10 min read

LanguageCert Academic and General SELT: Where They Split

Two LanguageCert visa tests carry identical thresholds at B1, B2 and C1. Only one of them exists at C2, and the names do not tell you which.

LanguageCert has two Secure English Language Tests with almost the same name, the same structure and the same numbers.

Then, at the top of the scale, one of them stops existing. LanguageCert General SELT is not approved at C2. Academic SELT is.

SpeakShark is free for the component that decides most of these results, three AI conversation sessions a day with no card.

In this guide: the two products · the C2 split · the older test · two skills · both sides · booking · limits · method · FAQ

Key takeaways

  • Academic and General SELT are identical at B1, B2 and C1: 40, 60, 75.
  • Only Academic SELT is approved at C2, at 90 out of 100.
  • Both replaced the older ESOL SELT 4-skills test on 6 July 2025.
  • Old ESOL SELT results remain valid for two years.
  • LanguageCert appears on both the in-UK and outside-UK approved lists.

Two products, one set of numbers

The Home Office publishes minimum scores per component. For the two current LanguageCert four skill products, those numbers are the same.

CEFR level LanguageCert Academic SELT LanguageCert General SELT
B1 40 in each of listening, speaking, reading, writing 40 in each
B2 60 in each 60 in each
C1 75 in each 75 in each
C2 90 out of 100 in each not on the list

Both entered the approved lists with an effective date of 18 December 2023, and both appear in the in-UK and outside-UK files.

So for any route needing B1, B2 or C1, the choice between them is not a choice about difficulty as the Home Office measures it. Whatever else distinguishes an academic test from a general one in content, the approved threshold is identical.

The split happens at C2

Filter both approved lists to C2 and four providers appear: IELTS for UKVI at 8.5 in every component, LanguageCert International ESOL SELT C2, LanguageCert Academic SELT at 90 out of 100, and PTE Academic UKVI at 85. Outside the UK, PSI's Skills for English UKVI C2 joins them; inside the UK, Trinity's ISE IV does.

LanguageCert General SELT is absent from that list. It runs to C1 and stops.

This is the kind of detail that only surfaces if you sort by level rather than reading the file top to bottom. Two products that behave identically for three levels diverge at the fourth, and nothing in either name signals it.

The practical consequence is narrow but expensive. A candidate whose route requires C2, who books General SELT because a colleague used it successfully at C1, has bought a test that cannot satisfy their application.

The older ESOL SELT is still in circulation

There is a third LanguageCert four skill product on the lists, and it is the previous generation.

From 6 July 2025 the LanguageCert ESOL SELT 4-skills test was replaced by Academic SELT and General SELT. The Home Office adds that anyone already holding an ESOL SELT 4-skills result keeps it valid for two years.

That means two generations of LanguageCert results are valid at the same time, on a different scale. The older ESOL SELT rows use 33 out of 50 in each component at B1, B2 and C1.

At C2 the older test lists listening at 25 out of 50 while reading, writing and speaking stay at 33 out of 50. That figure appears identically in the in-UK and outside-UK files, so it is not a typo in a single spreadsheet. We are reporting it as published and not guessing at the reason.

The speaking and listening entries

LanguageCert also appears on the two skill side of the lists, which is a different product again.

LanguageCert International ESOL SELT (Speaking and Listening) is approved at A1, A2 and B1, each requiring 60 out of 100.

Those entries exist for the UK routes that do not examine reading and writing at all: citizenship, settlement, partner, parent, International Sportsperson and Representative of an Overseas Business. We set that split out in the UK routes that only test speaking and listening, and the other options there are IELTS Life Skills, PTE Home, Trinity GESE inside the UK and PSI Skills for English outside it.

Above B1 there is no two skill option from any provider, LanguageCert included.

LanguageCert works on both sides of the border

Three providers appear on both Home Office lists: the IELTS SELT Consortium, LanguageCert and Pearson. Two do not: Trinity College London is in-UK only and PSI Services is outside-UK only.

For an applicant who might sit the test either before or after arriving, that makes LanguageCert one of the three that does not force the decision. It is a small planning advantage and worth knowing when a travel date is uncertain.

What this changes about booking

  • Check your required CEFR level before choosing the product. Below C2 the two are interchangeable on paper; at C2 only Academic exists.
  • Check which generation your certificate is. ESOL SELT 4-skills and the new Academic and General tests use different scales.
  • If you already hold an ESOL SELT result, check the two year window before assuming you need to re-sit.
  • If your route needs two skills, book the speaking and listening product, not the four skill one.
  • All approved results expire two years before the application date, whichever product you take.

Speaking is where most candidates lose the component that costs them, and it is the one that does not improve by reading quietly. Role play scenarios and a daily speaking partner build it faster than a workbook, testing your speaking level free tells you where you are, and CEFR levels for speaking explains what these labels mean.

