GUIDE TO SECURE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTS FOR PEOPLE MAKING AN
IMMIGRATION APPLICATION
If you would like to come and study at City College Norwich as a Tier 4 Student, you may need to pass a Secure
English Language Test first. The following information will help you understand the rules. Approved tests (known as
Secure English language tests, or SELTS) must be taken in person in a secure environment. The UK Visas and
Immigration Service decides which tests are approved and the minimum English level required.
Do I have to take a Secure English Test for academic courses?
If you want to study an academic course for 6 months or more, the UK Visas & Immigration Service will require you to
take a test unless:



You are under 18 and coming to study in the UK on a Tier 4 (Child) Student Visa;
You are over 18, but you have studied as a child student in the UK for at least 6 months within the last
two years;
You are from one of the following countries, which the UK Visas & Immigration Service considers to be
majority English speaking: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada,
Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Trinidad
and Tobago, United States;
What tests are approved by the UK Visas & Immigration Service?
The rules, which changed on 6th April 2015, are summarised below:


From 6 April 2015, students outside the UK must take an IELTS (Academic) Test at a test centre
operated by the IELTS SELT Consortium. If you take any other IELTS test, it will not be accepted.
International students inside the UK can take an IELTS test or one of the following tests offered by
Trinity College London: Integrated Skills in English Test or Graded Examinations in Spoken English.
Trinity operates a small number of approved test centres at cities in the UK. Please see links below.
The link to the Home Office list of approved centres worldwide (6th April 2015) is below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/421685/april_2015_approved_sec
ure_english_language_tests_and_test_centres_v3_0.pdf
The nearest to City College Norwich are


Trinity
College
London
IELTS SELT
Consortium


58509
GBS03


Trinity
Peterboroug
h SELT
Centre
British
Council,
Chelmsford


Stuart House, East Wing, St John’s
Street, Peterborough PE1 5DD
01733 222814
Anglia Ruskin University, Bishop Hall
Lane, Chelmsford CM1 1SQ
0161 957 7755
Transitional Arrangements
IELTS, Cambridge ESOL and Pearson PTE tests taken on or before 5 April 2015 can be used to apply for a student
visa until 5 November 2015. Cambridge ESOL and Pearson PTE are no longer approved after this date. The
TOEFL Test is not accepted at all, regardless of when the test was taken.
What test score will I need to achieve?
TO STUDY AT CITY COLLEGE NORWICH WE ASK YOU TO MEET OUR ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS OF IELTS SCORE OF
6.0 OVERALL, WITH A MINIMUM OF 5.5 IN EACH ELEMENT, OR TRINITY COLLEGE SCORE OF ISE II
This document was reviewed in April 2015 and will be reviewed and updated as UKVI Sponsor Guidance changes.
When should I sit my Secure English language test?
As the English language qualification is part of our academic entry requirements for international applicants, you will
need to pass your secure English test before you will be given an unconditional offer of a place on your course. City
College Norwich will only provide a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies for the Home Office when we have
confirmation that you have passed the required Secure English Language Test.
SELT test requirements for other visa applications
Please see the list below to find out what SELT level is required for Tier 4 students visas and other immigration
applications such as Indefinite leave to remain and British Citizenship.
Visa description
CEFR level required
Skills required
Trinity test required
Tier 4 (General )
student visa all
levels City College
requirements
Family, Spouse or
partner visa
Indefinite leave to
remain (settlement)
or British Citizenship
Tier 1 (General) visa
B2
Speaking, Listening,
Reading, Writing
ISE II
IELTS UKVI test and
score required
6.0 overall and 5.5 in
each of the 4
elements
A1
Speaking, Listening
GESE Grade 2
Life Skills at A1 pass
B1
Speaking, Listening
GESE Grade 5
Life Skills at B1 pass
C1
ISE III
Tier 1
(Entrepreneur) and
(Graduate
Entrepreneur) visa
Tier 2 (General) visa
B1
Speaking, Listening,
Reading, Writing
Speaking, Listening,
Reading, Writing
7.0 overall and in
each element
4.0 overall and in
each of the four
elements
B1
Speaking, Listening,
Reading, Writing
ISE I
Tier 2 (Minister of
Religion) visa
B2
Speaking, Listening,
Reading, Writing
ISE II
Tier 2
(Sportsperson) visa
A1
Speaking, Listening,
Reading, Writing
ISE 0
ISE I
4.0 overall and in
each of the four
elements
5.5 overall and in
each of the 4
elements
4.0 overall and in
each of the four
elements
To book your test please follow the links:
Trinity College London:
https://englishexamcentres.co.uk/register.html?ebid=&vid=&eid=19&lid=48&date=Exam+Session+Date&sps=20
IELTS test centres:
http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/ielts-ukvi
PLEASE NOTE THAT IMMIGRATION RULES CHANGE FREQUENTLY, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHECK THE POLICY
GUIDANCE AT THE TIME OF MAKING THE APPLICATION. If you have any further queries please contact the
International Adviser, The Advice Shop City College Norwich Ipswich Road Norwich Norfolk NR2 2LJ. Tel +44
(0)1603 773483 Email information@ccn.ac.uk.
This document was reviewed in April 2015 and will be reviewed and updated as UKVI Sponsor Guidance changes.