All assessments are external, carried out by a trained team of examiners at centres throughout the UK and overseas, to visit you and your students.

Assessments take place within a participating peer group, because candidate interaction is marked as an integral part of the assessment. Each candidate must be present for the presentations of at least four others to give opportunities for each candidate to demonstrate listening and responding skills, as well as their own competence as a speaker.

The assessment is designed to be a supportive process. Therefore, the course tutor - and others involved in the preparation of candidates - are invited to observe part or whole of the assessment. For some ESB qualifications a tutor or similar MUST be present. 

To assist in meeting assessment task and criteria, presentations should be complemented by visual aids or any other support materials, where appropiate.

The examiner is only able to provide very general verbal feedback to the group or tutor on the day. Each candidate receives an individual detailed report within days, after the results have been checked and moderated. Successful candidates receive a certificate within approximately six weeks, giving qualification title, level and grade of pass.

How ESB Assessments Are Marked
Each Level (Qualification) of each assessment programme has its own criteria for each section to reflect particular emphasis and the progressive mastery of knowledge, skills and understanding as given in the individual syllabuses.

Levels of Attainment
A specific level of pass gives articulation between Levels and helps to measure readiness for the next. ‘Pass’ indicates the minimum level at which criteria have been met for the Level. Higher levels of attainment, where the syllabus allows this to be shown, are based on evidence at each Level of the increasing degree of independence, skill and control in:

• selecting, shaping and presenting information, strategy and ideas
• handling equipment and visual aids
• monitoring and evaluating response
• fluency, confidence, technique, language skills and sensitivity in sharing communication and supporting others

At assessment each section is awarded a level of attainment. The overall award level is the aggregate for all sections. The individual candidate report gives the level of attainment for each task and the aggregate (overall) level. The aggregate level is the one recorded on the certificate.