Spouse Visa English Test: Do You Need IELTS Academic or General?

Neither. For a UK spouse or partner visa you do not sit IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training. The family route uses an approved A1–B1 Secure English Language Test (SELT) that only assesses speaking and listening — most people take IELTS Life Skills, not the academic or general modules that students and skilled workers use.

This is one of the most common mix-ups in family visa applications, so it's worth getting right before you book and pay for a test.

Why IELTS Academic and General Training don't count

IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training are four-skills tests (listening, reading, writing and speaking) designed for universities, professional registration and some work or study visas. The UK family visa English requirement at A1 and A2 is different: it only measures whether you can speak and understand spoken English at a basic conversational level.

Because of that, the Home Office approves a specific set of speaking-and-listening tests for this route. For IELTS, that product is IELTS Life Skills — available at A1, A2 and B1. Booking IELTS Academic or General Training for a spouse visa means you've paid for the wrong test and your speaking/listening level won't be assessed in the format the Home Office accepts.

Which tests are approved

You must use a test from the Home Office's approved SELT list, taken at an approved centre. The providers approved for the speaking-and-listening tests used on the family route include:

• IELTS SELT Consortium — IELTS Life Skills (A1, A2, B1)
• Trinity College London — Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE)
• LanguageCert — LanguageCert International ESOL SELT
• Pearson — PTE Home
• PSI Services (UK) — Skills for English UKVI

Always check the live approved-test list on GOV.UK before booking — providers and product names change, and only a test on that list will be accepted.

What level do you actually need?

The level depends on which stage of the family route you're at:

• First application (entry clearance or initial leave): at least A1 in speaking and listening.
• Extension after roughly 2.5 years: if you passed A1 the first time, you now need at least A2. If you already passed at A2 or higher, you can usually reuse that result — even if the certificate has expired — as long as it hasn't been withdrawn.
• Settlement (ILR): a higher level applies, and the rules here are changing — see below.

Who is exempt from the English test

You usually don't need to take the test if you:

• Are under 18 or 65 or over
• Have a long-term physical or mental condition that prevents you taking it
• Are a national of a majority English-speaking country (such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the USA, Malta, or listed Caribbean nations)
• Hold a degree taught or researched in English (a UK degree, or an overseas degree confirmed as equivalent by Ecctis)

Exemptions are specific and evidence-based, so don't assume one applies without checking the current GOV.UK guidance.

Don't confuse the English requirement with ILR's rising bar

The English level for settlement (ILR) is higher than the spouse-route A1/A2 tests, and it is changing. Under the rules laid in March 2026, the ILR English requirement is set to rise from B1 to B2 for applications made on or after 26 March 2027 (with B1 still applying before that date, subject to exemptions). If you're planning your route to settlement, factor this in early.

For the bigger picture on moving from settlement to citizenship, see settled status vs British citizenship and what documents you need to apply for British citizenship.