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English language requirements

To study with us, all home, EU and overseas applicants must demonstrate they meet the required English language competency level for their chosen course.

We have two English language attainment levels:

Standard
Higher

See our course pages to find out whether you will need to meet the standard or higher level for your chosen course.

Find your course

The requirements for meeting the standard or higher level are explained below – see 'Tests we accept' and 'English language qualifications we accept'.

How to meet our English language requirement

There are a number of different ways to demonstrate that you meet the relevant English language proficiency for your course.

You only need to do one of the following:

Achieve the minimum score in one of the tests or qualifications we accept – see below
Show that you are exempt from our English language requirements – see English language exemption for details
Pass the Imperial College London Pre-Sessional English Programme*

*Applicable for postgraduate students only

The Business School no longer offers its own pre-sessional courses, or recognises other pre-sessional courses, as a means of meeting the English language requirement. If you have any questions about this, please contact the Business School directly.

The Imperial College London does not accept award of a transnational joint degree with exempted countries as a means of meeting the university’s English language requirement.

English language exemption

You may not need to prove your English speaking knowledge if you have completed a qualification that is equivalent to a UK degree from certain countries. To find out more about this exemption, see English language exemptions for details.

Upgrade your academic language and communication skills

If you have already met the English language requirement, but want to boost your academic language so that you can communicate more confidently and effectively, we offer the Imperial College London 3-week Pre-sessional and Orientation course. The course empowers participants to speak and write about their science in a compelling, impactful way as part of a vibrant learning community.

Imperial College London Doctoral Academic Communication Requirement

After meeting the relevant English language requirement for entry to a doctoral programme at Imperial, all doctoral students must also fulfil the Imperial College London Doctoral Academic Communication Requirement (DACR).

Find out more about Imperial College London Doctoral Academic Communication Requirement (DACR).

Student visa – proving your English language proficiency

If you need a student visa to study with us, you will need to prove your English language proficiency.

You can prove your knowledge of English by demonstrating to us that you have:

completed one of our accepted English language tests (see below); and
achieved the relevant standard for your course.

We will confirm this in your Confirmation for Acceptance of Studies (CAS) – this is an electronic document that generates a reference number you need to be able to apply for your student visa. This number confirms to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) that we wish to sponsor your study in the UK.

Accepted English language tests and qualifications

Here are all of the English language tests and qualifications that we accept for entry to undergraduate and postgraduate study.

You only need to meet the relevant standard in one of the following.

Duolingo English Test

Standard Level	Higher Level
115 overall with no less than 105 in any band score	125 overall with no less than 115 in any band score
*Test scores are only considered valid if taken within 2 years of the intended course start date.

IELTS – Academic (Test-Centre/UKVI SELT/Online)

Summary **of the table's contents**
Standard	Higher
6.5 overall (minimum 6.0 in all elements)	7.0 overall (minimum 6.5 in all elements)

LanguageCert International ESOL

Standard level	Higher level
ESOL B2 Test (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) with grade High Pass	ESOL C1 (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) with grade pass in all components

Occupational English Test

Standard Level	Higher Level
Grade C+/300 in all elements	Grade B/350 in all elements
Test results must be within 12 months of programme start date in order to be treated as valid and subject to online verification. OET Paper/Computer at test centre and OET@Home accepted.

PTE – Academic (Test-Centre/UKVI SELT)

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
62 overall (minimum 56 in all elements)	69 overall (minimum 62 in all elements)

TOEFL (iBT) and (iBT Paper)

Summary of the **table's contents**
Standard	Higher
92 overall (minimum 20 in all elements)	100 overall (minimum 22 in all elements)

Trinity College London: Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III

Standard	Higher
Pass in all skills	Merit in all skills

Trinity College London: Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level IV

Standard	Higher
Pass in all skills	Pass in all skills

AS Level/A-level

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Grade C in English Language*	Grade C in English Language*

Australia Territory High School Certificate (HSC)

Territory High School Certificate (HSC)
Territory	Standard Grade*	Higher Grade*
Australian Capital Territory	C	C
New South Wales	4	4
Northern Territory	C	C
Queensland	SA / C	SA / C
South Australia	C	C
Tasmania	CA	CA
Victoria	C in all units	C in all units
Western Australia	C	C

Baccalauréat Français International (BFI)

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Grade 12 in English in the final examinations*	Grade 12 in English in the final examinations*

Cambridge C1 Advanced Certificate in English (CAE)

	Standard	Higher
Tests taken before January 2015	Grade C	Grade B
Tests taken from January 2015	176 overall (minimum 169 in all elements)	185 overall (minimum 176 in all elements)

