This page summarises our findings from reviewing education providers and programmes in recent years.
It provides our view on language requirements in admissions, including our regulatory requirements, and what we commonly see in programme delivery.
This information should be considered by education providers when developing new and existing programmes, linked to this area.
Our threshold requirements
- applicants to programmes have a good command of English (SET 2.3).
We expect to see that learners can use the English language at the level necessary to communicate effectively with service users and carers, educators and others, and to complete the programme successfully. This may differ depending on the programme.
Post-registration programmes do not need to check English language competence at the point of application, as applicants are already registrants and therefore meet the relevant communication standards of proficiency (SOPs).
Summary reflections
All education providers for pre-registration programmes have English language requirements in place as part of their admissions processes. Requirements set are normally a combination of institution level policies with programme specific requirements.
Education provider approaches
Education providers often have a threshold requirement for UK applicants to hold a GCSE in English.
For international applicants, there is often a requirement that learners hold an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7, with no element below 6.5, which is the requirement in the SOPs*. They then use this entry requirement as demonstration of how they ensure those who complete the programme are able to communicate in English to the level required by the SOPs.
The Common European Framework of References for Languages is used as an alternative to IELTS by some education providers.
There are a variety of assessment methods for English language competence, such as interviews, online questionnaire or tests.
Although not a requirement of our standards, education providers in Wales normally assessed Welsh language skills as part of entry. This links to a requirement of Health Education and Improvement Wales, who commission many HCPC-regulated professions in Wales, that Welsh proficiency is tested as part of entry requirements