UKVI-approved SELT for study
LanguageCert Academic is a four-skill English proficiency test built for university admission and UK study visas — one of the fastest-growing IELTS and TOEFL alternatives. It is a UKVI-approved Secure English Language Test (SELT), so a single result can satisfy both your university's entry requirement and the Home Office's visa rule. With degrees, foundation places, and CAS issuance all riding on a B2-level result, a missed score band can cost you an entire intake. This page breaks down exactly what the test measures, how it is delivered, and how to get it done right the first time.
Pay Only After You Pass
No upfront fee — you settle only after your verified result at the required level. We advertise guaranteed results — 100% pass guaranteed or money back.
How LanguageCert Academic is built — at a glance
40m
Around 30 items across four parts — dialogues, academic conversations, a lecture gap-fill, and a group discussion. Each recording plays twice.
50m
Around 30 items: vocabulary replacement, a gap-fill text, sentence-insertion matching, short-text comprehension, and a longer academic passage.
50m
Two tasks: a 150–200-word report or article responding to an infographic, then a 250-word discursive essay on an academic topic.
14m
A live one-to-one interview over four parts: personal questions, two academic role-plays, read-aloud with follow-ups, and a two-minute presentation.
The test splits into a written component (Listening, Reading, Writing — about 2 hours 20 minutes sat together) and a spoken component (Speaking, about 14 minutes). You can take both on the same day or schedule them separately, so long as they fall within the allowed window for your booking.
There is no single pass mark. Each skill is marked separately — Listening and Reading by automated marking, Writing and Speaking by trained human examiners — and reported on the LanguageCert Global Scale of 0 to 100. Your certificate shows a score per skill, an overall score, and the final CEFR level awarded, from B1 up to C2.
The four components and where the Global Scale maps onto CEFR levels
| Component | Approx. time | Items / tasks | Marked by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | ~40 min | ~30 items, 4 parts | Automated |
| Reading | 50 min | ~30 items, 4 parts | Automated |
| Writing | 50 min | 2 tasks (report + essay) | Human examiner |
| Speaking | ~14 min | 4 parts, live interview | Human examiner |
On the LanguageCert Global Scale, the CEFR bands sit at B1 (40–59), B2 (60–74), C1 (75–89), and C2 (90–100) per skill. Most UK degree programmes require an overall B2 with a minimum per-skill level — so it is the weakest of your four skills, not your average, that usually decides whether you meet the requirement.
Two ways to sit the test — and what to expect with ExamShield
You install LanguageCert's ExamShield application and sit the test from a private, quiet room at home with a live online proctor watching through your webcam. You verify identity with a valid passport, complete a system and environment check, and stay on camera throughout. The Speaking interview is conducted live with an examiner over the same connection.
You sit the computer-based test in a monitored room at a LanguageCert-approved centre, with staff verifying your ID and invigilating. For UK Student-visa SELT purposes, the test must be taken at an approved venue or via the approved online route — confirm the route your visa category requires before booking.
A valid, in-date passport is required for the online Academic test — other ID types are not accepted. The name must match your booking exactly; the proctor captures a photo before the exam unlocks.
A clear desk, a stable connection, working webcam and microphone, and a 360° room scan. Run ExamShield's compatibility check in advance — firewalls and second monitors are common day-of blockers.
Stay in frame and alone in the room. No phones, notes, or second screens. Reading aloud, leaving the seat, or losing connection can flag or void the session.
LanguageCert Academic is built for study and visa proof of English
No prior qualification needed — but the right level matters
Difficulty: The real pain points are the live Speaking interview under proctor pressure, the timed academic Writing tasks, and the fact that a single weak skill — not your average — can sink you below the B2 your university demands. The fast-paced Listening, which plays each recording only twice, trips up candidates who freeze on a single item and lose the next one.
LanguageCert Academic sits directly between you and a CAS, an offer, or a visa deadline — and the live ExamShield proctoring, the four-skill marking, and the per-skill minimums make it unforgiving. Exam Assist pairs you with a vetted English-test specialist and works on a pay-after-you-pass model, so the risk sits with us, not you. No upfront fee, guaranteed results: Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end, and you settle only after the verified result.
Tell us the CEFR level and per-skill minimums your university or visa needs, your delivery route (ExamShield online or centre), and your test date — over WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.
We review your target level and timeline and tell you plainly whether it's realistic — before any money is discussed. If it isn't a fit, we say so.
Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched with a specialist who maps the work around the four skills, the academic Writing tasks, and the ExamShield environment — discreetly and confidentially.
You only pay once your result at the required level is confirmed on your official certificate. No verified result, nothing owed.
Explore the pay-after-you-pass English-test service, the pricing model, and how matching works.
Worried specifically about the live ExamShield session? See our online-proctoring help, or start with a quick feasibility check via the booking form.
Straight answers about LanguageCert Academic
Service and sibling English-proficiency exams
Pair with a vetted English-test specialist on a results-first arrangement. No upfront fee — settle only after a verified result at your required level.
Explore the service IELTSThe long-established four-skill English test scored on 9.0 bands — the benchmark LanguageCert Academic is positioned against.
View exam TOEFLETS's four-skill English test scored 0–120, widely accepted by North American universities as proof of academic English.
View exam PTEPearson's computer-based, AI-scored English test on a 10–90 scale — another fast-result route for study and migration.
View exam DETA short, fully at-home adaptive English test scored 10–160 — the low-cost option many of the same applicants weigh up.
View examGet expert LanguageCert Academic help with no upfront fee — you settle only after your verified result at the required level. Honest feasibility answer first, results-first arrangement always.