Skills for English B1

What Skills for English B1 is

Skills for English UKVI B1 (2 component) is on the GOV.UK list for tests taken outside the UK, with a minimum grade of Pass, effective from 1 October 2020 (GOV.UK list). GOV.UK says settlement (ILR) needs B1 speaking and listening for applications made before 26 March 2027, and citizenship needs B1, B2, C1 or C2 (GOV.UK). The requirement for settlement changes on 26 March 2027 for listed routes. Read B1 English test. PSI says the result can be used for applications made inside the UK (PSI). GOV.UK says a SELT result is valid for 2 years from the date it is awarded (GOV.UK). Rules can change, so check GOV.UK for your situation.

PSI is not a UK-based provider on the GOV.UK list. GOV.UK shows PSI Services (UK) Ltd as not available for tests taken in the UK. We are not connected to PSI. We use its name only to say which test we mean. Information is as of 9 November 2026.

What happens in the test, step by step

1. Book and attend. You take the test at a centre in one of the 130 or more countries PSI lists (PSI). It is one computer session with no examiner or assessor present.
2. Part 1, introduce yourself. You hear five questions: your name, how to spell your first name, where you are from, your birthday and what you do. This takes 1 to 2 minutes and is not assessed (specification).
3. Part 2, topic exploration. You hear 5 questions about your personal context and 5 questions about everyday life. You speak your answers and they are recorded.
4. Part 3. B1 uses "talk at length". You see 5 prompts on screen, for example giving advice to a friend. You get 1 minute to read and up to 4 minutes to respond (specification). Answers that do not fit the context cannot get full marks for relevance.
5. Listening. Listening takes about 40 minutes. Each recording is played twice and a computer marks it (specification). Part 1 has ten short recordings with 10 multiple-choice questions. Part 2 is a conversation with two or three speakers and 10 multiple-choice questions on detail, opinion and attitude. Part 3 is an extended monologue, for example about a tourist site, with two sets of five drag-and-drop sentences.
6. Finish. Speaking is about 14 minutes. PSI gives a maximum time of 50 minutes for the whole test (PSI).

Marks, criteria and results

Marks are 30 for speaking and 30 for listening, 60 in total for the 2 component test (specification). Result is Pass with merit, Pass or Fail. Every component must be passed. The number of marks needed to pass is not published in the specification, so we do not give a pass mark.

The speaking criteria at B1 are relevance and appropriacy, grammar (accuracy and range), vocabulary (accuracy and range), clarity and pronunciation, and coherence and structure (specification, mark schemes).

PSI says results usually come within 3 to 5 days (PSI). Compare providers on SELT test results.

Topics

PSI says B1 topics include (specification): the self; family and culture; work and study; making choices; hopes and plans; past experiences; forms and letters; daily life; the home and neighbourhood; getting things done; free time; media; healthcare and wellbeing; accidents and emergencies; places of interest; opinions and arguments; work and education in general terms; and advertisements and application forms.

How to practise

At B1 the long answer in Part 3 is the hardest part for most people. Practise it first.

1. Read five prompts in one minute. Write one key word for each.
2. Speak for up to four minutes. Cover all five prompts, link your ideas with words such as "because", "so" and "however", and give a short reason for each idea. Example: "I would tell my friend to start early, because the exam is difficult."
3. Practise Part 2 answers of two or three sentences with a reason.
4. Practise listening to long recordings twice. Take notes on opinions, not only facts, because Part 2 asks about attitude.
5. Record yourself and check that your talk has a beginning, a middle and an end.

You can practise Skills for English B1 in this format with an AI examiner on this site. Our feedback is always an estimate. PSI also shares free practice tests and annotated B1 responses on its prepare page. Take the free level check, no sign-up, at our level check.

Fee and booking

The fee in pounds is not confirmed. PSI sells the test outside the UK in local prices through its booking site, and no price was visible to us. Check the booking page. See SELT test fees. Because the test is outside the UK only, read Skills for English for an overview of all levels, or compare other providers on SELT test.