For the full band picture across providers, IELTS for UKVI by CEFR level lays out 4.0 at B1 through 8.5 at C2 and compares the three scales. For a professional regulator that writes the same requirement in a stricter shape, the GMC requirement for doctors asks for a floor in each area and an overall on top. For how examiners actually mark speaking, Cambridge speaking criteria by level and Interactive Communication use real scored candidates, and what C2 actually means covers the level this post splits at. Linguaskill and Aptis are the closest non-visa comparisons we have written.

What we could not verify

We did not read LanguageCert's own materials. Everything here comes from the Home Office approved lists. What actually differs in content between an Academic and a General paper is a question for LanguageCert.

We did not check which CEFR level each route requires. That comes from route guidance we have not read.

We are not claiming the scales are comparable. LanguageCert 60 sitting beside IELTS 5.5 at B2 shows what the Home Office accepts, not that the numbers measure the same thing.

We did not verify centre availability or fees.

The C2 listening figure is reported, not explained. 25 out of 50 against 33 for the other three components, identically in both files.

Rules change. The July 2025 replacement is proof. Check the current lists on the day you book.

This is not immigration advice. It is a reading of two published spreadsheets and the guidance page they sit on, all linked below.

How we researched this guide

We downloaded both approved test spreadsheets and parsed them by rows and cells, then filtered to one provider and sorted by CEFR level.

That sort is the whole method here. Read either file top to bottom and LanguageCert Academic and General appear repeatedly with matching numbers, which reads as two names for one thing. Sorted by level, the C2 row shows Academic present and General absent, and the difference becomes visible in a single glance.

We also checked the finding in both files rather than one, because a provider missing from a level in one list could easily be an omission. Academic appears at C2 in both and General appears at C2 in neither, which is consistent enough to report.

The older ESOL SELT rows were the reason to read the guidance page as well as the tables. Without the note about the 6 July 2025 replacement, three LanguageCert products on one list looks like a catalogue rather than two generations overlapping.

Practise speaking, from SpeakShark

SpeakShark is an AI English speaking practice app, and the structure of these requirements is the argument for it. Every LanguageCert entry sets a floor in each component, so your weakest skill decides the result, and for most candidates that is speaking.

You talk, the AI answers what you actually said, and you get speaking feedback while the conversation is still running. The free tier gives basic feedback; the detailed pronunciation and grammar breakdown is on Premium.

Being straight about the limits: a free session runs five minutes with four turns, and we issue no certificates. We are not an approved test provider and nothing here counts toward an application.

Start free with three sessions a day and no card. Paid sessions run ten minutes with unlimited turns. Limits are on the pricing page, and how it works walks through a session. Sign up here if speaking is the component nearest your line.

We are a speaking improvement tool. We are not an exam preparation provider, and we are not affiliated with Cambridge English, the IELTS partners, Pearson or any exam board. For test format, booking and official practice material, go to the exam body directly. Use SpeakShark to make your spoken English stronger, and use official material to learn the test.

Sources

FAQ

What is the difference between LanguageCert Academic SELT and General SELT?
On the Home Office approved test lists they carry identical minimum scores at B1, B2 and C1: 40, 60 and 75 in listening, speaking, reading and writing. The difference appears at C2, where LanguageCert Academic SELT is approved at 90 out of 100 and LanguageCert General SELT does not appear at all.
Which LanguageCert test do I need for a UK visa?
It depends on the CEFR level your immigration route requires. Up to C1 both Academic and General SELT are approved at the same figures, so either satisfies the requirement. At C2 only Academic SELT is on the list. Below B1 the approved LanguageCert product is a different one again, the International ESOL SELT speaking and listening test.
When did LanguageCert change its SELT tests?
On 6 July 2025 the LanguageCert ESOL SELT 4-skills test was replaced by LanguageCert Academic SELT and LanguageCert General SELT. The Home Office states that anyone already holding a LanguageCert ESOL SELT 4-skills result keeps it valid for two years, so both generations are in circulation at once.
What are the LanguageCert scores for speaking and listening only?
The LanguageCert International ESOL SELT covering speaking and listening is approved at A1, A2 and B1, each requiring 60 out of 100. Those are the two skill entries, which the Home Office labels 2-facet, and they exist for routes such as settlement and citizenship that do not require reading and writing.
Can LanguageCert be taken inside and outside the UK?
Yes. LanguageCert appears on both Home Office lists, for tests taken in the UK and for tests taken outside it. That is not true of every provider: Trinity College London appears only on the in-UK list and PSI Services only on the outside-UK list.
Why does the C2 listening figure look lower than the others?
On the older LanguageCert International ESOL SELT at C2, the published minimum is 25 out of 50 for listening while reading, writing and speaking are 33 out of 50. The figure appears identically in both official lists, so it is not a slip in one file. We report it as published and do not speculate about why it is lower.

Curious how it works? Explore SpeakShark's features or see plans and pricing.

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