UK visas
A shorter IELTS test covering speaking and listening only, used for UK family and settlement visas. With a practice exercise.
IELTS Life Skills is a Secure English Language Test, usually shortened to SELT, that assesses speaking and listening only. There is no reading paper and no writing paper. It exists for one purpose: to satisfy the English language requirement for certain UK visa routes.
It is offered at three levels, A1, A2 and B1, which correspond to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The level you need depends entirely on the visa you are applying for, not on how good your English is.
The test is taken face to face with an examiner and one other candidate. That second candidate is not a complication to work around. Talking with them is the test.
Life Skills is not marked on the nine band scale. You either pass or you do not.
What it is
None of them are about difficulty.
There is no reading and no writing. The whole test is spoken, which is why it is much shorter than standard IELTS.
Your result is reported as a pass or a fail at the level you sat. There is no 6.5 and no overall band.
You are paired with someone at a similar level. Part of the assessment is how well you talk with them, so a silent partner is a problem for both of you.
It must be taken at a centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration, in an IELTS for UKVI session. Results from anywhere else will not be accepted.
A1, A2 and B1 all exist to meet a Home Office requirement. Which one you need is set by your visa route.
If you pass, you cannot retake the same level for two years. If you do not pass, you can book again straight away.
Method
Always confirm on gov.uk before you book, because these change.
Life Skills A1. This is the entry point for most partner and family applications.
Life Skills A2. Note that A2 has historically been offered inside the UK only.
Life Skills B1. This is the settlement level, and it is a real step up from A2.
Life Skills B1, the same level as settlement. A B1 pass can normally be used for both.
Not Life Skills. Those routes need IELTS for UKVI, which includes reading and writing and is reported as band scores.
Requirements are set by the Home Office and do change. Booking the wrong level means paying for the test twice.
Practice
Five questions on how the test works and who needs it.
IELTS Life Skills tests speaking and listening only, and is reported as a pass or a fail.
IELTS for UKVI is the full four skill test at an approved centre, reported as band scores.
Family and settlement routes use Life Skills. Work and study routes use IELTS for UKVI.
1Which skills does IELTS Life Skills assess?
Speaking and listening. There is no reading paper and no writing paper, which is why the test is so much shorter than standard IELTS.
2You are applying for indefinite leave to remain. Which level do you need?
Life Skills B1. Settlement and citizenship both sit at B1. A1 and A2 are for earlier stages of the family route.
3How is your Life Skills result reported?
As a pass or a fail at the level you sat. There is no band score, so there is no benefit in scoring higher than the pass.
4Why is there another candidate in the room with you?
Because talking with them is part of the test. You are assessed on how well you engage in discussion, so you need them to talk and they need you to talk.
5You passed Life Skills B1 last year but want a higher result. What can you do?
Nothing. A pass is a pass, there is no higher grade at that level, and you cannot retake the same level for two years.
Getting this wrong is expensive, because a Life Skills result cannot be used for a work or study visa and an IELTS for UKVI result is not needed for a family visa.
If your route needs IELTS for UKVI rather than Life Skills, 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
Life Skills is a short test, but the speaking is still assessed by an examiner against fixed criteria.
If your visa route needs the full IELTS test instead, 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
A short Secure English Language Test that assesses speaking and listening only, at A1, A2 or B1. It is used to meet the English requirement for certain UK visa routes.
It is shorter and covers fewer skills, but it is not a soft option. You are assessed against fixed criteria at your level and you either pass or you do not.
A1 takes 16 to 18 minutes, A2 takes 20 minutes and B1 takes 22 minutes. All three are completed in a single session.
No. The result is a pass or a fail at the level you sat. There is no band score and no overall score.
If you do not pass, you can retake it as often as you like. If you pass, you cannot sit the same level again for two years.
Results are normally available within seven days of the test.
Full membership
A Life Skills test is over in about twenty minutes, but a fail means booking again, waiting again and paying again.
If your visa route needs the full IELTS test rather than Life Skills, 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 carries no advertising.
See what membership includes