Guide · Last updated 22 September 2026
IELTS for the UK Visa
What each UK route asks of your English in 2026, when a standard IELTS is enough and when it has to be IELTS for UKVI, the rise to B2 for work visas, and the NMC rules for nurses, including the two-sitting route.
What level does each route need?
| Route | Level | IELTS for UKVI equivalent | Which test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student visa, degree level or above | CEFR B2 | 5.5 in each skill | Standard IELTS Academic if a degree-level Higher Education Provider assesses you itself; otherwise IELTS for UKVI |
| Student visa, below degree level | CEFR B1 | 4.0 in each skill | A Secure English Language Test such as IELTS for UKVI |
| Skilled Worker, new application from 8 January 2026 | CEFR B2 | 5.5 in each skill | IELTS for UKVI (Academic or General Training), or a degree or GCSE route |
| Skilled Worker, extending a visa held before 8 January 2026 | CEFR B1 | 4.0 in each skill | As above |
| Health and Care Worker | B2 new, B1 extending | 5.5 or 4.0 in each | Exempt if the regulator (NMC, GMC and others) has assessed your English |
| Family, settlement and citizenship | A1, A2 or B1 Speaking and Listening | IELTS Life Skills | IELTS Life Skills at a UKVI centre |
The CEFR to IELTS mapping is the one in gov.uk's list of approved tests taken outside the UK: B1 is 4.0 in each component, B2 5.5, C1 7.0, C2 8.5. Read on 22 September 2026.
Standard IELTS or IELTS for UKVI?
The test is the same; the difference is that IELTS for UKVI is taken at a centre approved by the Home Office, with extra identity checks and a result the Home Office can verify. You need it when the rules require a Secure English Language Test: a Student visa below degree level, a Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa without a degree or GCSE route, and settlement. You do not need it when a degree-level university assesses your English itself, which most do, and a standard IELTS Academic is what they ask for. Booking UKVI when the university did not ask costs more (৳34,850 against ৳31,100 in Bangladesh, ₹19,250 against ₹19,000 in India) and buys nothing. Booking standard when the route needed UKVI means sitting the test again.
Nurses and midwives: the NMC rules
| Rule | What the NMC says |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 7.0 in Listening, Reading and Speaking, 6.5 in Writing |
| OET | B in Listening, Reading and Speaking, C+ in Writing |
| Validity | Two years |
| Combining two sittings | Two sittings of the same test within twelve months, all four sections both times; the required scores reached in at least one, and never below 6.5 in Listening, Reading and Speaking or 6.0 in Writing in either |
| One Skill Retake | Not accepted: individual domains cannot be taken or retaken separately |
| A near miss | A shortfall of no more than 0.5 (or half an OET grade) can be supplemented by supporting information from an employer where you have worked in a health or care setting |
The Writing paper at 6.5 is where most nursing candidates fall short, and the two-sitting route exists for exactly that: a first sitting with 7.0 in three papers and 6.0 in Writing, then a second within twelve months where Writing reaches 6.5 while nothing drops below the floors. Practise Writing to a stable 6.5 before the first sitting and the second is rarely needed.
What counts as a Secure English Language Test?
The gov.uk list, last updated 21 September 2026, names four providers in the UK (Trinity College London, the IELTS SELT Consortium, LanguageCert and Pearson) and four outside it (PSI Services, the IELTS SELT Consortium, LanguageCert and Pearson). The tests are IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills, LanguageCert's SELT range, PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home, Skills for English UKVI, and Trinity's ISE and GESE. TOEFL and Duolingo are not Secure English Language Tests, whatever a university accepts for admission.
Frequently asked questions
What IELTS score do I need for a UK Student visa?
Degree level or above: CEFR B2, which is IELTS for UKVI 5.5 in each of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Below degree level: B1, which is 4.0 in each. A university that is a Higher Education Provider teaching at degree level may assess your English itself and accept a standard IELTS Academic; if it does not, or your course is below degree level, you need a Secure English Language Test such as IELTS for UKVI.
What English level does a Skilled Worker visa need now?
B2, which is 5.5 in each component of IELTS for UKVI, for applications made from 8 January 2026. Someone who held the visa before 8 January 2026 and is extending or updating it needs B1, 4.0 in each. The same applies to the Health and Care Worker visa. You can prove it with a GCSE or A level, a UK degree, an English-taught foreign degree confirmed by Ecctis, or a Secure English Language Test; nationals of listed majority-English countries are exempt.
Do nurses and doctors need IELTS for UKVI?
Not for the visa, if their regulator has already assessed their English. Appendix English Language of the Immigration Rules exempts a doctor, dentist, nurse, midwife or veterinarian sponsored to work in that role who has passed an English assessment accepted by the professional body. For nurses that means the NMC’s IELTS Academic or OET requirement, taken at any centre.
What IELTS score does the NMC require for nurses?
IELTS Academic with 7.0 in Listening, Reading and Speaking and 6.5 in Writing, or OET with B in Listening, Reading and Speaking and C+ in Writing. Scores are valid for two years. You may combine two sittings taken within twelve months of each other, tested in all four sections both times, provided you score at least 6.5 in Listening, Reading and Speaking and at least 6.0 in Writing in both. A shortfall of no more than 0.5 can sometimes be supplemented by supporting information from an employer.
Can I use One Skill Retake for a UK visa?
ielts.org states that UK Visas and Immigration accepts IELTS One Skill Retake. It has to be taken on computer at a UKVI centre like the original. The NMC does not accept a single-domain retake for registration, so nurses need the full test or the two-sitting route.
Which tests count as a Secure English Language Test?
On the gov.uk list updated 21 September 2026: IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills (IELTS SELT Consortium), LanguageCert International ESOL, Academic and General SELT, PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home (Pearson), Skills for English UKVI (PSI, outside the UK) and Trinity ISE and GESE (UK only). TOEFL and Duolingo are not on the list.
What is IELTS Life Skills?
A Speaking and Listening test at A1, A2 or B1 for family, settlement and citizenship routes, where no Reading or Writing is needed. It is a separate booking from IELTS for UKVI and costs less: ৳24,750 in Bangladesh, ₹18,000 in India, PKR 53,000 in Pakistan.
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