Test comparisons

LanguageCert or IELTS for UKVI: which test for a UK visa?

Both LanguageCert Academic or General SELT and IELTS for UKVI are on the Home Office's approved SELT list, and both prove the same CEFR level. B2, needed for Skilled Worker and degree-level Student visas, is 60 in each LanguageCert skill or 5.5 in each IELTS for UKVI skill. LanguageCert is cheaper in India; IELTS has far more approved centres.
  • Checked against official sources · 10 October 2026
  • 3 sections
  • IELTS
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LanguageCert SELT vs IELTS for UKVI side by side

Pass marks are from UKVI's list of approved tests taken outside the UK; centre counts are from its approved centre list dated 2 October 2026, both linked from GOV.UK's SELT guidance. LanguageCert details are from its SELT site, which showed prices in INR when we read it on 10 October 2026. The IELTS for UKVI fee is from IDP India.

IELTS for UKVILanguageCert Academic / General SELT
B1 (each skill)4.040
B2 (each skill)5.560
C1 (each skill)7.075
Price in IndiaINR 19,250 (IDP India)From INR 16,430
Length2 h 45 minAcademic 2 h 34 min; General 2 h 22 min
SpeakingFace-to-face with an examinerComputer-based with a real examiner; 12–14 min
Results1–5 days5 working days (LanguageCert's home page says 3–5)
Approved centres in India59 in 38 cities26 in 21 cities
Approved centres in Pakistan38 in 13 cities15 in 10 cities
Approved centres in Bangladesh / Nepal21 / 93 (Dhaka, Sylhet) / 2 (Kathmandu)
Valid for a visa2 years from award2 years from award

Book the SELT version, not the standard test

GOV.UK tells you to book the SELT version: "IELTS for UKVI" or "IELTS Life Skills" from the IELTS SELT Consortium, and "LANGUAGECERT Academic SELT", "General SELT" or "International ESOL SELT" from LanguageCert (GOV.UK). A standard IELTS Academic or a non-SELT LanguageCert test does not meet a SELT requirement, though at degree level a university can assess your English itself for a Student visa (GOV.UK Student visa).

LanguageCert sells the Academic SELT for Student visas and the General SELT for Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker and other work routes; UKVI's list gives both the same pass marks. The old four-skill LanguageCert ESOL SELT was replaced by these two tests on 6 July 2025, and results already held stay valid for two years. Skilled Worker applicants need B2 for new applications since 8 January 2026 (GOV.UK).

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Choose LanguageCert if… / choose IELTS for UKVI if…

Choose LanguageCert if there is an approved LanguageCert SELT centre in your city, you want to pay less (from INR 16,430 against INR 19,250 in India), and you only need the result for a UK visa.

Choose IELTS for UKVI if your city has no LanguageCert SELT centre (India has 38 IELTS SELT cities against 21), if your university or employer names IELTS, or if you might want to resit one skill with IELTS One Skill Retake. If you are also weighing PTE Academic UKVI, see PTE vs IELTS for a UK visa.

Frequently asked questions

I need B2 for a UK Skilled Worker visa and have a LanguageCert General SELT with 62, 58, 65 and 70. Will UKVI accept it?+

No. UKVI needs 60 in each of the four skills for B2, so a 58 in any skill falls short even if the others are higher.

Is LanguageCert cheaper than IELTS for a UK student visa if I test in India?+

Yes, on 10 October 2026: LanguageCert Academic SELT was from INR 16,430 on its SELT site, and IELTS for UKVI is INR 19,250 at IDP India.

I took LanguageCert ESOL SELT B2 in 2025. Can I still use it now that the test has changed?+

GOV.UK says the four-skill ESOL SELT was replaced on 6 July 2025 and results already held remain valid for two years.

There is no LanguageCert SELT centre in my city in Pakistan. Can I sit it at any LanguageCert centre?+

No. A SELT must be taken at a centre on UKVI's approved list. On 2 October 2026 that list had 15 LanguageCert centres in 10 Pakistani cities, against 38 IELTS SELT centres in 13 cities.

Does my UK university have to accept LanguageCert for admission, not just the visa?+

No. Admission is the university's decision. Check its English page; if it names only IELTS, book IELTS for UKVI so one result covers both.

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Verified against the linked official sources on 10 October 2026. Rules change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.

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