English test for ILR and British citizenship

Checked against GOV.UK and the Immigration Rules: 5 November 2026

This is general information, not immigration advice. Rules change and every application is different. Always check GOV.UK, or speak to a regulated immigration adviser, before you book a test or apply.

Who needs to prove their English

If you are 18 or over and applying for British citizenship (naturalisation) or indefinite leave to remain (ILR, also called settlement), you usually need to prove your knowledge of English, unless you are exempt. For these applications the requirement is about speaking and listening.

Ways to meet the requirement

• Pass an approved English test (a Secure English Language Test, or SELT) at the level you need, with a Home Office-approved provider. Trinity College London's GESE Grade 5 is a B1 SELT. Other providers are on GOV.UK's list.
• A degree taught or researched in English, if it meets GOV.UK's rules.
• Your nationality: nationals of certain majority English-speaking countries don't need to prove it (see below).

GOV.UK warns that applications are refused if you send the wrong qualification. GCSEs, A levels and NVQs don't count, and an ESOL qualification only counts if it's on the list of approved SELTs.

Which level you need

B1 speaking and listening or higher. The change announced for settlement in March 2026 covers ILR, not citizenship, and Trinity confirms B1 is still used for British citizenship.

• Applications made before 26 March 2027: B1 speaking and listening or higher.
• Applications made on or after 26 March 2027: B2 speaking and listening for most routes, under the Immigration Rules change laid on 5 March 2026 (HC 1691).
• Trinity lists BN(O), HM Armed Forces and Domestic Worker (private household) applicants as still needing B1. Check the guidance for your own route.

It's the date of your application that counts. If you plan to apply for ILR on or after 26 March 2027 on a route that has moved to B2, a B1 certificate won't be enough, however recently you took it. If you will apply before that date, a B1 test is still accepted.

Who is exempt

According to GOV.UK, you don't need to prove your English if you are:

• aged 65 or over;
• unable to, because of a long-term physical or mental condition. You need an exemption form completed by a doctor, with your medical reports;
• a national of: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, a British overseas territory, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland (for citizenship only), Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, or the USA;
• applying on certain settlement routes, for example as a refugee or person with humanitarian protection, a victim of domestic abuse, or a bereaved partner. GOV.UK lists them all.

An exemption doesn't carry over automatically. If you were exempt when you got settlement, GOV.UK says you must send an exemption form again when you apply for citizenship.

How long a test result lasts

Some approved tests only last 2 years, and Trinity recommends that only certificates less than two years old are accepted for UK immigration. For citizenship, a test that was accepted when you settled can usually be used again, even if it has since expired. Check GOV.UK for how this applies to you.

The Trinity B1 test: GESE Grade 5

GESE Grade 5 is a 10-minute, one-to-one speaking and listening exam with a Trinity examiner: a discussion of a topic you prepare, then a conversation on two subject areas. You can take it at a Trinity SELT centre or online by video call. Read our GESE Grade 5 exam guide for the format, the topic form and what the examiner listens for. Trinity's B2 test is GESE Grade 7.