Key Facts
| General SELT fee | from £200.00 |
|---|---|
| Academic SELT fee | from £200.00 |
| B1 Speaking and Listening SELT fee | from £160.00 |
| A1 and A2 Speaking and Listening SELT fee | Test fees vary by country and local currency. |
| Official result turnaround | 3 working days |
| Provisional result (A1 and A2 Speaking and Listening) | in a few minutes |
| Result validity for UK visa applications | 2 years from the date the test is awarded |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
LanguageCert is an English language test owner whose SELT (Secure English Language Test) range is approved by the Home Office for UK visa and settlement applications. The range has speaking and listening tests at A1, A2 and B1 for family, settlement and citizenship routes, and two four-skill tests, General SELT and Academic SELT, for work and study routes.
Which test you book depends on your visa route, because GOV.UK states that the level required depends on the route you are applying for. Each test is taken at an approved test centre on a computer, with a live examiner for the speaking component, and the result is a score out of 100 that maps to a CEFR level.
What is LanguageCert SELT?
LanguageCert SELT is the set of Home Office approved English tests that LanguageCert offers for UK visa applications, listed on GOV.UK as International ESOL, Academic and General SELT. LanguageCert is one of the providers approved for tests both in the UK and outside it.
The International ESOL SELT is a speaking and listening test at A1, A2 and B1. General SELT covers A2 to C1 across listening, reading, writing and speaking, and Academic SELT covers B1 to C2 across the same four skills. Your test report carries a unique reference number (URN) that you quote in the visa application.
Which LanguageCert test meets which visa purpose?
Speaking and listening tests suit routes that GOV.UK lists as needing only those two skills: Citizenship, International Sportsperson, Parent, Partner, Representative of an Overseas Business and Settlement (ILR). The four-skill routes include Skilled Worker, Student, Health and Care Worker, High Potential Individual, Innovator Founder, Minister of Religion, Scale-up Worker, Start-up and Temporary Work International Agreement.
On LanguageCert's pages, the A1 test is listed for Partner, Parent of a Dependent, Overseas Business and Sportsperson applications. The A2 test is listed for Further Leave to Remain on a Family partner or parent visa. The B1 test is listed for Family visas, settlement and citizenship.
General SELT is listed for work visas, with B1 for Overseas Domestic Worker and International Agreement temporary work, and B2 for Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Scale-up Worker, High Potential Individual, Innovator Founder and Minister of Religion. Academic SELT is listed for the Student visa, at B1 below degree level and B2 at degree level and above. Check your route's own GOV.UK guidance before booking, since it sets the level.
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Enquire about this tutorWhat is the format of the speaking and listening test?
The A1, A2 and B1 speaking and listening test is a one-to-one, computer-based test with an examiner, covering both skills in one short session. A1 lasts 8 to 9 minutes, A2 lasts 9 to 11 minutes and B1 lasts 11 to 13 minutes.
Each test has five parts. Part 1 is personal information, where you answer questions about yourself. Part 2 is a role play, where you start conversations and respond in social situations. In Part 3, you exchange information about one or more images. Listen and respond, in Part 4a, has you answer questions about a short talk. The long turn in Part 4b is a short uninterrupted talk on a topic the examiner gives you.
The pass mark on all three levels is 60 out of 100.
What is the format of the four-skill General and Academic SELT?
General SELT lasts 2 hours 22 minutes and Academic SELT lasts 2 hours 34 minutes, each with Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking papers taken on a computer at a test centre. Listening has 30 questions in four parts, with each part played twice, and Reading has 30 questions in five parts.
Writing has two tasks. In General SELT, Part 1 is 100 to 150 words in a formal or neutral register for a specified reader, and Part 2 is 150 to 200 words in an informal register. In Academic SELT, Part 1 is a 150 to 200 word report or article based on an infographic, and Part 2 is a 250 word discursive piece that persuades, argues or hypothesises.
Speaking has four parts with an interlocutor: introductions, two role plays, reading a short text aloud after 20 seconds of preparation, and a presentation followed by follow-up questions. The presentation follows 30 seconds of preparation in General SELT and one minute in Academic SELT, and lasts one to two minutes in General SELT and two minutes in Academic SELT.
- General SELT papers: Listening 35 minutes, Reading 50 minutes, Writing 45 minutes, Speaking 12 minutes
- Academic SELT papers: Listening about 40 minutes, Reading 50 minutes, Writing 50 minutes, Speaking about 14 minutes
How are results and levels reported?
Results are reported as a score out of 100, and the speaking and listening tests are passed at 60 out of 100 at A1, A2 and B1. Every test taker receives a Test Report with a score and a URN, and certificates and digital badges are awarded for scores at or above the stated threshold.
In General SELT and Academic SELT, each skill is scored separately out of 100, and the minimum for each skill is 40 for B1, 60 for B2 and 75 for C1. A level therefore depends on reaching that score in all four skills, so one weak paper can hold back the result. GOV.UK states that results are valid for 2 years from the date the test is awarded.
Can you take LanguageCert SELT online, and what ID do you need?
The LanguageCert SELT pages describe test-centre delivery only, at UKVI-approved centres, and the GOV.UK guidance does not mention online or remote testing. You should arrive 30 minutes before the start time.
GOV.UK accepts a passport, convention travel document or stateless persons travel document everywhere. In the UK, an eVisa share code is also accepted. EEA national ID cards are accepted in the country that issued them, whether you test in the UK or abroad, and outside the UK a valid photographic government ID card is accepted in its country of issue. Documents must be originals, current, carry a photo and match your booking details, and emergency travel documents are not accepted. Reasonable adjustments need to be requested when booking and 30 days before the test date.
How should you prepare for the test?
Begin with the published materials, because they show the exact task types you will meet: the Qualification Handbook, the Book of Practice Papers, the three printable practice papers, the computer-based test demo and the sample speaking test videos. Watch the assessment and marking video before you practise, so that you know what is being judged.
Then practise by part, in the order the test runs. For speaking, rehearse personal questions, role plays that start and respond to a conversation, picture description and a short uninterrupted talk, recording yourself and checking that you answered the question set. For listening, work through the practice papers once with each recording played twice, as in the real test.
Compare your answers with the writing sample answers with comments after writing to the stated word counts and for the stated reader in the four-skill tests. Finish with a full timed paper on a computer, since the test is computer-based.
Related guides
- English requirements for UK visas by route
- SELT tests explained
- B1 English test for citizenship and ILR
- English test for a spouse visa
- B2 English test for the Skilled Worker visa
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Frequently asked questions
- Is LanguageCert approved by the Home Office?
- GOV.UK lists LANGUAGECERT among the approved SELT providers, for tests both in the UK and outside it. The approved tests are International ESOL, Academic and General SELT. Tests are taken at approved test centres, so check that the test name on your booking matches one of these three before you pay.
- What if the passport number changes after booking?
- The ID you bring must match your booking details, and GOV.UK says documents must be original, current, include a photo and match what you entered when booking. A renewed passport carries a new number, so the details would no longer agree. Raise this with LanguageCert before the test day.
- Does the speaking test use a real examiner or a recording?
- The speaking and listening tests are one-to-one with a real examiner, and the Speaking paper in the four-skill tests is conducted by an interlocutor. The rest of the test is computer-based. You will therefore speak to a person, so practise answering follow-up questions as well as prepared topics.
- Is there a free resit?
- LanguageCert's pages mention a Take2 resit option and a free resit, but the A1 and A2 pages describe them differently, with one calling it a retake at a lower cost bought at booking. Confirm the current terms on the booking page before you pay, since the pages do not reconcile the two descriptions.
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