IELTS for UK Visas: Skilled Worker, Student and IELTS for UKVI (2026)

For most UK visas you need a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider. For IELTS, that means IELTS for UKVI at an approved test centre. IELTS states that the content and scoring are identical to standard IELTS; the difference is extra security at the venue. A standard IELTS result booked at a normal centre will not work as a SELT.

IELTS for UKVI comes in Academic and General Training versions. IELTS Life Skills is a separate pass or fail test of Speaking and Listening only, used for some family and settlement routes.

As with most immigration routes, every skill must meet the level. An overall 6.5 with a 5.0 in Writing does not meet B2.

GOV.UK states that Skilled Worker applicants must show English at CEFR level B2. If you already held the visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending or updating it, B1 still applies. The same B2 level applies to Scale-up and High Potential Individual applicants.

You may not need a test if you are a national of a listed majority English-speaking country, have a UK degree taught in English, or have a non-UK degree taught in English and confirmed by Ecctis. Doctors, nurses and other professionals who passed an English assessment accepted by their regulator may also be exempt. Check the Skilled Worker knowledge of English page.

For the Student visa, courses at degree level or above need English equivalent to B2, and courses below degree level need B1. A university can assess your English itself for degree-level study, but many ask for IELTS Academic with higher scores than the visa minimum, often 6.0 to 7.0 overall. Your offer letter tells you which applies. See the Student visa English requirement.

• B2 means 5.5 in every skill, so a single weak skill is the real risk. Take a timed diagnostic before you book.
• Writing is where most candidates lose marks. Review the IELTS Writing band descriptors and practise both tasks under time.
• For Reading, learn the question types and a time plan before test day.

IELTSimulator's Reading and Writing tests use the Academic format, the same one used by IELTS for UKVI Academic, and our Listening tests match both versions.

• Book IELTS for UKVI, not standard IELTS, and check the centre is on the approved SELT list.
• Choose Academic or General Training according to your route; universities usually want Academic.
• Check the level for your route (B1, B2 or C1) and convert it to 4.0, 5.5 or 7.0 in every skill.
• Use your passport details exactly as on your visa application.
• Keep the test reference number; the Home Office uses it to check your result.

• Taking a standard IELTS test at a normal centre. It is the same exam, but it is not a SELT.
• Reading the overall band instead of each skill. B2 needs 5.5 in all four.
• Assuming the university's score is the visa's score. They are separate requirements, and the higher one applies to you.

If you will sit the test on a computer, practise on screen first: computer-based IELTS vs paper explains what changes, and IELTS Reading practice uses the same split-screen layout.

Nurses joining the NMC register need much higher scores than the visa; see IELTS for nurses. For other countries, use the IELTS score requirements by country.