Characteristics of the official English exam Trinity ISE I, level B1

 Do you already have a B1 level of English and want to certify it? You know that at an academic level it is necessary to already have this recognition and that this is what will allow you to obtain any university degree, in addition to opening the doors to the world of work. The B1 level of English is a level that already allows you to function in a more complex world. That is why today we want to explain everything related to the official English exam Trinity ISE I, level B1. We explain what this test specifically consists of, how to prepare it on your own and the most comfortable way to complete your registration.

What is the Trinity ISE exam?

Trinity's Integrated Skills in English (ISE) is a contemporary qualification of four skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) recognized by governments and institutions as reliable evidence of English language proficiency. Preparation for the ISE helps develop authentic communicative and transferable skills required for academic study and employability, such as synthesizing information, engaging in interactive discussions, and presenting topics of personal interest.

Two exam modules offer flexibility: there are two exam modules: Reading and Writing and Speaking and Listening, which, depending on whether the exam is taken at a Trinity SELT Center in the UK, or at a Trinity Registered Exam Center in anywhere in the world, they can be taken together, or separately when ready.

Structure with respect to the CEFR: ISE proficiency levels are calibrated according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ​​(CEFR) and are available in five levels :

ISE Foundation (A2), ISE I (B1), ISE II (B2), ISE III (C1), ISE IV (C2) *

* ISE IV has a different format than ISE in CEFR levels A2-C1

Recognized and accepted:

ISE is a UK government approved test for visa application and settlement purposes when taken at a Trinity SELT Center.If you are preparing for the ISE as a Secure English Language Test (SELT) for Visa or other purposes in the UK, visit UK visa tests,

ISE is an exam suitable for students at the end of study abroad courses, such as the Italian program funded by PON.

ISE scores are also used as strong evidence of English language proficiency and are recognized by an increasing number of universities, governments, and institutions around the world.

Characteristics of the official English exam Trinity ISE I, level B1

In this test you will examine the basic skills that you have to control to master a foreign language: comprehension of both reading and conversations, and both oral and written creation. The exam is divided into two parts :

1. Reading and Writing:

It is about reading comprehension and written expression. This exam lasts exactly two hours, in which you will have to develop 4 fundamental activities:

• A 400-word text with 15 comprehension questions about what you have written.
• You will read 4 short texts of 400 words in total. You will have to answer 15 comprehension questions through the texts.
• Using the texts from the previous activity, you have to write between 100 and 130 words.
• You have to write what can be a letter, an email, a review and it must have between 100 and 130 words.

2. Speaking and Listening:

It is about the oral expression and comprehension part, for which you have a duration of 14 minutes. You must carry out the following activities:

• For 4 minutes you must choose an exhibition theme that you want .
• For 2 minutes you will have to follow a conversation on a topic proposed by the examiner.
• During 7 minutes you will listen to a radio track and you will have to answer the comprehension questions that the examiner asks you about them.

How to prepare for the exam on your own

• Trinity College offers you more than enough material to prepare you for the Reading and Wrinting tests.
• In this other link you have more material, this time to prepare the Listening and Speaking tests.
• And they also make the following videos available to the candidates, with which you can see what the oral exam is like live.

But, in addition to all this specific material, we want to help you with a series of tips and complementary material that can help you a lot in preparing for the exam:

• To take these tests, you already have to have knowledge of English at an intermediate level, that is, at level B1. You cannot introduce yourself if you have not studied and prepared the level before, so the interesting thing would be if you started with this, with some general English book that would help you control all the contents of B1 and that you always have close by in case you have any questions .
• The Reading test requires you to dedicate yourself to reading in English as much as you can and more. Try to get daily readings, whether it is from newspapers, blogs, social networks, etc. But beyond that, it is necessary that you read complete books adapted to your level. This list of graded readings that we propose for the B1 level of English can help you a lot to begin to make contact with literature and other uses of the English language.
• Always work with a dictionary, it is what can help you solve all your doubts. Look at this list of possible dictionaries, choose the one that best suits your needs.
• To prepare for the Listening test, what you have to do is listen to as much English as you can. Use all the resources you have at your disposal and take advantage of them. You can use this list of songs for your level. This compilation of series and movies can also help you .
• To prepare a Writing test, the fundamental thing is to write as much as you can . It is about spending time each day to write and put into practice everything learned at level B1, but it is also advisable to use vocabulary and structures obtained from listening and reading. We advise you to maintain contact with natives, in writing, which will allow you to do it in the most real way. Ask them to correct you, so you will move forward safely.
• The spoken test you have to prepare it with a native person if possible , since that is what can serve as a basis. You have to demonstrate the utmost naturalness and dexterity in your oral communication, so the more you practice, the better. Verbal fluency is necessary from the first levels.

Enrollment and results

The first thing you have to do is control the future dates to take the exam and the registration deadlines for each of them. We always advise that you confirm everything with your exam center, as these data could be affected by circumstances beyond the current forecast.

Check dates, centers and everything you need, you can also enroll from here, comfortably and safely.

The number of places is limited and they will be assigned as payments are made, so be very careful and do not let it pass, as you may run out of place. You will see that in the module that you have to fill in to enroll you have a section called "Observations", in which you must indicate if you only take a specific part of the exam because you have already previously taken the exam. In the latter case you must insert your candidate ID.

Until days before the exam they will not tell you in which of the available exam centers and closest to your home you should take the test. They do so in order to gather all the candidates by location in the fewest possible centers.