Certificates are usually sent within 21 days of candidates passing both parts of the ISE test.
Candidates who pass
If you passed both parts of the exam, you receive:
- an ISE certificate showing Pass, Merit or Distinction for each skill: reading, writing, speaking and listening
- a diagnostic profile report for each skill showing how you performed - this shows you where to develop your skills in the future
Candidates who fail
If you fail either or both parts of the exam, you receive:
- a letter confirming that you did not achieve a pass grade in all 4 parts of the exam and therefore you do not receive a certificate
- a diagnostic profile report for each skill showing how you performed - this identifies areas for improvement
To improve your skills use the information in the report to identify relevant practise activities in our skills development tables below.
When you are ready, you can book to re-take your test.
See our ISE scoring information sheet
Diagnostic profiles
A diagnostic profile report for each part of the exam show the skills tested for reading, writing, speaking and listening.
To see an example of a full ISE diagnostic report:
Here is an example of a candidate’s diagnostic report for Task I - Long Reading in the Reading & Writing part of the exam. It shows the three language skills measured by Task 1:
Diagram A: Diagnostic Profile Report (extract)
Long Reading - Task 1
Although this candidate's sub-skills in 'reading for the main idea' and 'reading carefully for details' are good (ie the coloured bars correspond to 'adequate performance'), the sub-skill of 'reading carefully for facts or information' needs further development (ie the coloured bar corresponds to 'more practice required').
In this example, the candidate should refer to the Skills Development Table shown below for suggestions on how to improve this particular sub-skill of reading.
How can I use these to develop my skills?
Your diagnostic report is very useful for identifying which skills you must develop and practise to improve. Use the information in the report to identify relevant practice activities in our skills development tables below.
Skills Development tables
These tables list the skills tested in each part of the exam and offer practical ideas about where to target and practise skills for improvement. Designed for teachers to use in the classroom they are also useful to people preparing for ISE exams.
Diagram B: Example Skills Development Table (extract)
Task 1 - Long Reading
Library of Skills Development Tables
Select the module below and see what you can do to practise your skills:
ISE I (B1)
Additional support
For more guidance and support to help you prepare for your ISE SELT test please see: