Band scores
What IELTS for UKVI is, when you need it, and the levels each visa asks for. With a practice exercise.
IELTS for UK visas is the same test as ordinary IELTS in content and marking. The difference is administrative: it must be taken at a centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration, and the certificate carries a unique reference number that the Home Office can verify.
This version is called IELTS for UKVI, and it is a Secure English Language Test, usually shortened to SELT. Booking the standard test by mistake is a costly error, because the result cannot be used for the visa and the test must be taken again.
What it is
Six differences, none of them about the questions.
The questions, timing, format and band scale are identical to standard IELTS. Nothing about the difficulty changes.
It must be taken at a centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration. Not every IELTS centre is approved, so check before booking.
The certificate carries a number the Home Office can verify. That is the whole reason the separate version exists.
Both are available as UKVI versions. Which you need depends on the visa, not on the UKVI label.
UKVI versions are more expensive than the standard test, because of the additional security and verification.
IELTS Life Skills tests only speaking and listening, at A1, A2 or B1. It is used for family and settlement visas.
Method
Six common routes. Always confirm on gov.uk before booking.
CEFR B1, which is 4.0 in each of the four skills. General Training UKVI is normally accepted.
CEFR B2. Universities usually ask for 5.5 to 6.5 in each skill, and many set higher requirements than the minimum.
CEFR B1, which is 4.0 in each skill, taken as IELTS for UKVI.
IELTS Life Skills at A1 for a partner visa, A2 for extension, or B1 for settlement and citizenship. These test speaking and listening only.
B1 as a minimum, but professional registration bodies such as the NMC often require 7.0, which is considerably higher.
A university can require more than the visa does. Meeting the Home Office minimum does not guarantee you meet your course requirement.
Practice
Decide what each candidate needs.
IELTS for UKVI is the same test taken at an approved centre with a verifiable certificate.
IELTS Life Skills is a shorter test covering speaking and listening only, used for family and settlement routes.
Booking the wrong one means taking the test again.
1You are applying for a Skilled Worker visa. What level do you need?
B1, which is 4.0 in each of the four skills. Note that your employer or professional body may require considerably more.
2You are applying to a UK university for a degree course. What do you need?
IELTS for UKVI Academic. The content is identical to standard Academic, but it must be taken at a UKVI-approved centre.
3You are applying for a partner visa and need to prove basic speaking and listening. Which test?
IELTS Life Skills A1. It tests only speaking and listening, which is all the family route requires at that stage.
4What is the difference between IELTS and IELTS for UKVI?
Only the centre and the certificate. The test itself is identical in content, timing and marking.
5You booked standard IELTS and scored 7.0. Can you use it for a student visa?
No. The Home Office requires a Secure English Language Test. A standard IELTS result cannot be used, whatever the score.
Check with the university or the visa route before you pay, because booking the wrong version means sitting the test again at full price.
The complete IELTS course on IELTStestONLINE has video lessons on every question type, many more exercises like this one, and your own support tutor you can ask when an answer does not make sense. Take a look at the complete course
Requirements are easy to look up. Whether you will reach 6.5 in writing is the harder question.
IELTStestONLINE keeps every score you get in one place, gives you an estimated band as you work, and assesses your writing and speaking against the four criteria so you can see where you stand before test day. See what full membership includes
The same IELTS test taken at a centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration, with a certificate carrying a reference number the Home Office can verify.
No. The questions, timing, format and marking are identical. Only the centre and the certificate differ.
No. The Home Office requires a Secure English Language Test, so a standard IELTS result cannot be used however high the score.
A shorter test covering speaking and listening only, at A1, A2 or B1. It is used for family, extension and settlement routes rather than work or study.
CEFR B2 for degree-level study, which universities usually express as 5.5 to 6.5 in each skill. Individual courses often ask for more.
Full membership
Booking the right version takes a phone call. Reaching the band your course requires is the part worth preparing for.
IELTStestONLINE assesses your writing and speaking against the four IELTS criteria, instantly and as often as you like, using a system built by a former IELTS examiner and examiner trainer. It keeps every score in one place with an estimated band, and it carries no advertising.
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