Individuals who need to demonstrate their English-speaking and listening skills to obtain a UK visa must take the IELTS Life Skills test. It is available at levels A1 and B1 under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
For It is specifically designed to meet UKVI requirements for various visa categories and other immigration purposes.
If you are applying for a "family of a settled person" visa, you will need to take the IELTS Life Skills A1 test. The IELTS Life Skills B1 test is necessary if you are applying for "indefinite leave to remain" or "citizenship" visas.
"There is no restriction on the number of times you can take the IELTS Life Skills test; however, once you pass it, you cannot retake it at the same level for two years."
The IELTS Life Skills test follows a distinct format.
The IELTS Life Skills test is specifically designed to meet immigration requirements that focus solely on assessing an applicant's speaking and listening skills. Your performance will be evaluated based on how effectively you can communicate in everyday scenarios in an English-speaking country, covering topics such as:
Personal experiences
Friends and family
Buying good
Education, work or training
Weather, leisure or trave
Transport, housing, health, and more
The test is designed to evaluate your listening and speaking skills, along with your ability to respond clearly and appropriately. Refer to this table for a clearer understanding of the test's focus.
The test is designed to assess your listening and speaking skills, ensuring you can respond clearly and accurately. Refer to this table for a better understanding of the test's focus.
| S. No. | A1 | B1 |
|---|---|---|
Test focus | listen and respond to spoken language, including simple narratives, statements, questions and single-step instructionsbasic information, feelings and opinions on familiar topicstalk with another person in a familiar situation about familiar topics | listen and respond to spoken language, including straightforward information and narratives, and follow straightforward explanations and instructions. communicate information, feelings and opinions on familiar topics, using appropriate formality. talk with one or more people in a familiar situation, making relevant points and responding to what others say to reach a shared understanding about familiar topics. |
Tasks | Tasks may include: Describing Giving opinions Giving personal information Stating preferences Commenting Asking for information or descriptions Agreeing and disagreeing Explaining, giving reasons or justifying Deciding Suggesting Selecting | In addition to the A1 tasks shown on the left, the B1 tasks may include: Comparing Showing contrast, cause, reason or purpose Prioritising Planing Persuading Narrating Asking about past or future events Expressing future certainty or possibility |
| S. No. | Test type | Test duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IELTS Life Skills CEFR Level A1 | 16–18 minutes |
| 2 | IELTS Life Skills CEFR Level B1 | 22 minutes |