A strong bond with England

Aleksandra, 39, has been living with her husband in Bristol since 2008. Originally from Poland, she has grown a strong bond with England over the last 13 years and now considers it her second home. In fact, Aleksandra made the decision to apply for British Citizenship in 2021.

“I’ll be honest and say it wasn’t always on my mind to apply” she admits. “I had thought the process would be costly and complicated. But because I feel such a strong connection to England, I decided it was time to see if my assumptions were right. I began to search online for further information.”

This research led Aleksandra to look at what English skills she needed to validate for the purpose of her citizenship application.

The search for SELT exams and finding LanguageCert

I’ve been learning and perfecting my English over the years but have never completed any English courses or certifications. My research helped me understand I needed to get a B1, the minimum requirement for the citizenship application, and I believed I could pass.

Aleksandra started her research on the Government website and found four recommended SELT providers. Initially she chose one of LanguageCert’s competitors, who provided convenient dates at a test centre in Bristol. But this SELT provider cancelled the exam with no explanation.

Aleksandra explains: With just a week to go before the exam, I felt really upset and let down. I needed to find an alternative provider quickly. In the end, I chose LanguageCert because the quality of information online was excellent. They were very reliable and had availability at a test centre in Bristol, so everything worked out well.

Aleksandra prepared for the test by reviewing the specific content LanguageCert offers on its website:

Every provider’s test is slightly different. It’s worthwhile making sure you understand how they differ, so you know what to expect on the day. LanguageCert’s information is very straightforward so you know how the reading, writing, and listening parts of the test will run and how long they will take. It helped me feel confident going into the test.

Looking ahead for Aleksandra

Passing the LanguageCert SELT B1 was always going to be a big step forward to securing British Citizenship but now Aleksandra is considering improving her level of attainment

The B1 is great to have because employers can easily determine your level of English. But I can see the value in people doing more learning and higher tests to open more career opportunities. I am now considering this and would use LanguageCert to do it.