Blog
Tips, guides, and insights for English learners.
English Certificates That Expire, and One That Does Not
UK visas, Irish nursing and the GMC all give you two years. Oxford Test of English results are valid for life, and the date measured is not always the same.
A Dental Nurse Needs the Same English Score as a Dentist
The GDC sets one IELTS table for all seven dental registrant groups: 6.5 in every skill and 7.0 overall. Nobody gets a lower bar for a smaller role.
The Dental Route Where a Reference Replaces the Test
The GDC accepts a signed reference instead of an English exam. The referee has to confirm 75 percent of your patient interaction was in English, with examples.
The GDC Says Why English Certificates Last Two Years
Every regulator gives you two years and none explains it. The GDC does, in one sentence, and it also publishes the exception that lets an old score count.
Doctors in the UK: Only Your Latest IELTS Sitting Counts
The GMC needs 7.0 in each skill and 7.5 overall, from your most recent sitting. A better score from an earlier attempt does not count.
The Regulator That Wants 7.0 in Speaking and 6.0 Elsewhere
Nine bodies set an English requirement. Exactly one names speaking on its own and holds it a full band above reading, writing and listening.
Needing an Interpreter Can Cost You Registration
The GPhC says that if you need help to communicate with it in English during your application, it is likely to ask for more evidence before granting registration.
Pharmacists Need Straight 7s and No OET at Home
The GPhC wants IELTS 7.0 in every area at one sitting, and refuses OET@Home. The GMC accepts OET@Home. Same country, same exam, opposite answers.
HCPC Exempts 43 Countries From the English Test
The HCPC waives its English requirement if your qualification came from one of 43 countries. The Home Office list is different, and Kenya shows the gap.
Speech Therapists Need a Higher English Score Than Doctors
The HCPC asks IELTS 7.0 from fourteen professions and 8.0 from speech and language therapists. That is above the score the GMC asks of doctors.