Which type of English language test do I need?
Find out below which tests are suitable for our Pre-sessional courses.
To meet the entry requirements for our on-campus and combined Pre-sessional courses and apply for a Student Visa to travel to the UK, you will need a valid Secure English Language Test (SELT).
The following SELTs can be used to apply for the on-campus and combined Pre-sessional courses.
IELTS (Academic) for UK Visas and Immigration (IELTS for UKVI)
This is only available at certain test centres – see IELTS and the list of SELT centres.
You can take this test in the UK or overseas.
Pearson Test of English Academic UKVI (Pearson PTE UKVI)
This is only available at certain test centres – see Pearson and the list of SELT centres.
You can take this test in the UK or overseas.
LanguageCert Academic SELT (In Person)
This is only available at certain test centres - see the LanguageCert website for more information.
We can accept the In Person version of this test only. You can take this test in the UK or overseas.
Trinity ISE
This test is only available at certain test centres – see Trinity College London and the list of SELT centres.
You can only use this test if you take it in the UK. The test validity period is two calendar years.
Online Pre-sessional courses
If you are studying one of our online Pre-sessional courses you have a wider choice of English tests that can be used to meet our entry requirements:
- you can use one of the Secure English Language Tests (IELTS, Pearson (not PTE Online), LanguageCert or Trinity) as described above
- you can use the non-UKVI version of the IELTS, Pearson (not PTE online) and Trinity tests described above
- you can use a TOEFL iBT test (including Home Edition), or Oxford ELLT
TOEFL iBT and Oxford ELLT
| Online Pre-sessional Course | Minimum TOEFL iBT scores (Pre January 2026) | Minimum TOEFL iBT scores (Post January 2026) | Minimum Oxford ELLT scores |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-week | 68 overall with Writing 16*, Speaking 18, Reading 10, Listening 12 | 3.5 overall with Listening 2.0, Reading 2.0, Writing 2.5**, Speaking 2.5 | 5 overall with Writing 4***, Speaking 4, Reading 3, Listening 3 |
| 6-week (for students requiring IELTS 6.5 overall) | 78 overall with Writing 17*, Speaking 18, Reading 14, Listening 15 | 4.0 overall with Listening 2.5, Reading 2.5, Writing 3.0**, Speaking 2.5 | 6 overall with Writing 5***, Speaking 4, Reading 4, Listening 4 |
| 6-week (for students requiring IELTS 7.0 overall) | 88 overall with Writing 20, Speaking 20, Reading 18, Listening 17 | 4.5 overall with Listening 3.0, Reading 3.0, Writing 3.5, Speaking 3.0 | 7 overall with Writing 6, Speaking 5, Reading 5, Listening 5 |
| Test validity period | Two calendar years | Two calendar years | 18 months |
* for academic offers requiring 6.5 in Writing, applicants must have 17 in this sub-score to join 12 week and 20 in this sub-score to join 6 week.
** for academic offers requiring 6.5 in Writing, applicants must have 3.0 in this sub-score to join 12 week and 3.5 in this sub-score to join 6 week.
*** for academic offers requiring a 6.5 in Writing, applicants must have 5 in this sub-score to join 12 week and 6 in this sub-score to join 6 week.
Secure your place on one of our 6, 12 or 20 week courses now.
