BULATS English tests for UK settlement visas

[ThaiVisaExpress]

This is from the Cambridge English website. They will no longer be offering BULATS tests for UK settlement visa purposes:

BULATS

·

Exams and qualifications

Certificated BULATS Online

Please note that after June 30 2014, Certificated BULATS Online will no longer be available for UK visa application purposes.
However, results from Certificated BULATS tests taken on or before 30 June 2014 will continue to be valid for UK visa purposes.

You can find a range of Cambridge English exams approved by the UK Home Office in Cambridge English exams for UK visas and immigration.

This below is from Vantage – Siam, the only tester in Thailand who currently offers the BULATS Online test. They will now be offering the Key English Test :

“Introducing KET for UK Visas

From July 4^th, Vantage will be offering the computer version (CB) of the Key English Test (KET). Cambridge English has decided to discontinued offering Certificated BULATS at the end of this month. However, any BULATS results taken on or before 30 June, 2014 will be valid for two years.

KET is run by Cambridge English and is one of the 15 Cambridge tests that are approved by the UKVI (formerly known as the UKBA).

CB-KET has significant advantages over the paper based KET (PB-KET) including:

Short registration deadlines one week for the CB-KET versus 5 weeks in advance for the PB-KET.

Faster Results 2 weeks for the CB-KET versus 4 to 6 weeks for the PB-KET

No Expiry KET results are good for life.

It’s important to note that KET candidates must register in advance. You cannot walk in to Vantage’s Test Centre and take the test without a reservation.

Our first KET test date is July 4^th. Registration for that exam must be by June 27^th. You can register online through our website.http://www.vantage-siam.com/bulats_test.php”

Tony M

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Do hope the new test doesn't include a grammar check!!

"Cambridge English has decided to discontinued offering Certificated BULATS at the end of this month."

Mac

[7by7]

Have they said whether they will continue to insist on candidates talking, and paying for, the reading and writing tests; which are not required for a settlement visa.?

[ThaiVisaExpress]

Have they said whether they will continue to insist on candidates talking, and paying for, the reading and writing tests; which are not required for a settlement visa.?

This is from the Cambridge English website :

Cambridge English: Key is made up of three papers developed to test your English skills. You can see exactly what is in each paper below.

Reading and Writing (1 hour 10 minutes). 50% of mark

9 parts/56 questions. Shows you can understand simple written information such as signs, brochures, newspapers and magazines.

Listening (30 minutes, including 8 minutes' transfer time) 25% of mark

5 parts/25 questions. Requires you to be able to understand announcements and other spoken material when people speak reasonably slowly.

Speaking (8–10 minutes per pair of candidates). 25% of mark

2 parts. Shows you can take part in a conversation by answering and asking simple questions. Your Speaking test will be conducted face to face with one or two other candidates and two examiners. This makes your test more realistic and more reliable.

Edited June 20, 2014 by ThaiVisaExpress

[TCA]

"..............However, any BULATS results taken on or before 30 June, 2014 will be valid for two years."

Does this mean valid for visa application purposes for two years? I thought it had been established that an expired BULATS certificate was still valid for settlement visa purposes?

[sumrit]

Have they said whether they will continue to insist on candidates talking, and paying for, the reading and writing tests; which are not required for a settlement visa.?

This is from the Cambridge English website :

Cambridge English: Key is made up of three papers developed to test your English skills. You can see exactly what is in each paper below.

Reading and Writing (1 hour 10 minutes). 50% of mark

9 parts/56 questions. Shows you can understand simple written information such as signs, brochures, newspapers and magazines.

Listening (30 minutes, including 8 minutes' transfer time) 25% of mark

5 parts/25 questions. Requires you to be able to understand announcements and other spoken material when people speak reasonably slowly.

Speaking (8–10 minutes per pair of candidates). 25% of mark

2 parts. Shows you can take part in a conversation by answering and asking simple questions. Your Speaking test will be conducted face to face with one or two other candidates and two examiners. This makes your test more realistic and more reliable.

I think the key point here is not just what elements the exam is made up of but whether the exam results will be broken down into the individual elements (so the reading/writing element can be identified and disregarded) or whether the result will just be shown as a single mark for the entire exam.

Also, is there any information as to the pass mark that is required?

[ThaiVisaExpress]

Have they said whether they will continue to insist on candidates talking, and paying for, the reading and writing tests; which are not required for a settlement visa.?

This is from the Cambridge English website :

Cambridge English: Key is made up of three papers developed to test your English skills. You can see exactly what is in each paper below.

Reading and Writing (1 hour 10 minutes). 50% of mark

9 parts/56 questions. Shows you can understand simple written information such as signs, brochures, newspapers and magazines.

Listening (30 minutes, including 8 minutes' transfer time) 25% of mark

5 parts/25 questions. Requires you to be able to understand announcements and other spoken material when people speak reasonably slowly.

Speaking (8–10 minutes per pair of candidates). 25% of mark

2 parts. Shows you can take part in a conversation by answering and asking simple questions. Your Speaking test will be conducted face to face with one or two other candidates and two examiners. This makes your test more realistic and more reliable.

I think the key point here is not just what elements the exam is made up of but whether the exam results will be broken down into the individual elements (so the reading/writing element can be identified and disregarded) or whether the result will just be shown as a single mark for the entire exam.

Also, is there any information as to the pass mark that is required?

It's new to us too, but from their website, I have got the following :

Spouses and civil partners visa – CEFR level required: A1

The Cambridge English exams listed below are approved by the UK Home Office for Spouses and Civil partner visa applications to the UK.

These exams cover all four language skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening).

In some cases you may need to pass your exam with a minimum score in particular skills or with a minimum overall score for all four skills.

Accepted exams

Grades required (if applicable)

Cambridge English:

Key (KET)

Pass with Distinction, Pass with Merit, Pass, or a Cambridge English Level A1 certificate will be accepted. In addition, your Statement of Results must show that you achieved at least a Weak level in all skills.

I only need to show the UK Home Office proof of Speaking and Listening skills. Do you have a test for that?

For spouse or civil partner visas, the UK Home office is mainly interested in the applicants’ ability in Speaking and Listening. Most of our exams develop all four language skills and you must take all parts of the exam to get results. ESOL Skills for Life has a Speaking and Listening mode which can be taken on its own.

Tony M

[durhamboy]

TCA - my understanding is that BULATS and others are valid for 2 years before a settlement visa (SV) application. If they are more that 2 years old at the time of the SV application they are invalid and another pass must be achieved. However expired certificates remain valid for FLR applications indefinitely.

However the government can still strike off a test provider from the approved list as it has done recently with TOEIC. Therefore I think that TOEIC certificates are now invalid for SV purposes and may even be invalid for FLR purposes - apparently the government are still making their minds up on that one. Grossly unfair in my opinion for those people that achieved otherwise bonafide passes from TOEIC.

[TCA]

Thanks durhamboy. It's FLR that my wife will apply for next year and I had in my head that her BULATS pass was good for use then, despite being more than 2 years old by then. I get the distinction now. Cheers. Here's hoping it still applies in another 17 months!

[ThaiDiamond]

Most all English proficiency tests assess all 4 language skills of listening, speaking, reading & writing.

The research I did on this showed that the UKBA only approved 'global' tests, i.e. exams that are run in multiple countries. They also want the test providers to have substantial R&D budgets and exams that have been tested in the field so to speak.

I'm thinking all this indicates that there really isn't an exam specific to needs of a Settlement visa - particularly as all other UK visas like work and student related visas require all 4 language skills.

The married/spouse market is probably just a small niche to the global test providers.