English language requirements

Our 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 Department of Mathematics and Centre of Environmental Policy do not accept award of a joint degree with exempted countries as a means of meeting the university’s English language requirement.

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.

Find out more on the Duolingo website.

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)

*IELTS single score re-takes are not accepted. Candidates must meet the IELTS requirements on a single test sitting.

Imperial College London considers IELTS scores to be valid for 2 years.

Scores must be valid at the beginning of your studies at Imperial if your application is successful.

Find out more on the IELTS website.

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

*Test scores are only considered valid if taken within two years of the intended course start date.

Find out more on the LanguageCert website.

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.

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.

Find out more on the Cambridge website.

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)

Imperial College London considers Pearson (PTE) scores to be valid for 2 years.

Scores must be valid at the beginning of your studies at Imperial if your application is successful.

For more information regarding Pearson, please visit the Pearson website.

PTE Academic online test results are only accepted (where valid) for entry for those starting courses up to 31 December 2023.

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)

*ETS at Home accepted for admission

Imperial College London considers TOEFL scores to be valid for 2 years.

Scores must be valid at the beginning of your studies at Imperial if your application is successful.

You must meet the entry requirement in one test from your scaled scores ('My Best Scores' reported by TOEFL will not be considered).

For more information relating regarding TOEFL please visit the ETS website.

You must email your TOEFL scores to the relevant admissions teams.

Score reports sent via post will not be processed.

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

Standard	Higher
Pass in all skills	Merit in all skills

*Test scores are only considered valid if taken within two years of the intended course start date.

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

Standard	Higher
Pass in all skills	Pass in all skills

*Test scores are only considered valid if taken within two years of the intended course start date.

AS Level/A-level

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

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

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

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

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%*

*For this qualification our standard and higher English requirements are set at the same level. Must be studied in Canada and excludes Quebec High School Diploma.

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)

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

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*

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

GCSE or GCE 'O' Level

	Standard	Higher
GCSE Post 2017	Grade 5 in English Language	Grade 5 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

For this qualification our standard and higher English Language requirements are set at the same level for 2025 entry.

2024 entry
If you have applied for a course for 2024 entry that requires a higher standard of English then we require a Grade 6 in English Language in GSCE Post 2017 (or Grade B if you sat your GSCEs before 2017).

2025 entry
If you are a Home student and you are applying for a course for 2025 entry, we require a Grade 5 in English Language for all courses except MBBS Medicine, which requires a Grade 6 in English Language GCSE.

Hong Kong AS Level

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

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

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*

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

Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education

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

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

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*

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

Indian 12th Standard *CBSE & CISCE boards only

Standard	Higher
70%	70%

International Baccalaureate

For qualifications taken after 2013

	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)*

For qualifications taken before 2013

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)*

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

International Baccalaureate MYP English e-assessed

Standard	Higher
Grade 5	Grade 5

International Option of the French Baccalaureat (OIB)

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

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

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*

*For this qualification our standard and higher English requirements are set at the same 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)*

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

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*

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

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*

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

Singapore Cambridge O-Levels

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

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

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*

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

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*

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

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*	Grade 4 in English*

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

USA High School Diploma

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

*For this qualification our standard and higher English requirements are set at the same level. Must be studied in a majority English speaking country.

West African Examinations Council (WAEC)

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

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