Pearson launches 'Global Scale of English'

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Two billion people worldwide claim to speak English, and yet as of July 3, 2014, there had never been a globally recognized standard in English.

Pearson, the world's leading learning company, has unveiled the Global Scale of English (GSE) – the world's first global standard for scoring English language proficiency of the day.

In development for 25 years and tested on over 10,000 students in 130 countries, the GSE will transform how English is assessed, taught and scored. Developed by Pearson English, a division of Pearson, it aims to provide one precise, numeric, universal scale for businesses, governments and academic institutions, as well as for the one billion plus people estimated to be learning English worldwide.

What is the GSE, exactly?

The GSE means English language proficiency no longer needs to be measured in vague terms like basic, intermediate or advanced. It will enable English learners to accurately score and communicate their English language skills and progress on a granular, numeric scale from 10-90 providing a far more precise measurement of the learner's ability than any existing methods which tend to categorize in broad bands.

It is rooted in real life so that learners can clearly see what they can achieve at every level. For example, if you score 29 on the scale, you are able to identify and order common food and drinks from a menu; at 62, you can write a structured review of a film, book or play; at 74 you can extract the main points from news items with opinions, arguments and discussion.

Already tested by some of the world's leading educational institutions , for learners, the GSE will provide the answers to questions such as "How good is my English?," "Am I progressing?" and "What do I need to do next?"

Bhavneet Singh, President of Pearson English, says of the launch, "We have been working with businesses, institutions and learners in over 130 countries and they have told us that there is a need for a granular, numeric, universal scale – and we believe after 25 years of work with leading academics we have it - in the Global Scale of English."