Is the G2 English oral the same as the G3 one?

The same shape — 30 marks, Planned Response and Spoken Interaction, the same criteria and the same band ranges. Not the same words: bands 1 to 3 are word for word identical, but bands 4 and 5 differ, and every difference asks for more at G3. So the two papers diverge only at the top of the scale.

Does the G1 English oral still have Reading Aloud?

Yes. G1 (K100) is the only level that kept it, worth 15 marks alongside Spoken Interaction at 25 — 40 marks in total, which is more than G2's and G3's 30. G2 and G3 dropped Reading Aloud when 1184 replaced 1128 in 2023.

Are the two parts of the G1 English oral linked?

No, and this is the one place G1 is explicitly the opposite of the other two. Its syllabus says the paper "comprises two parts which are not thematically linked". G2 and G3 both say their two parts "may be thematically linked".

How many marks is the G1 English oral worth?

40 marks, 20% of the subject. The weighting is the same as G2 and G3 even though the paper is larger — marks and weightings are not proportional, and SEAB's printed figure is the one that counts.

What is the top band in the G1 Spoken Interaction?

Band 5, worth 21–25 marks out of 25. It asks the candidate to engage "by giving extended responses" — where G2 and G3 ask for a sustained discussion that sometimes moves beyond the prompts.

G1 K100 · G2 K200 · English Language

The G1 and G2 English oral: two papers nobody writes about

Almost everything published about the secondary English oral describes the G3 paper. If your child is sitting G1 or G2, some of it is wrong for them — and one of the two is a different paper entirely, not an easier version of the same one. Both syllabuses are below, from the documents.

There is nothing to practise on here yet.

What you can read today is the exam itself — the format, the marks and the published band descriptors, taken from the syllabus and cited. Practice is being built and will be here in time for the 2027 orals. This page will say so the day it opens, and not before.

What is different at each level?

G1 keeps Reading Aloud, which G2 and G3 dropped, and its two parts are explicitly not linked. G2 has the same shape as G3 — but not the same band descriptors at the top.

	G1 (K100)	G2 (K200)	G3 (K300)
Reading Aloud	15 marks	None	None
Planned Response	None	15 marks	15 marks
Spoken Interaction	25 marks	15 marks	15 marks
Paper total	40 / 20%	30 / 20%	30 / 20%
Parts linked?	Not thematically linked	May be thematically linked	May be thematically linked

Look at the totals row. The G1 paper is the largest of the three at 40 marks, and it carries the same 20% of the subject as the other two. Marks and weightings are not proportional here, and SEAB’s printed percentage is the one that counts — not arithmetic on the marks.

G1 is a different paper, not an easier one

It is the only level that still asks a candidate to read aloud, and the only one whose two halves are unrelated by design. A student preparing from G3 material would practise the wrong task twice over.

K100: “This paper comprises two parts which are not thematically linked.”

K300 and K200: “The two parts in this paper may be thematically linked.”

A candidate at G1 can therefore stop thinking about the passage the moment it is finished — nothing in the discussion will come back to it. At G2 and G3 that is not safe.

The Spoken Interaction criterion is named differently too, and the difference is not cosmetic. G1 judges Communication of idea(s); G2 and G3 judge Communication of perspective(s). Ideas against perspectives — the first asks the candidate to communicate something clearly, the second to hold a view about it.

G1 band descriptors, as published

Reading Aloud · 15 marks

Judged on pronunciation, fluency, intonation.

Band	What the descriptor says
Band 513–15 marks	Clear pronunciation Fluent reading with appropriate intonation, which shows excellent awareness of purpose, audience and context
Band 410–12 marks	Generally clear pronunciation Mostly appropriate pace and intonation, which shows good awareness of purpose, audience and context
Band 37–9 marks	Some sentences pronounced clearly Some control of pace and intonation, which shows some awareness of purpose, audience and context
Band 24–6 marks	Clear pronunciation of individual phrases Some attempts to vary pace and intonation, which may show awareness of purpose, audience and context
Band 11–3 marks	Occasionally intelligible pronunciation Very occasional use of appropriate pace and intonation
Band 00 marks	No creditable response.

Spoken Interaction · 25 marks

Judged on communication of idea(s), engagement in a discussion.

Band	What the descriptor says
Band 521–25 marks	Uses a range of appropriate vocabulary and structures to communicate ideas clearly Clear pronunciation Engages in a discussion by giving extended responses
Band 416–20 marks	Uses a range of largely appropriate vocabulary and structures to communicate ideas Generally clear pronunciation Engages in a discussion by giving appropriate responses
Band 311–15 marks	Uses simple vocabulary and structures to convey simple ideas Some sentences pronounced clearly Engages in a discussion with some support and encouragement
Band 26–10 marks	Uses simple vocabulary and structures, meaning is usually clear Clear pronunciation of individual phrases Gives brief responses to prompts
Band 11–5 marks	A few examples of simple vocabulary and structures used in an attempt to convey meaning Occasionally intelligible pronunciation A slight attempt to give responses to prompts
Band 00 marks	No creditable response.

From K100 p.10 and K100 p.11.

G2 has G3's shape — but not G3's words

The two papers are identical in structure: 30 marks, the same two parts, the same criteria, the same strands and the same band ranges. Bands 1, 2 and 3 are word for word identical. Bands 4 and 5 are not — and every difference asks for more at G3.

