UK SELT SimulatorLanguageCert SELT B1: what to expect in all four parts
Published 27 August 2026
LanguageCert ESOL SELT B1 is a speaking and listening exam used for settlement and citizenship applications. It lasts 11 to 13 minutes, 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 to 2.5 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.
The spelling catches people out. It is a security step, not a spelling test — but practise saying your surname letter by letter before the day, because it feels strange the first time.
After that, four questions, one from each of four named topic areas. The examiner says the area aloud first, for example “Times of the year”. If a “Why?” follows your answer, that is in the script — it does not mean you were wrong.
Part 2: Two role-plays — 1.5 to 2 minutes
Each role-play is about two turns long. In the first, the examiner reads the setup, gives you both roles, and speaks first. You reply. Most people manage this one comfortably.
In the second, the examiner sets it up and then says “You start.” and waits. This is where candidates freeze. The examiner will not rescue you.
You do not need a clever opening, just a reasonable one. Complaining in a shop: “Excuse me, I need some help with something.” Asking a colleague a favour: “Sorry to bother you — have you got a moment?” Starting is what is being tested.
The examiner may play a boss, a waiter or a stranger. You always play yourself. Asking for one repeat is fine; needing to be prompted all the way through counts against you, because B1 expects a degree of independence.
Part 3: The decision task — 2.5 minutes
You get a printed sheet with a goal in the middle — say, “Wedding present for my sister” — and six pictured options with prices. You and the examiner talk it through and try to agree.
The examiner is a genuine participant, and so are you: ask questions as well as answering them. “What do you think about this one?” is exactly the kind of turn this part is built for. Reaching a decision matters less than having a real conversation on the way there.
Part 4: Listening, then talking alone
Part 4A (3 minutes). The examiner reads a short monologue of around 130 words, twice, at a natural pace. Before the first reading you get 10 seconds to read three printed questions — use them, so you know what to listen for. You may take notes. Then you answer those three questions aloud. The answers are short and factual: a name, a number, a reason.
Part 4B (2.5 to 3 minutes). The topic links to the monologue you just heard — a monologue about a restaurant might lead to “your favourite place to eat out”. You get 30 seconds to prepare, with notes, then speak alone for up to 1.5 minutes with no interruption. 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.
On pronunciation: 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 B1 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, LanguageCert, or PeopleCert.