UK SELT SimulatorLanguageCert SELT A1: what to expect in all four parts
Published 5 October 2026
LanguageCert ESOL SELT A1 Speaking & Listening is a UKVI-approved test, typically used for an initial spouse or partner visa application. It lasts 8 to 9 minutes in total, one-to-one with an examiner, and the four parts always come in the same order. Here is what happens in each.
What your own route requires is decided by the Home Office, not by us. Check the current requirements at gov.uk before you book — approved tests and providers change.
Part 1: Personal information — 1.5 minutes
The exam opens with a scripted identity check, not a friendly warm-up. You confirm your name, spell your family name aloud, letter by letter, and say where you are from. Then the examiner announces that the exam is beginning.
After that, three personal questions. Unlike the higher levels, there are no named topic areas at A1 — the examiner picks three straightforward questions from one flat list, things like “What do you do in your free time?” or “When is your birthday?” Keep your answers short and clear; this part is not asking for detail.
Part 2: Two role-plays — 1.5 minutes
Each role-play is about two turns long. In the first, the examiner sets up the situation and speaks first — for example, “I work in a café. I start. — Hello. What would you like to drink?” You just reply.
In the second, the examiner sets it up and then says “You start.” and waits. This is the one that catches people out, because nobody is going to rescue you. You do not need anything clever — finding a supermarket might just be “Excuse me, where is the supermarket, please?” Starting the exchange is exactly what is being tested.
Part 3: Picture information gap — 1 to 1.5 minutes
You and the examiner each hold a different version of the same picture — a post office scene is a typical example, where your clock shows a different time, the sign shows a different date, or someone is holding a letter instead of a parcel. “Let’s ask and answer questions about the two pictures. I start.”
Describe what you can see, and ask the examiner questions to find out what is different on theirs. This part only works if you do both — describing and asking.
Part 4: Listening, then talking alone
Part 4A (2 to 2.5 minutes). The examiner reads a short, simple monologue twice, slowly and clearly. You may take notes. Then you answer three oral comprehension questions about what you heard — short, factual answers are fine, and a single word is an acceptable answer at this level.
Part 4B (1.5 to 2 minutes). The topic links to the monologue you just heard — something like “what you do on Sundays”. You get 30 seconds to prepare, with notes, then talk alone for 30 seconds. A few follow-up questions close the exam.
How it is marked
Five criteria, 30 marks in total: Listening and Responding (10), then Interactive Communication and Task Fulfilment, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Pronunciation, Intonation and Fluency (5 each). According to LanguageCert’s published marking scheme, the pass threshold is 18 — check it with them before you rely on it. There is one certificate level: Pass.
Support is built into this level by design: asking the examiner to repeat something, once or occasionally, is an expected A1 skill, not a mistake. And a foreign accent is not a fault — what is assessed is whether you can be understood.
Practising the format
UK SELT Simulator runs spoken mock sessions in the LanguageCert SELT A1 format — all four parts, in order — with an AI examiner and a short report after each one. See how it works.
UK SELT Simulator is independent practice software. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by UKVI, the Home Office, Trinity College London, LanguageCert, or PeopleCert.