Assessments

Pioneering life-changing exams

We’ve been involved in assessments since 1941, supporting the development of language tests that are still widely used today.

In 1965, we co-created the first English proficiency test for students looking to study in English.

Today, we continue to set standards in reliable English language assessment for all needs.

We also provide international assessment services to over 140 organisations around the world.

Each year, our exams help millions of people to change their lives for the better by unlocking their personal and professional ambitions.

We have always recognised the importance of English language testing in giving learners around the world the skills they need to succeed in English-speaking environments and education.

In 1941, we began collaborating on English language exams with the University of Cambridge. We contributed to Cambridge exams using our experience and expertise in English language testing.

We designed and developed new tests for overseas students and supported research on existing ones.

Some of our earliest work with Cambridge included the innovative use of gramophones to standardise the marking of oral language tests.

This pioneering approach was tested for the first time in 1944 on unconventional test takers: Polish pilots who had just joined the UK Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

It marked the first example of incorporating technology into language testing.

‘Two hundred candidates at various levels were presented in September by the Royal Air Force Polish Initial Training Wing [...] Advantage was taken of this to conduct experiments in the standardisation of marking.

Four examiners were sent, including a British Council phonetician from Cairo, and the Royal Air Force Education Officers also took part. The Engineer-in-Chief of the General Post Office very kindly lent a Mobile Recording Unit and the services of his engineers without charge, and several gramophone records were made.’

University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, 1944.

Photo by A. J. O'Brien/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Recognised by over 12,000 organisations, IELTS is the world’s most popular English language test for higher education and global migration.

Every year, more than four million people take IELTS around the world.

‘LSE was a transformative experience, offering a cosmopolitan and intellectually stimulating environment. London remains my favourite city, with its vibrant culture and dynamic financial sector.

The British Council IELTS Award covered my first year’s tuition, for which I am incredibly grateful.’

Manas Goyal won the British Council IELTS Award in 2020. He is a FinTech entrepreneur and postgraduate student at MIT.

We soon began collaborating with overseas governments to develop local English language tests administered by national bodies around the world. We also worked with them to improve English language assessment expertise within countries.

In the early 1980s, we contributed to the reform of English exams in Sri Lanka and the development of the English for Academic Purposes Test in Turkey.

As well as English language tests, we provide a range of international assessments, including UK qualifications and professional exams. Every year, these exams open doors to better education and new career opportunities for 4.5 million people worldwide.

Through our network of 2,300 British Council Partner Schools, we foster a global community for institutions delivering UK international school qualifications across 40 countries.

Each year, we host Schools Now!, a conference that brings together educators from around the world to network and share best practice.

Our Action Research Grants programme supports British Council Partner Schools to tackle educational challenges and embrace new developments to uplift teaching and learning standards.

Cau Giay Secondary School in Hanoi, Viet Nam, is on a mission to open up the world for its students. So in 2018 they joined a pioneering dual-degree programme that combines the national curriculum with the highly respected Cambridge International Education programme.

Bringing together the best of Vietnamese and UK education, the programme helps students to take international qualifications and build the skills they need to live and work successfully in a global world.

Through British Council Partner Schools, we supported Cau Giay to become an official Cambridge school. With our guidance, they organised international GCSE exams and helped learners prepare for IELTS. We also encouraged them to take part in international projects, like our Your World video-making competition.

Cau Giay Secondary School’s winning entry to our Your World video competition.

The programme was a big success and students’ hard work paid off. Of the first group of students who took their international maths GCSE, 95 per cent achieved the top grades of A and A*. Students also excelled outside of exams, performing well in local and international competitions.

This experience and being part of our British Council Partner Schools community have unlocked new opportunities for students at Cau Giay. As well as contributing to Viet Nam’s own journey of internationalisation, they now have the skills and confidence they need to thrive as global citizens.

Every year, our Global Exams Service team delivers international exams that empower students and professionals from all over the world to shape their future.

Over 260,000 school students across the world have taken over one million international school qualifications through us.

Over 32,000 exams are delivered to people seeking UK university qualifications in subjects from Business to Zoology.

We deliver over 645,000 exams for people pursuing UK professional qualifications in everything from accountancy to medicine.

We’re committed to making our exams inclusive and accessible to all candidates.

The single biggest thing we do in Pakistan is deliver exams, helping young Pakistanis gain access to and benefit from world-class UK qualifications.

We want everyone who takes an exam with the British Council to perform their best. Sometimes our Exams team are asked to provide support for candidates who require adjustments to help them take their exams.

Rahima Atif is a determined student with Marinesco-Sjögren syndrome and other severe physical challenges, who dreamed of sitting for her international GCSE exams. In February 2024 her school principal contacted our Account Relationship team to explore how we could make her exam journey as smooth as possible.

Our team took swift action to secure digital question papers and arrange for extra time, rest breaks, a scribe and a prompter. Thanks to these efforts and Rahima’s hard work, she successfully completed her exams and moved one step closer to achieving her dreams.

Our Exams team: Tahir Mahmood Abbasi, Sidra Naseer and Rawat Abbasi

‘It is evident that the British Council is not only committed to facilitating academic success but also to nurturing the future lives and careers of students, regardless of their challenges. Your dedication to creating inclusive environments where every student can thrive is truly commendable and deeply appreciated.’

Rahima’s mother in a letter to the British Council.

Our Assessment Research Group formed in the early 2010s to explore and advance new frontiers in English language assessment.

The group has since become the English Language Research Team, which conducts research into both English learning and assessment.

We introduced Aptis in 2012.

Designed by our assessment experts, Aptis is a flexible and reliable English language test trusted by organisations around the world.

‘Aptis is highly practical and relevant to our English training programmes. Aptis has allowed us to benchmark our students’ English skills quickly, affordably and by unquestionable international standards.’

Tran Thi Nhi, Vice-Dean, School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University, Viet Nam

We continue to evolve our English assessment offer.

In 2023, over 300,000 learners and professionals worldwide assessed their English with the Primary English Test, the Secondary English Test and Aptis.

In the same year, we launched the Foundation English Test, empowering older entry-level English users and vocational trainers.

Primary English Test

Foundation English Test

We continue to contribute to innovation, dialogue and research in English testing, working with educational organisations, researchers and policymakers.

New Directions, our flagship testing and assessments regional conferences, bring together international and national experts’ perspectives to explore trends and new approaches to English language assessment.

This year, the regional event will travel to Sub-Saharan Africa for the first time ever.

Watch the highlights video from the most recent New Directions East Asia conference in Hanoi, Viet Nam

Today, technological innovations are changing the way that we approach assessment. We are evolving and developing new ways to deliver assessments to make sure that we remain relevant in the age of artificial intelligence.