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English language entry requirements

If your first language is not English, you will need to prove you meet the minimum English language

requirements before you would be accepted to study at academic level in the UK. International

students (non-EU students) have to meet the requirements set by theUK Border Agency approved

testin order to obtain your Tier 4 student visa. If your first language is not English but undertaking

your studies in English, contact the university and they would be able to advise you if you are

excluded or not from this requirement.

Universities and Colleges require different test score and this also depends on the course you have

chosen to study. Courses like medicine, journalism and law require higher scores. The most common

English qualifications are IELTS, TOEFL and Cambridge ESOL.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic)

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is one of the most popular tests amongstudents who apply to universities and colleges in the UK. It comprises of four parts: reading, writing,

listening and speaking and last for just under three hours. Each individual part is scored from 1.0 to

9.0 with an overall grade for all four parts. Your test result is available thirteen days from the day

you take the test. IELTS can be taken at centres around the world. Find centres in your country on

the IELTS website. IELTS test certificate are valid for two years after the test date.

IELTS Academic or IELTS General

If you intend to study in an English speaking university at undergraduate or postgraduate level, the

IELTS academic is what you need to take while IELTS General is for those going to English speakingcountries to do secondary education, work experience or training programs.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

There are two formats to this test, TOEFL Internet Based Test (iBT) and Paper Based Test (PBT). The

internet based test is administered via the internet and consists of four sections: reading, writing,

listening and speaking with individual score for each section ranging from 0 to 31 plus an overall

score ranging from 0 to 120 and last for four hours. The paper based test is available for centres

without internet connection and has same four sections like the iBT. The score for the individual

section ranges from 31 to 68 with an overall range of 310 to 677.

The test certificate is valid for two years after the test date and results are received five weeks after

taking the test. Test centres in your country can be found on TOEFL website.

Cambridge English Advanced (CAE) / Proficiency (CPE)

Cambridge English Language Assessment

This test was known before 2013 as Cambridge ESOL and comes in two formats, paper based test

and computer based test. It has five sections comprising of reading, writing, use of English, listening

and speaking and graded from A (basic user), B (independent user) to C (proficient user). The test

last for four hours and forty minutes. Paper based test results can be viewed online 6 weeks after

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/new-approved-english-tests.pdfhttp://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/new-approved-english-tests.pdfhttp://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/new-approved-english-tests.pdfhttp://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/new-approved-english-tests.pdfhttp://www.ielts.org/http://www.ielts.org/http://www.ets.org/toefl/http://www.ets.org/toefl/http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/http://www.ets.org/toefl/http://www.ielts.org/http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/new-approved-english-tests.pdfhttp://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/new-approved-english-tests.pdf

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the exam date and a paper certificate received after 2 months while the computer based test can be

viewed online within 3 weeks after the exam date with a paper certificate sent within 1 month. Test

centres can be found on Cambridge English Language Assessment website

Universities own English Language Test

Majority of universities and colleges in the UK also organise their own independent English Language

test. Students are advised to contact the university where they intend to study to find out if they

quality for this test. European Union (EU) students can take this test but international student (Non

EU) cannot sit this test due to conditions set by the UK Border Agency when applying for their Tier 4

student visa.

Why is IELTS and TOEFL certificate valid for just 2 year while Cambridge English certificates do not

have expiry date?

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