What practice actually means for Grade 5
The Grade 5 exam is ten minutes of talking. Reading grammar tables does not prepare you for it; saying things out loud to someone who answers back does. Three things to practise, in this order:
- The Conversation subjects. The examiner picks two of six: festivals, means of transport, special occasions, entertainment, music, recent personal experiences. You cannot choose, so all six have to be ready.
- The Grade 5 language. Present perfect (Have you ever… I've lived here for…), will for plans, because for reasons, I prefer… I'd rather…, how long, how often. These are the items the examiner is listening for.
- Your topic. Five minutes on a subject you prepared, with at least one question from you to the examiner. Most people under-practise this part because it feels "safe". It is where recitation gets punished.
The free AI examiner
SpeakPass runs a four-minute Grade 5 conversation on one subject. The examiner asks the kind of questions Trinity's materials use, follows what you say, and at the end you get a report: a Trinity-style grade (A to D) for the phase, a breakdown into communication, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, the Grade 5 items you used, the mistakes with corrections, and a transcript of what you said. Two sessions a day without an account, five with a free account. Nothing to install, it runs in the browser on a phone.
The six subjects, each with its own practice:
A two-week plan
Days 1 to 3. Read the six subjects and write ten words for each that are about your life: the name of your festival, the bus you take, the last wedding you went to. Then one subject a day with the AI examiner. Read the report. Do not worry about the grade yet.
Days 4 to 7. Present perfect only. Every day, ten true sentences about yourself out loud: I've lived in Leeds since 2021. I've never been to Scotland. I've just started a new job. Then a practice session on a different subject, and check the report's "Grade 5 items" list: present perfect should be on it.
Days 8 to 10. Your topic. Fill in the Topic Form, then explain each point to a friend or a phone recording in two or three sentences, with one question for the examiner ready. If you can say the whole topic without looking at the form, you are reciting; put the form away and talk from memory of the events, not of the sentences.
Days 11 to 13. The hardest two subjects again, then a timed run through the full ten minutes with someone interrupting you.
Day 14. Rest. Check the time and address of the test centre and the ID you need.
What a C, a B and an A sound like
The same question, Have you ever been to a festival in the UK?
C (pass) Yes. I went to Diwali in Leicester. It was very big. Many people. I like it because it is same like my country. I will go again.
B (merit) Yes, I have. I've been to Diwali in Leicester twice, in 2024 and last year. It was much bigger than I expected, with lights on the whole road. I prefer it to the one at home because my family here can all go together. I'll probably go again this year.
A (distinction) Yes, I've been a few times. The first time was by accident: we were visiting friends in Leicester and the whole of Belgrave Road was closed for Diwali. I've gone back every year since because it's the one evening my children see the festival the way I saw it as a child. Have you ever been?
The C has the facts and the examiner understands every word; it passes. The B has the present perfect, a comparison with prefer… because, and will. The A adds detail, a story, and a question back. Notice that the A uses no difficult vocabulary. It is longer, more connected, and more natural.
Mistakes the report catches most often
- Past simple instead of present perfect after ever and for/since: I live here for six years → I've lived here for six years.
- Since with a period: since six years → for six years or since 2020.
- I prefer more → I prefer. I'd rather to go → I'd rather go.
- No reason after an opinion. Add because and one clause; the examiner is waiting for it.
- A question answered with one word. Add a second sentence every time, even It was in July.
Practising the topic without a teacher
Record yourself on your phone for one minute per point, then listen for three things: did you use a full sentence, did you give a reason, did you say a date or a time expression (two years ago, since I moved here). Then ask your prepared question out loud, as a question, with the voice going up. At Grade 5, forgetting to ask the examiner anything is the most common way to lose the Topic phase grade.