English Language Levels for Studying in the UK

UK is the home of the English language so it is therefore not surprising that tuition at UK institutions, at all levels from kindergarten to postgraduate study, is delivered in English. All non-native speakers of English then, must be sufficiently competent in the language before they start their academic studies. In a recent survey the vast majority of foreign students who were struggling with their studies were doing so because their English was not good enough. We cannot stress enough how important it is to improve your English as much as possible before you start your course. In addition to helping you study successfully it will make it easier for you to make friends from other countries, travel around the UK and Europe and make your stay in the UK more enjoyable and fulfilling. Also, let's not forget that English is the international language of business and a high level of competency in English is therefore an invaluable qualification in its own right. Upgrading in your English is an investment for life.

Below is some guidance as to English language levels (IELTS) required at different institutions and on different courses. Click on one to read more:-

PhD

Masters Courses

Undergraduate and Foundation Courses

High Schools

UK PhDs

Official language levels for PhD are 6.0/6.5 IELTS at most British universities. However, there is sometimes a certain amount of flexibility on this depending on the course the institution and the supervisor.

Courses which demand a high level of English language input such as law, English literature or the medical professions would almost certainly be looking for a score of 6.5 upon starting the course. On occasion some institutions/supervisors may be willing to give offers conditional on a certain amount of English pre-sessional course. Courses which are less linguistically demanding such as engineering or pure sciences will take PhD students with a lower level of English in many cases. The exact level may differ from institution to institution and supervisor to supervisor, but 5.5 would be sufficient to start in many cases. In some cases where a Chinese supervisor is available an even lower level of English has been sufficient for students to start their research. It is worth noting that because there is no course work involved in a British PhD that students can start at various times during the year. Therefore it is sometimes possible for students with slightly low English to enter the university early on an English language course and to start working on research and liaising with the supervisor before officially starting the PhD programme.

Taught UK Masters courses

Most taught masters courses ask for 6.0/6.5 IELTS before students can start the course. However, some universities will give offers conditional on a successful period of pre-sessional study at the university language school for students who are slightly low. Further IELTS scores are not required in these cases. The length of the course will depend on how far below the level the student's English is. A three month period for students with 5.5 IELTS is not uncommon. More linguistically challenging courses (medicine, law, literature, etc.) may require 7.0 IELTS.

UK Undergraduate and foundation courses

Undergraduate courses will often take students with 6.0 IELTS because they have 3 years to improve their English rather than the one year on a taught masters. However, most Taiwan students will be entering an undergraduate course having taken a foundation course. Depending on the institution an IELTS score may not be needed if the student performs well enough on the foundation course. English language levels for entering onto foundation courses vary from 4.5 IELTS to 5.5 IELTS. Some foundation courses do not require an IELTS score, they can be started following an English language assessment at your local UKEAS office.

UK High Schools

There is no clear IELTS level for students to start at a high school in the UK. Some schools have their own test which students must pass in order to be offered a place. These tests can be taken in your local UKEAS office. The fact that there is no clear English language level to be met before entering high school in the UK is not an indication that the syllabus does not need a high level of English. In fact the exact opposite is true. All students taking British high school qualification will be competing on the same level as the native English speaking students. There they must be able to read, write, speak and listen at a very high level. For Taiwan students who have not studied high school in English before leaving Taiwan it is strongly recommended that a long term English language course is taken before entering high school in the UK. In our experience, students who try to save on English before entering high school seldom do well, regardless of their academic ability.