UK visas
The entry level test for UK family visas. Sixteen to eighteen minutes, speaking and listening only. With a practice exercise.
IELTS Life Skills A1 is the entry level of the Life Skills test. It takes 16 to 18 minutes and covers speaking and listening only. It is the level most commonly required for a family of a settled person visa, further leave to remain.
A1 is a low level, but low does not mean trivial. You are expected to hold a short conversation about everyday subjects with another candidate, understand simple spoken instructions and questions, and give basic information about yourself.
The examiner is looking for evidence that you can actually communicate, not that you can produce perfect grammar. Short, clear, relevant answers pass. Silence does not.
Focus
Three abilities, all of them spoken.
You need to understand simple spoken language, including short narratives, statements, questions and single step instructions.
You need to give basic information, feelings and opinions on familiar topics such as family, work, shopping and where you live.
You need to hold a conversation with the other candidate in a familiar situation about familiar topics.
Personal details, family and friends, buying things, work, health, leisure, education, transport and housing. Nothing abstract.
You can write notes while you listen to the recording. The examiner does not mark your notes.
Nothing you write is assessed. Only your speaking and listening count.
Method
Ten functions, all of them things you already do in your own language.
Saying what something is like. A picture, a place, a routine, a person.
Where you live, who you live with, what you do, how long you have been here.
Saying what you think and which of two things you would rather have, with a short reason.
Putting a question to the other candidate and listening to the answer. This one is easy to forget under pressure.
Responding to what the other candidate has said rather than talking past them.
Giving a reason, making a choice, or proposing something to the other candidate.
Practice
Five questions on the A1 format and what it expects.
Can you communicate? Not can you produce perfect English.
A short, relevant, clearly delivered answer passes. A long, complicated, half finished one often does not.
The other candidate is not your competition. If they stop talking, the assessment gets harder for both of you.
1How long does the Life Skills A1 test take?
16 to 18 minutes. A2 takes 20 minutes and B1 takes 22, so A1 is the shortest of the three.
2Which UK visa route most commonly requires Life Skills A1?
Family of a settled person. Settlement needs B1, and work and study routes need IELTS for UKVI rather than Life Skills.
3You do not understand a question the examiner asks. What should you do?
Ask them to repeat it. Asking for clarification is normal communication and is not penalised. Silence is, because the examiner has nothing to assess.
4Which of these topics would NOT appear in an A1 test?
Government economic policy. A1 topics are everyday and personal. Abstract discussion belongs at B1 and above, and even then it stays practical.
5Can you make notes while you listen to the recording?
Yes, and they are not marked. Notes are there to help you answer. Only your speaking and listening are assessed.
A1 is enough for the visa, but it is not enough to study, work comfortably or move on to the next stage of a family application without more preparation.
If you are heading towards the full IELTS test later, the complete course on IELTStestONLINE covers every question type in all four skills, with video lessons and a support tutor you can ask when an answer does not make sense. Take a look at the complete course
A1 is the shortest test of the three, but a fail still means booking again and waiting again.
If your next step is the full IELTS test, IELTStestONLINE assesses your writing and speaking against the four IELTS criteria and keeps every score in one place with an estimated band. See what full membership includes
A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference, which is the beginner level. It covers basic everyday communication about familiar topics.
It is most commonly required for a family of a settled person visa, further leave to remain. Always confirm your own route on gov.uk before booking.
16 to 18 minutes, taken in one session with an examiner and one other candidate.
No. The test covers speaking and listening only. You may write notes while you listen, but they are not marked.
By showing you can obtain information, convey information, speak to communicate and engage in discussion. Short, clear, relevant answers do that. Silence does not.
Full membership
Most people who sit A1 will need A2 or B1 later, as their family application moves through its stages.
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.
See what membership includesQuick question, 10 seconds
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