This is worth stating carefully, because “G2 is the same as G3” is close enough to true that it is repeated everywhere, and it is wrong in the one place a candidate aiming high would care about. The papers diverge only at the top of the scale.

Top band asks for	G2 (K200)	G3 (K300)
The response itself	A considered response which is well-developed and organised	A well-considered response which is well-developed and organised
Vocabulary and structures	Uses a range of appropriate vocabulary and structures	Uses a wide range of well-chosen vocabulary and structures
Perspectives in the discussion	Offers considered responses with coherent and well-developed perspective(s)	Offers well-considered responses with coherent and well-developed perspective(s)

A considered response against a well-considered one; a range of appropriate vocabulary against a wide range of well-chosen vocabulary. The same performance does not necessarily earn the same band at both levels, and the gap is at the ceiling rather than the floor.

The bottom of the scale is genuinely shared. Band 3, Band 2, Band 1 are identical across G2 and G3 in every criterion — checked descriptor by descriptor, and held that way by a test. So a candidate working up from the lower bands is working against exactly the same wording at either level. It is only the last two steps that differ.

One thing does not change. The top band in both carries the same final descriptor, word for word: “Engages in a sustained discussion, sometimes moving beyond the prompts”. Whatever else separates the two levels, that is the same ask at G2 as at G3 — which makes it the most portable thing to practise across both.

G2 band descriptors, as published

Response · 10 marks

Judged on development and organisation of ideas, expression of ideas.

Band	What the descriptor says
Band 59–10 marks	A considered response which is well-developed and organised Uses a range of appropriate vocabulary and structures
Band 47–8 marks	Response is generally well-developed and organised Uses a range of largely appropriate vocabulary and structures
Band 35–6 marks	Response has some development and organisation Some attempt at a range of vocabulary and structures
Band 23–4 marks	Ideas have simple development and organisation Simple vocabulary and structures used mostly appropriately
Band 11–2 marks	A slight attempt to address the topic A few examples of simple vocabulary and structures
Band 00 marks	No creditable response.

Delivery with Awareness of Purpose, Audience and Context · 5 marks

Judged on pronunciation, fluency, intonation.

Band	What the descriptor says
Band 55 marks	Delivery is fluent with clear pronunciation, and varied and appropriate intonation
Band 44 marks	Delivery is generally fluent and clear in pronunciation with appropriate intonation
Band 33 marks	Delivery is quite fluent with intelligible pronunciation and some variation of intonation
Band 22 marks	Patches of fluent delivery and intelligible pronunciation with attempts at using appropriate intonation
Band 11 mark	Pronunciation is intelligible at times with occasional use of appropriate intonation
Band 00 marks	No creditable response.

Spoken Interaction · 15 marks

Judged on communication of perspective(s), engagement in a discussion.

Band	What the descriptor says
Band 513–15 marks	Offers considered responses with coherent and well-developed perspective(s) Uses a range of appropriate vocabulary and structures; clear pronunciation Engages in a sustained discussion, sometimes moving beyond the prompts
Band 410–12 marks	Offers generally well-developed perspective(s) Uses a range of largely appropriate vocabulary and structures; generally clear pronunciation Engages in a discussion by responding appropriately to the prompts
Band 37–9 marks	Offers perspective(s) with some development Some attempt at using a range of vocabulary and structures; intelligible pronunciation Engages in a discussion with some support and encouragement
Band 24–6 marks	Offers perspective(s) with simple development Simple vocabulary and structures used mostly appropriately; some control of pronunciation Engages in a discussion with support and encouragement
Band 11–3 marks	A slight attempt to address the topic A few examples of simple vocabulary and structures; pronunciation is intelligible at times A slight attempt to engage in a discussion
Band 00 marks	No creditable response.

From K200 pp.10–11 and K200 p.11.

Common questions

Is the G2 English oral the same as the G3 one?: The same shape — 30 marks, Planned Response and Spoken Interaction, the same criteria and the same band ranges. Not the same words: bands 1 to 3 are word for word identical, but bands 4 and 5 differ, and every difference asks for more at G3. So the two papers diverge only at the top of the scale.
Does the G1 English oral still have Reading Aloud?: Yes. G1 (K100) is the only level that kept it, worth 15 marks alongside Spoken Interaction at 25 — 40 marks in total, which is more than G2's and G3's 30. G2 and G3 dropped Reading Aloud when 1184 replaced 1128 in 2023.
Are the two parts of the G1 English oral linked?: No, and this is the one place G1 is explicitly the opposite of the other two. Its syllabus says the paper "comprises two parts which are not thematically linked". G2 and G3 both say their two parts "may be thematically linked".
How many marks is the G1 English oral worth?: 40 marks, 20% of the subject. The weighting is the same as G2 and G3 even though the paper is larger — marks and weightings are not proportional, and SEAB's printed figure is the one that counts.
What is the top band in the G1 Spoken Interaction?: Band 5, worth 21–25 marks out of 25. It asks the candidate to engage "by giving extended responses" — where G2 and G3 ask for a sustained discussion that sometimes moves beyond the prompts.

Last checked against the SEAB syllabus documents on 13 September 2026. This page was updated on 2026-09-13. OralPrep is not affiliated with SEAB or MOE.