A1 Speaking And Listening Test Centres

[malct]

Hi all

I am looking for a Northern test center for My GF to take the A1 Speaking and Listening test.

We need to book the test within the next month and this may mean traveling a few miles to a test center.

We are up in Carlisle and Carlisle's only test center only does the Life in the UK test and we are only looking for the basic test to allow My GF to come to the UK on a spouse Visa once we get married.

Any Recommendations or Advice

[norrona]

if you are getting married in Thailand and obvioulsy your girlfriend has to return there to apply for the visa my advice is get it done over there....

I got married in U.K on a fiancee visa and the only reason I went for a fiancee visa was our relationship was still forming and I wanted to see how we got on before making that commitment.

however had I known my now wife longer at the time and she had visited here I would have done everything that was needed in Thailand.

marriage-application and all paperwork.....

good luck

[7by7]

List of approved test centres in the UK.

[malct]

List of approved test centres in the UK.

Thank you for the List 7By7

Everything seems to be southern UK for tests and nothing in the North.

Malc

[7by7]

Remember that where an address is given on the list it is usually the organisation's head office or contact address. You should try contacting a few of them and see if they offer the test near to you.

[tricolor]

Good luck with your search as most test centres don't want external candidates and are not interested in doing the basic test.

Some only have exams once a year to add to the frustration.

One solution is to try Trinity in London - they are doing the 5 minute test in July for £50 and then go to enjoy London sightseeing.....

Edited July 4, 2011 by tricolor

[malct]

Good luck with your search as most test centres don't want external candidates and are not interested in doing the basic test.

Some only have exams once a year to add to the frustration.

One solution is to try Trinity in London - they are doing the 5 minute test in July for £50 and then go to enjoy London sightseeing.....

I have sent them a Email regarding my GF supplying proof on where she is living , they ask for a Bill with her name on, I have told them that i can give them a Bill in my Name and the UKBA will have documentation that she is living at my Address.

Is trinity handy to get to. Its a long trip from up North ;-(

[tricolor]

Good luck with your search as most test centres don't want external candidates and are not interested in doing the basic test.

Some only have exams once a year to add to the frustration.

One solution is to try Trinity in London - they are doing the 5 minute test in July for £50 and then go to enjoy London sightseeing.....

I have sent them a Email regarding my GF supplying proof on where she is living , they ask for a Bill with her name on, I have told them that i can give them a Bill in my Name and the UKBA will have documentation that she is living at my Address.

Is trinity handy to get to. Its a long trip from up North ;-(

Is she here on a visitor's visa ?

Maybe easier and cheaper to find an approved test centre upon her return to Bangkok as the demand will increase for such tests to be conducted.

Trinity are not ready to disclose the test venue until one week before the exam takes place but hopefully it will be somewhere central with a tube station nearby.

Edited July 5, 2011 by tricolor

[malct]

Yes she is on a Visitors Visa.

I have been phoning around the test Centers and i still cant find a A1 test center.

I got a reply from a Collage from the List that the UKBA have given out on their web site stating

The test we provide is actually PTE Academic, which can be used for an A1 Spousal Visa, but may be more challenging than the standard General A1 test. It is a computer based test, with sections on speaking, listening, reading and writing. However, to obtain an A1 level, a score of 30 is required in the speaking and listening tests only. The test costs £130, and we do have a variety of test centres in the North of the UK. The following link will help you to locate the centre most convenient to you.

I have been in contact with UKBA and i just got a Bog standard Email listing common questions

Malc

[norrona]

Yes she is on a Visitors Visa.

I have been phoning around the test Centers and i still cant find a A1 test center.

I got a reply from a Collage from the List that the UKBA have given out on their web site stating

The test we provide is actually PTE Academic, which can be used for an A1 Spousal Visa, but may be more challenging than the standard General A1 test. It is a computer based test, with sections on speaking, listening, reading and writing. However, to obtain an A1 level, a score of 30 is required in the speaking and listening tests only. The test costs £130, and we do have a variety of test centres in the North of the UK. The following link will help you to locate the centre most convenient to you.

I have been in contact with UKBA and i just got a Bog standard Email listing common questions

Malc

I feel your pain and stand by my reply I posted before, things are a lot more geared up back in Thailand for this kind of thing.....

the UKBA are over run with the immigrants playing the system over here and all their case workers that are assigned to them...

the likes of us who try to do everything by the book etc just get mugged off.

get it booked back in LOS is still my advice

[malct]

Yes i think its the best Plan.

I did get a Email from the visa people in Thailand saying.

Thanks for enquiry, regarding A 1 English we can recommend you to go to Vantage Siam Co.,Ltd in BKK the fee is 5,600-6,000 baht. The test is on every Friday and it will take 7-10 days for the result.