Canadian High School Diploma

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Grade 12 English at 65%*	Grade 12 English at 65%*

Caribbean Examination Council – Secondary Education Certificate

Standard	Higher
Grade 2	Grade 2

Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)

	Standard	Higher
Tests taken before January 2015	Any pass grade with a pass in each element OR Level C1 certificate*	Any pass grade with a pass in each element OR Level C1 certificate*
Tests taken from January 2015	Any pass grade with a pass in each element	185 overall (minimum 176 in all elements)

European Baccalaureate

Summary of the table's contents
	Standard	Higher
English as a First Language	Grade 6	Grade 7
English as a Second Language	Grade 7*	Grade 7*

GCSE or GCE 'O' Level

	Standard	Higher
GCSE Post 2017	Grade 6 in English Language	Grade 6 in English Language
GCSE Pre 2017	Grade B in English Language	Grade B in English Language
GCE O Level	Grade B in English Language	Grade B in English Language

Hong Kong AS Level

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Grade C in English*	Grade C in English*

Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examinations Syllabus B

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Level 4 in English in Syllabus B*	Grade 4 in English in Syllabus B*

Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Level 3 in English*	Level 3 in English*

IGCSE

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Grade B or 6 in English as a First Language*	Grade B or 6 in English as a First Language*

Indian 12th Standard *CBSE & CISCE boards only

Standard	Higher
70%	70%

International Baccalaureate

	Standard	Higher
English A: Language & Literature	Grade 4 (if taken at either Standard or Higher Level)*	Grade 4 (if taken at either Standard or Higher Level)*
English A: Literature	Grade 4 (if taken at either Standard or Higher Level)*	Grade 4 (if taken at either Standard or Higher Level)*
English B	Grade 6 (if taken at Standard Level) or Grade 5 (if taken at Higher Level)*	Grade 6 (if taken at Standard Level) or Grade 5 (if taken at Higher Level)*

Summary of the table's contents
	Standard	Higher
English A1 Syllabus	Grade 4 (if taken at either Standard or Higher Level)*	Grade 4 (if taken at either Standard or Higher Level)*
English A2 Syllabus	Grade 5 (if taken at Standard Level) or Grade 4 (if taken at Higher Level)*	Grade 5 (if taken at Standard Level) or Grade 4 (if taken at Higher Level)*
English B Syllabus	Grade 6 (if taken at Standard Level) or Grade 5 (if taken at Higher Level)*	Grade 6 (if taken at Standard Level) or Grade 5 (if taken at Higher Level)*

International Baccalaureate MYP English e-assessed

Standard	Higher
Grade 5	Grade 5

Irish Leaving Certificate

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Post 2017: Grade H5 in English* Pre 2017: Grade B2 in English at Standard/Ordinary Level*	Post 2017: Grade H5 in English* Pre 2017: Grade B2 in English at Standard/Ordinary Level*

Malaysian Certificate of Education (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia)

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Grade A in English Language (1119)*	Grade A in English Language (1119)*

Malta Matriculation Certificate

Standard	Higher
Grade C at Higher or Intermediate Level*	Grade C at Higher or Intermediate Level*
*For this qualification our standard and higher English requirements are set at the same level.

Malta Secondary Education Certificate

Standard	Higher
Grade 2	Grade 2
*For this qualification our standard and higher English requirements are set at the same level.

National Certificate in Educational Achievement Level 2 or Level 3

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
NCEA Level 2 English Grade: Merit* NCEA Level 3 English Grade: Achieved*	NCEA Level 2 English Grade: Merit* NCEA Level 3 English Grade: Achieved*

Scottish Standard (SS) & National 5 (N5)

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Standard Grade 2 in English National 5 Grade B	Standard Grade 2 in English National 5 Grade B

Singapore Cambridge A-Levels

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Grade C in English*	Grade C in English*

Singapore Cambridge O-Levels

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Grade B in English*	Grade B in English*

Singapore Integrated Programme - NUS High School Diploma

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
CAP 4.5 out of 5 in English Language*	CAP 4.5 out of 5 in English Language*

Singapore Integrated Programme Cambridge A Levels (SIPCAL)

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Grade C in the General Paper*	Grade C in the General Paper*

UCL – Undergraduate Preparatory Certificate in Science and Engineering (UPCSE) – English Language Module

Standard	Higher
65% overall with 60% in each subset	70% with 65% in each subset

USA Advanced Placement Examination

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Grade 4 in English Language and Composition*	Grade 4 in English Language and Composition*

USA High School Diploma

Summary of the table's contents
Standard	Higher
Year 12 English at Grade B*	Year 12 English at Grade B*

West African Examinations Council (WAEC)