English or Welsh language proficiency

Updated 4 October 2024

Most aspiring solicitors demonstrate their proficiency in English or Welsh by passing the SQE2 assessment.

If you are granted an exemption from SQE2, you must demonstrate your language proficiency before applying for admission as a solicitor of England and Wales.

You can do this by:

• providing evidence that the professional legal qualification on which your exemption was based was assessed in English or Welsh, or
• passing a language assessment at an appropriate level.

What you need to do if you have an SQE2 exemption

You will need to complete and submit the English or Welsh Language Assessment application, available in the SQE checklist within your mySRA profile.

You will be able to upload evidence of your English or Welsh proficiency as part of this application.

Using a professional legal qualification as evidence

If you want to provide evidence using your professional legal qualification, this must be:

• the same qualification used to gain your exemption from SQE2, and
• assessed in English or Welsh.

Using a Secure English Language Test certificate as evidence

If you want to provide evidence using a Secure English Language Test (SELT) certificate, this must:

• have been taken with one of the UK Home Office approved providers
• show achievement of at least IELTS 7.5 (or equivalent score from an alternative SELT provider) and dated no more than three years prior to you relying on it for admission.

The minimum test score required from each provider is:

• IELTS (Academic) UKVI – 7.5 overall
• Pearson PTE (Academic) UKVI – 78 overall
• LanguageCert (Academic SELT) – 80 overall
• LanguageCert SELT C1 International ESOL – High Pass overall
• Trinity College London - SELT ISE III – Level III (Reading – Distinction; Listening – Distinction; Writing – Distinction; Speaking – Merit).

Using an alternative Welsh language test as evidence

If you want to provide evidence using an alternative language test in Welsh, please contact us first.

We will review each request on a case-by-case basis and work with you to determine if there is a test that you can take that is equivalent to an IELTS standard of 7.5.