I was hoping to have much of the Leg work done before going to Thailand and with the test been on Friday and we are arriving on the Sunday evening, it means waiting till Friday to do the test plus the waiting time for the results which will mean applying for the spouse Visa in September when i go back for my 50th birthday ;-(

I was hoping that my GF will be back in the UK for Xmas and applying end of august would be better than mid september.

Malc

[norrona]

Yes i think its the best Plan.

I did get a Email from the visa people in Thailand saying.

Thanks for enquiry, regarding A 1 English we can recommend you to go to Vantage Siam Co.,Ltd in BKK the fee is 5,600-6,000 baht. The test is on every Friday and it will take 7-10 days for the result.

I was hoping to have much of the Leg work done before going to Thailand and with the test been on Friday and we are arriving on the Sunday evening, it means waiting till Friday to do the test plus the waiting time for the results which will mean applying for the spouse Visa in September when i go back for my 50th birthday ;-(

I was hoping that my GF will be back in the UK for Xmas and applying end of august would be better than mid september.

Malc

whatever you decide I can say from someone who done the fiancee visa route (though it did suit me at the time not to commit to marriage) it appears much easier if you do everything from Thailand, that way you have a clear 2 years or whatever when she arrives to live here

of just getting on with your lives.

Christmas time is a good time here as most will agree....it's the JAN-FEB freeze overs that are a bit hard to deal with, even for the natives.

Good luck and use this forum as your guide to any questions you need answered :jap:

[malct]

She was here for Xmas back in 2009 and for the Snow and freezing conditions.

nothing is easy regarding Spouse visa's , I believe you now have to apply on line and arrange an appointment for spouse Visa's.

Also need to arrange a TB test for my GF and i guess that needs done in Thailand!!!

Thank you for your help

Malc

[norrona]

She was here for Xmas back in 2009 and for the Snow and freezing conditions.

nothing is easy regarding Spouse visa's , I believe you now have to apply on line and arrange an appointment for spouse Visa's.

Also need to arrange a TB test for my GF and i guess that needs done in Thailand!!!

Thank you for your help

Malc

yes details are on here about TB tests and the best place to get them done....

[malct]

Well i thought i was getting somewhere today, I phoned the UKBA for advice and locations for the Speaking and Listening test.

They told me that learn direct will offer the exam, so i phoned the main phone number of LD and was told , no problem, we Supply the Test but i had to phone the local centers.

Phoned the local centers and was told that they dont offer the exam and only 6 month courses ;-(

LD told me to phone NEXT Step who could not supply me with any info so i phoned UKBA again who told me that they can only advise on the life in the UK Test , So back to square one.

Trinity in london are holding a test day on the 22Nd july but my GF needs proof of an address , I am waiting for a reply to see if her Thai address will be OK.

Malc

[POMCHOB]

Well i thought i was getting somewhere today, I phoned the UKBA for advice and locations for the Speaking and Listening test.

They told me that learn direct will offer the exam, so i phoned the main phone number of LD and was told , no problem, we Supply the Test but i had to phone the local centers.

Phoned the local centers and was told that they dont offer the exam and only 6 month courses ;-(

LD told me to phone NEXT Step who could not supply me with any info so i phoned UKBA again who told me that they can only advise on the life in the UK Test , So back to square one.

Trinity in london are holding a test day on the 22Nd july but my GF needs proof of an address , I am waiting for a reply to see if her Thai address will be OK.

Malc

Hi Malct

My wife took the A1 English test with Vantage Siam, she took it on the friday 20th May and asked if she could come and collect it

at their office .

They replied:

"The absolutely fastest way is for her to pick them up at our office.

We typically mail out all test certificates on Monday or Tuesday after the previous Friday's test.That's done via registered mail—with a corresponding tracking number. It usually takes 2 days for delivery; add another day for remote locations from Bangkok.

For an additional THB 50, we can EMS your results. This is overnight delivery to most parts of the Kingdom.

So My wife could of collected her results certificates on the Tuesday PM or Wednesday AM at their office( she had to make the Settlement Visa on the Thursday so collected it on the Thursday AM.)

BTW Kevin at Vantage Siam was very helpful and can send your partner a practice A1 English test to try out by Email.

just contact kevin

[email protected]

Hope this helps and hope all goes well for your plans .....cheers from Pomchob

[malct]

Hi All

just Got my GF booked in for a Test on the 10th august in Preston at the speak School.

they are running the tests every Month and at Different locations around the UK.

Check out trinity Collage on the Net for more info.

These Tests have just been arranged and are new to the collage at preston

Malc