekday mornings have the most slots. You can also take the test by video from a Trinity centre, speaking to an examiner on a screen, if the centre offers it.
- Enter your personal details exactly as they appear on the ID you will bring. Name spelling, date of birth, document number. A mismatch on the day means no test and no refund.
- Pay by card. You receive a booking confirmation by email; keep it.
- Complete and print the Topic Form before the day. Without it the Topic phase cannot run. How to fill it in: the Topic Form page.
Trinity allows candidates to book at short notice if a centre has space, but a week or two ahead is normal, and in the months before 26 March 2027 expect centres to fill up as settlement applicants rush to test at B1.
What to bring
- The original ID you booked with. Not a copy, not a photo on your phone.
- The Topic Form, filled in.
- Pictures or objects for your topic, if you want them. No notes, no script.
Arrive early. There is a registration check with ID and a photograph before the exam.
Test day
Ten minutes with one examiner: about five on your topic, about five on two Conversation subjects the examiner chooses. The exam is recorded. There is no reading, no writing, no computer. What it sounds like, start to finish: a sample Grade 5 exam.
Results
Trinity emails a provisional result by 9am the next day. The link to your digital certificate follows within 4 to 7 days. The certificate carries the unique reference number the Home Office checks on Trinity's verification system; that number, not the paper, is what goes into your application.
A fail at Grade 5 is a fail, not "a B1 minus". You rebook and pay again, unless you bought Exam Protect. There is no limit on attempts and no waiting period.
Before you book
Check whether you need the test at all: a B1 or higher qualification used in an earlier UK application can often be reused, and some people are exempt. The rules are on B1 for citizenship and how long a B1 test is valid. Then spend two weeks on the practice plan and book for the end of it.