ISE specifications

Trinity’s Integrated Skills in English (ISE) exams are designed for candidates who are not native speakers of English and who wish to achieve a high quality, internationally recognised qualification in English that is available and recognised worldwide.

ISE assesses all four language skills — speaking, listening, reading and writing and has been designed to correspond to the descriptions of language proficiency in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) developed by the Council of Europe (Language Policy Division). The exam is set in the educational domain within the learning training context where the aim is to acquire specific knowledge and skills (CEFR — Council of Europe, 2001, page 15).

The intended candidates are young people or adults, typically at school or college, who are using English as a second or foreign language as part of their studies to gain access to further education contexts like diplomas, degrees or qualifications that are relevant to their professional development.

The ISE exams are regulated by Ofqual (the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) in England, CCEA Regulation in Northern Ireland and by Qualifications Wales as International ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) qualifications.