UK SELT SimulatorHow much does the B1 English test cost in the UK?
Published 17 September 2026
If you are preparing for a UK settlement or citizenship application, the B1 speaking test is one of the things you need to book and pass. The cost is one of the first questions people ask — and it is also one of the hardest to answer, because the price is not the same everywhere.
This article explains what drives the fee, what other costs to plan for, and how to find the current price for your nearest test centre.
What your specific visa route requires is decided by the Home Office. Check the current requirements at gov.uk before you book.
Why there is no single price
Two providers offer a B1 Secure English Language Test for UK settlement and citizenship applications: Trinity College London (GESE Grade 5) and LanguageCert (ESOL SELT B1). Both tests are one-to-one speaking and listening exams with a live examiner. What you are paying for is an assessed conversation with a qualified examiner — GESE Grade 5 runs for 10 minutes and LanguageCert SELT B1 runs for 11 to 13 minutes.
The fee is not set by the provider alone. Individual test centres are allowed to set their own prices. A centre in central London may charge more than a centre in the Midlands or the north. Prices also change from year to year, and sometimes more often than that.
This means any number you read in an article — including this one — may already be out of date. We do not publish a figure because we cannot commit to keeping it accurate. An old number is worse than no number: someone books a test expecting one price, arrives to find a different one, and has already made travel and time arrangements they cannot easily undo.
The correct place to find the current price is each provider's website or the test centre directly:
- Trinity College London: trinitycollege.com — use the test centre finder to see centres near you and check their fees.
- LanguageCert: languagecert.org — use the centre search for SELT B1 Speaking and Listening and check prices there.
When you contact a centre, ask for the all-in total. Some centres charge the test fee and then add separate fees for registration, results processing, or certificate delivery. A cheaper headline price may not be cheaper once everything is included. Always ask what you will pay in total before making any payment.
What else to budget for
The test fee is only part of the cost of getting your B1 certificate. There are three other things worth planning for.
A resit, if you need one
Most people pass the B1 speaking test. But not everyone passes on the first attempt. Both providers allow resits. The catch is that there is no partial credit — you pay the full exam fee again and sit the whole exam from the start. Nothing carries over from a previous sitting.
Before you book, think about what it would mean to sit the test twice. If paying twice would be very difficult, it is worth spending more time preparing before you book. A few weeks of focused practice before booking reduces the risk of needing to pay again.
Travel to an approved test centre
You must sit your B1 SELT at a test centre on the Home Office's approved list. These centres are not available in every town. Depending on where you live, the nearest approved centre may require travel that takes several hours — and costs money in transport, and sometimes accommodation.
If you need a resit, you will need to travel again. It is worth checking what centres are near you before you choose a provider, since the closest approved centre for one provider may not be the same as the closest for the other. Centre availability is a reasonable factor when choosing between Trinity and LanguageCert.
The Life in the UK Test
Many settlement applicants need to pass not just a SELT but also the Life in the UK Test. This is a completely separate exam, run by a separate organisation. It tests knowledge of British history, culture, and everyday life — nothing to do with speaking or listening. It has its own booking process, its own test centres, its own preparation materials, and its own fee.
Some people only realise they need both tests late in the process. If your route requires the Life in the UK Test, plan for it at the same time as your SELT. Trying to fit in a second booking under time pressure, close to a visa deadline, adds unnecessary stress. Check the current Life in the UK Test requirements at gov.uk.
How to find the current price
Use the test centre finder on each provider's website. Prices are shown per centre. If a centre near you does not show prices online, contact it directly. Always confirm the all-in total, not just the headline registration fee.
Check prices shortly before you are ready to book, not months in advance. Fees change. A price you saw when you first started researching may not be the price you pay when you are finally ready.
We do not earn anything from referring you to either provider. We list them so you can find current pricing directly. We have no financial relationship with any test centre.
Practise before you sit
UK SELT Simulator runs spoken mock sessions in both GESE Grade 5 and LanguageCert SELT B1 formats — with an AI examiner and a short written report after each session. Knowing what to expect on exam day makes the test less likely to surprise you, and reduces the chance that you will need to sit it twice. See how it works.
UK SELT Simulator is independent practice software. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by UK Visas and Immigration, the Home Office, Trinity College London or LanguageCert.