Where you can take a SELT
Only at a centre approved by the Home Office for the provider and the country. Each provider lists its own centres; GOV.UK publishes the approved list and the exact qualification titles. A test taken anywhere else is not a SELT, even from the same provider.
Trinity College London
More than 20 SELT centres across the UK, in most large cities in England and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with tests seven days a week at the busiest centres. Booking is online at Trinity's site, with slots by date, time and location. Trinity also runs GESE SELTs by video at a centre: you sit at a tablet set up by a steward, and the examiner is remote. Either way you are in an approved room with identity checks.
IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills
Run by the IELTS SELT Consortium at approved UKVI centres (British Council and IDP). Not every IELTS centre is a UKVI centre; the booking page will say "IELTS for UKVI" or "IELTS Life Skills".
LanguageCert
SELT centres in the UK plus online SELTs with live remote proctoring for some qualifications. Check that the online version of your level is on the GOV.UK list.
Pearson PTE Home and PTE Academic UKVI
Pearson SELT centres in the UK, computer-based. PTE Home (A1, A2, B1) is speaking and listening only, about 22 minutes, results usually within two days. PTE Academic UKVI is the four-skills test.
Outside the UK
The Home Office approves a separate set of centres by country. Partners applying from abroad for entry clearance take A1 at one of these. For settlement you are in the UK, but you may test abroad if you are travelling; the result is accepted if the centre is on the overseas list.
Booking well
- Book as early as you are allowed, and book a slot that leaves time for a retake before your application date. Centres fill up before rule changes.
- Use the exact name and document you will use for the immigration application. A mismatch is a refused result.
- For GESE, download and complete the Topic Form in advance. No form, no Topic phase, no pass.
- Arrive 30 minutes early. Identity checks, photographs and a security briefing come before the exam.
- Bring nothing else into the room. Phones are locked away.
On the day, Trinity GESE
You wait with a steward, show your passport or BRP, are photographed, and go into a small room with the examiner (or the tablet). The exam is recorded. The examiner is trained to be friendly and neutral and will not tell you how you did. Results appear in your online account, normally within a few working days, and the certificate follows. If you fail, you can rebook straight away, at full price.