What the LanguageCert B1 test is
LanguageCert (written LANGUAGECERT on GOV.UK since 2024) is one of the four Home Office approved SELT providers in the UK and one of the four abroad. Its speaking-and-listening test is called LANGUAGECERT International ESOL SELT and runs at A1, A2 and B1. The B1 version is approved for settlement (before 26 March 2027 on every route, after it on the BN(O), Armed Forces and Domestic Worker routes) and for British citizenship.
LanguageCert also sells four-skills SELTs. Since 6 July 2025 these are LANGUAGECERT Academic SELT and LANGUAGECERT General SELT, which replaced the old four-skills ESOL SELT; GOV.UK notes that an old four-skills result stays valid for its two years. Nobody needs a four-skills test for settlement or citizenship. Book the speaking-and-listening test at B1.
Format: computer-based, five parts, a live examiner
The test is taken on a computer at an approved centre, but you talk to a real person: an interlocutor on screen. It is the shortest of the four B1 tests after Trinity's, 11 to 13 minutes, in five parts:
| Part | What you do |
|---|---|
| 1 Personal information | answer questions about yourself: work, home, family, plans |
| 2 Role play | start a conversation in an everyday situation the examiner sets, and respond |
| 3 Exchanging information | look at a picture or set of pictures and talk about them with the examiner |
| 4a Listen and respond | listen to a short talk and answer questions on it |
| 4b Long turn | speak without interruption on a topic the examiner gives you |
The A1 test (8 to 9 minutes) and the A2 test (9 to 11 minutes) have the same five parts at a lower level.
Scoring
LanguageCert gives a mark out of 100. 60 is the pass mark for UK visa purposes. Speaking is marked by trained human markers, not software. Provisional results appear within minutes of finishing; the official result comes in 3 working days with a Candidate URN, the reference number the Home Office checks online.
Price and the free resit
LanguageCert quotes "from" prices by country. In the UK the speaking-and-listening SELT has been listed from about £160, in line with Trinity's £160 and PTE Home's £170. The international site shows from US$200. The unusual feature is Take2: a free resit included in the fee if you fail. Trinity sells the same thing as Exam Protect for £35 on top; IELTS and Pearson do not offer it. For a candidate who is borderline, Take2 makes LanguageCert the cheapest realistic path to a pass.
Book on languagecert.org in the exact name on your passport and bring the original document on the day. Test centres are in the UK and in more than 100 countries, so this is also one of the options for people applying from abroad.
Who LanguageCert suits
Choose it if you want a short test with a human on the other end but prefer the predictability of a fixed five-part structure to Trinity's open conversation. The role play and the picture task are skills you can practise to a pattern. The free resit removes the fear of losing the fee.
Avoid it if you find speaking to a screen uncomfortable even with a person on it, or if you want to steer the exam towards a subject you know well. LanguageCert gives you the topics; Trinity lets you bring one.
LanguageCert B1 against Trinity GESE Grade 5
| LanguageCert SELT B1 | Trinity GESE Grade 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 11 to 13 min | 10 min |
| Format | computer, examiner on screen, five fixed parts | tablet at the centre, examiner on video, two phases |
| Prepared topic | no | yes, your own Topic Form |
| Listening task | a recorded talk with questions | live conversation only |
| Pass mark | 60/100 | A to D per phase; one D with a C in the other phase still passes, two Ds fail |
| Resit | free (Take2) | £35 extra (Exam Protect) |
| Result | provisional in minutes, official in 3 working days | provisional by 9am next day |
| Abroad | yes | no |
How to practise
For Part 2, practise starting conversations: "Excuse me, could you tell me when the next bus leaves?" and then dealing with the reply. For Part 3, describe a photo out loud for a minute: who, where, what is happening, what you think about it. For Part 4b, pick everyday topics (a place you like, a typical weekend, a job you would like) and talk for a minute without stopping. The grammar is the same B1 whichever test you book: full sentences, reasons, the past simple, the present perfect and plans. The free AI examiner here runs B1 conversation subjects and grades you on Trinity's scale, which tells you whether the level is there before you book.
No speaking-and-listening test at B2
LanguageCert's B2 SELTs are four-skills tests (Academic SELT and General SELT). There is no speaking-and-listening SELT at B2 from LanguageCert as of October 2026, so for the B2 settlement requirement from 26 March 2027 the only such test announced is Trinity's GESE Grade 7. See what you can book today.
