Blog
Tips, guides, and insights for English learners.
Spain Makes Foreign Languages Optional in Public Job Tests
Spain's public employment statute says selection tests may check foreign languages. Italy's says every competition notice must assess English.
Spain Makes Teachers Prove B1 in a Foreign Language
To enter the master's that qualifies you to teach Spanish secondary school, in any subject, you must accredit B1. Primary teachers only need to be able to.
TOEFL's New 1 to 6 Scale Is Hardest on Speaking
From 21 January 2026 TOEFL iBT reports on a 1 to 6 band scale. The conversion table shows speaking needs a higher raw score than any other section.
Trinity GESE: A Spoken English Exam That Grants UK Visas
GESE stands for Graded Examinations in Spoken English, and three of its grades are approved by the Home Office for UK immigration at A1, A2 and B1.
Trinity ISE I to IV: One Exam Format Across Four Levels
Trinity's four skill visa exam runs from B1 to C2 as ISE I, II, III and IV, and every level asks for the same thing: a Pass in all four skills.
75 Per Cent Is the Number UK Regulators Quietly Share
Two UK healthcare regulators use the same threshold in almost the same words: 75 per cent of your interaction with patients has to have been in English.
Three UK Regulators, Three Lists of English Countries
The HCPC keeps its own list of 43. The GDC borrows the government's. The GPhC borrows a different government list and adds Ireland. Canada is excluded once.
The UK Visa Test You Can Book Depends on Where You Are
Two Home Office lists, two provider sets. Trinity can only be sat inside the UK and PSI only outside it, and the wrong choice buys a useless certificate.
UK Visa Routes That Only Test Speaking and Listening
Settlement and citizenship in the UK need a test that assesses speaking and listening only. The Home Office calls it 2-facet, and it stops at B1.
A US Optometry Degree Still Needs an IELTS 7.0
The GOC accepts 26 American and Canadian optometry schools for direct entry, and asks every one of their graduates for IELTS with a 7.0 in speaking.