Candidates
Results and report forms
When your result arrives, what the bands mean, and how an institution confirms your Test Report Form is genuine.
When you get your result
Reading and Listening are marked automatically when you submit. Writing and Speaking are marked by an examiner, so the result is not immediate — it is normally published within three working days of the test.
You are emailed when the result is published, and you can check it at any time using your attempt reference and the email address you registered with.
The nine-band scale
| Band | Description |
|---|---|
| 9 | Expert — full operational command, accurate and fluent throughout |
| 8 | Very good — occasional unsystematic inaccuracies only |
| 7 | Good — operational command, some inaccuracy in unfamiliar situations |
| 6 | Competent — effective command despite some inaccuracy |
| 5 | Modest — partial command, copes with overall meaning in most situations |
| 4 | Limited — competence confined to familiar situations |
| 3 | Extremely limited — conveys and understands only general meaning |
| 2 | Intermittent — no real communication beyond isolated words |
| 1 | Non-user — no ability beyond a few isolated words |
How the overall band is worked out
Each section is reported as its own band. The overall band is the mean of the four, rounded to the nearest half band: a mean of 6.25 becomes 6.5, and 6.75 becomes 7.
The pass mark for the certificate is an overall band of 5.5. Institutions frequently set their own, higher, requirement — check what your university or employer asks for rather than assuming the pass mark is enough.
Your Test Report Form
The Test Report Form shows your four section bands, your overall band, the date of the test and a verification number. It is issued electronically and can be shown to an institution as it is.
Verification by institutions
An organisation that receives your report form can confirm it against our records using the verification number printed on it. Verification returns only the bands and the test date — never your contact details, your responses or your recordings.
If an institution asks you to email a scan for verification, point them at the verification service instead. It is faster and it cannot be forged.
Last updated 23 August 2026