Greetings students of the world in this video I'm going to look at English
language requirements for study in the UK and talk about the different options
that you have available to you to show your knowledge to the English language
without necessarily taking an IELTS test
Hello again, Jack here from Cardiff Met International to talk about all things
English language when thinking about coming to study in the UK. Now wherever
you are with your research into coming to study at a university in the UK, I
would say it's safe to say that you're aware that you will need a certain level
of English to study here. The majority of university courses in the UK are taught
in English so you will need to be able to demonstrate your level of English
language. I'd also say there's a good chance you've heard of the IELTS test, the
most widely used and recognized test to demonstrate English language ability
However with all of the requirements preparations and costs involved in coming
to study in the UK, I understand that you don't necessarily want to have to
take another test unless you really have to. So in this video I'll be talking
about some of the other options that you have available to you alongside an
introduction to English language requirements for UK universities. I'll be
talking about general English language requirements for study in the UK however
some examples will be specific to Cardiff Metropolitan University so I'll
make sure I make this clear throughout. If this is your first time watching a Cardiff
Met International UK study video I'll make sure I point you towards some
other useful content towards the end of the video. Now I'm going to break this
video down into two sections. Firstly the level of English language you will
require and why you will need it followed by the different ways you can
demonstrate your level of English to a UK university and in some cases why you
might not need to. If you want to skip the first section and learn more about
qualifications and exemptions you can look at the timestamp shortcuts below in
the description and go straight to the section that is relevant to you. I won't
be offended. So why do you need to show your level of English when you apply to
a UK University as an international student. Almost all courses in the UK are
delivered in English. You need to have a sufficient level of English to be able
to complete your course. You need to be able to take part in classes and
discussions and to submit assessments such as coursework and exams. This is why
the English language requirement of your course is part of the academic
requirement. However as well as being part of the academic requirement, your
English language level is also part of your visa requirement. The UK Government
requires that when you apply for a Tier four student visa the
university that you are going to be studying at has checked your level of
English language. They will ask for university to confirm this as part of
supporting your visa. But what level of English language do you actually need to
have and how is it measured? UK universities use a system called the
Common European Framework of Reference for languages or CEFR. This framework
is a guideline used to describe language proficiency. For the sake of study in the
UK all you need to know is that in most cases the required level for study at
degree level is Upper Intermediate referred to as B2 level. Having an
English language level of B2 means you can do the following: Can understand the
main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics including
technical discussions in your field of specialization. Can interact with a
degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native
speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce
clear detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a
topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. Your
University will need evidence that you have this level of English in four key
areas: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. However what it really comes
down to is what your level of English is good enough for the course that you have
applied to - which seems sensible to me. It's worth noting at this point that if
you are planning on studying at below degree level for example an
International Foundation Programme, the required level of English will be a
slightly lower Intermediate level referred to as B1. There are slightly
different rules around demonstrating B1 level which I'll mention in the next
section. So now that you know roughly the level of English you require and why you
need it, how can you evidence your level of
English to the University you are applying for. In this section I'm going
to look a common English language tests, different High School Qualifications,
exemptions, and finally a few other options that may be relevant to some
international students. Your first option is a Secure English Language Test or a
SELT. A Secure English Language Test is a test which is approved by the UK
Government as well as UK universities. If you are applying for an International
Foundation programme or below degree level
this is your only option to demonstrate your B1 level of English
The most common SELT is the IELTS test. The majority of both undergraduate and
postgraduate courses a Cardiff Met require an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with
at least 5.5 in reading, writing, speaking and listening. You must have achieved
this IELTS score no more in two years before starting at university. A small
number of courses Cardiff Met may require a slightly higher IELTS score. In fact
every University will have a slightly different score requirement so it's best
to check before you start preparing if you're planning on taking an IELTS test
If you are taking an IELTS test for an International Foundation Programme to show
that B1 level of English you'll need to make sure that you sign up to take the
UKVI IELTS test. Another SELT option is the
Trinity College London ISE level 3. However this test is currently only
available to take here in the UK. There are several other English language
tests that may be accepted by UK universities for degree level study. This
includes the Pearsons PTE, Cambridge English C1 Advanced and the TOEFL. I'll include a
link from a description to more information about the required score for
each of these tests. Cardiff MET also offers its own English language test in
some countries called the GETS test. Again, I'll link to more information about
the GETS tests in the information below. Next up is high school qualifications. A
number of education systems across the world are either taught in English or have
English language as a subject. Many UK universities will accept these
qualifications as evidence of your English language level. If you are using
your High School Qualification as your English language evidence you may also
be asked to have an English language interview with the University you are applying
to. This is just a check but you have the right level of English when it comes
to speaking and listening. These tend to be informal interviews conducted over
the phone or by video chat. If you need such an interview the university that
you are applying to would let you know. At Cardiff Metropolitan University we will
include this on your offer letter. Right it's time to list some of the main
examples of High School Qualifications that may be accepted. Students from India
can use their 12th certificate. At Cardiff Met we require 65 percent or above in
English. If your English score was given out of 200 we'll convert this to a
percentage. Students from a number of African countries can use their English
score from their High School Certificate. For the West African WAEC, Botswana, Kenya,
Uganda and Zimbabwe a grade C or above is required. For South Africa or Zambia
it's 5 or above. Students from Malaysia can use their SPM 1119 with a grade C or
above. Students from Hong Kong can use HKDSE English score of 4 or above.
Students from many countries that have studied an English GCSE iGCSE or O-Level
with C or above can use this to show about English language level. A U.S.
High School Diploma with Advanced Placement studied outside of the U.S.
may also be accepted in some cases. Next up is a few exemptions. If you can
evidence that you meet any of the following criteria you will not have to
provide any further English language evidence. You have already successfully
obtained an academic qualification from a UK University which is a bachelor's
degree or above. You are a national of one of the following English speaking
countries or have studied an undergraduate or postgraduate degree there:
Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, United States of America,
English speaking Canada, and a number of Caribbean countries. I'll put a full list
in the description below. Lastly you are already a UK passport
holder. This makes life really easy. So finally what if you don't quite have the
required level of English when it comes to making your application. You may be
able to take a Pre-Sessional English course, we offer several of these at
Cardiff Metropolitan University. These courses are designed to lead into an
academic course at the University and get your English up to the required
level. I'll be making another video about English language courses in the future
so make sure you keep an eye out if it's of interest. There we have it if you've
stuck with me through this video I'm hopeful that you'll have a good
understanding of English language requirements to study in the UK. Also you
should hopefully have an idea of the best option for you. If it has been
useful please do give me a like so that I know that it's been helpful.
If you are looking for study options in the UK make sure you watch my videos
about Cardiff Metropolitan University and also make sure that you subscribe to
our YouTube channel so that you can find out when I release more videos full of
tips, advice and guidance for coming to study in the UK, and as always if you
have any questions, comments or suggestions please just let me know in
the comments below. But for now thanks for watching and
hopefully we'll welcome you to Cardiff Met one day soon.
Bye bye!