📚 IELTS Life Skills A1, A2 and B1: Which UK Visas Do They Cover? | 雅思生活技能类 A1、A2 与 B1：分别对应哪类英国签证
IELTS Life Skills is the smallest, cheapest and most misunderstood member of the IELTS family. It exists for one reason only: to satisfy the UK Home Office English language requirement for a specific list of family and settlement routes. It has three levels - A1, A2 and B1 - and choosing the wrong one means your visa application is refused even if your English is excellent. This guide sets out exactly which UK visa each level corresponds to, what the test actually contains, and the traps that catch candidates every month.
雅思生活技能类考试（IELTS Life Skills）是雅思家族中规模最小、费用最低、也最容易被误解的一类考试。它存在的唯一理由，就是满足英国内政部（Home Office）针对特定家庭类与永居类签证路径的英语语言要求。它分为 A1、A2、B1 三个级别；选错级别，即使你的英语水平很好，签证也可能被拒。本文会逐级说明每个级别究竟对应哪类英国签证、考试内容是什么，以及每月都有考生踩坑的地方。
1. What IELTS Life Skills Actually Is | 雅思生活技能类考试到底是什么
IELTS Life Skills is a Secure English Language Test, usually shortened to SELT. A SELT is a test that the UK Home Office has approved for visa purposes; the Home Office publishes a list of approved SELT providers and approved test centres, and only tests taken at those centres count. IELTS Life Skills is delivered by the IELTS partners - the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press and Assessment.
雅思生活技能类考试属于"安全英语语言测试"，英文缩写为 SELT。SELT 是英国内政部批准用于签证用途的考试；内政部会公布认可的 SELT 考试提供方与考点名单，只有在名单内考点参加的考试才被认可。雅思生活技能类由雅思三方机构承办，即英国文化教育协会（British Council）、IDP 雅思以及剑桥大学出版社与考评院。
The single most important fact about Life Skills is that it tests Speaking and Listening only. There is no Reading paper and no Writing paper. That is why it is short, inexpensive and fast to mark - and also why it is useless for visas that require all four skills.
关于生活技能类最重要的一点是：它只考口语与听力，没有阅读卷，也没有写作卷。因此它时间短、费用低、出分快；也正因如此，它无法用于那些要求听说读写四项技能的签证。
Second, the test is scored as Pass or Fail. There is no band score, no 6.5, no 7.0, and nothing to put on a CV. You walk out with a certificate that says you passed at that level or that you did not.
第二，该考试只有"通过"与"未通过"两种结果。没有分数段，没有 6.5 也没有 7.0，简历上也没有可写的分数。你拿到的证书只会说明你在该级别通过或未通过。
A level in Life Skills is a CEFR level, not an IELTS band. A1 is the lowest of the three and corresponds to a very basic user; B1 is the highest of the three and corresponds to an independent user who can cope with familiar everyday topics.
生活技能类中的级别是 CEFR（欧洲语言共同参考框架）级别，不是雅思分数段。A1 是三者中最低的，对应"入门级使用者"；B1 是三者中最高的，对应能够应对熟悉日常话题的"独立使用者"。
2. The Three Levels at a Glance | 三个级别速览对照表
Before going into detail, here is the whole system on one screen. Keep this table open while you read the rest of the article.
在展开细节之前，先用一屏把整个体系看完。阅读后文时可以对照这张表。
| Level | CEFR label | Main UK visa use | Skills tested | Test length |
| A1 | Breakthrough | First application under the 5-year family route (partner or parent) | Speaking and Listening | 16-18 minutes |
| A2 | Waystage | Extension (further leave to remain) of the 5-year family route | Speaking and Listening | 16-18 minutes |
| B1 | Threshold | Settlement (ILR) and British citizenship under the family route | Speaking and Listening | 22 minutes |
Note carefully what is missing: no B2, no C1. If your visa route requires B2 or above, Life Skills cannot help you at all.
请注意表中缺了什么：没有 B2，也没有 C1。如果你的签证路径要求 B2 或更高，生活技能类完全帮不上忙。
3. A1: The First Family Visa Application | A1：家庭类签证的首次申请
IELTS Life Skills A1 corresponds to the first application under the UK 5-year family route. In practice this means applying for entry clearance, or for leave to remain, as a partner or as a parent under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.
雅思生活技能类 A1 对应英国"五年家庭路径"的首次申请。实际而言，就是以伴侣（partner）身份或父母（parent）身份，依据《移民规则》附录 FM（Appendix FM）申请入境许可或居留许可。
The "partner" category covers more relationships than most people expect:
"伴侣"这一类别涵盖的关系比多数人想象的要广：
Spouse or civil partner of a British citizen or settled person. | 英国公民或永居者的配偶或民事伴侣。
Fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner coming to the UK to marry or register a civil partnership. | 拟结婚或拟登记民事伴侣关系而前往英国的未婚夫（妻）或拟定民事伴侣。
Unmarried partner or same-sex partner who has lived with the sponsor for at least two years. | 与担保人同居不少于两年的未婚伴侣或同性伴侣。
The "parent" category applies where a child in the UK is a British citizen or settled, and the applicant is applying to come to the UK, or stay, as that child's parent.
"父母"类别适用于：在英国的孩子为英国公民或永居者，申请人以该孩子父母的身份申请赴英或继续留英。
At this stage the Home Office requires only A1 - basic English. You must show you can understand and use very familiar everyday expressions: introducing yourself, asking simple personal questions, ordering something, asking for directions, talking about your family and your daily routine.
在这一阶段，内政部只要求 A1，即基础英语。你需要证明自己能够理解并使用非常熟悉的日常表达：自我介绍、问简单的个人信息、点单、问路、谈论家庭和日常作息。
Family route, first application → IELTS Life Skills A1 (Speaking and Listening)
Two practical points. First, A1 is not accepted for settlement, so do not take it thinking it "covers" everything. Second, the certificate must come from a Home Office approved SELT centre, whether you sit the test in your home country or in the UK.
两个实操要点。第一，A1 不能用于永居申请，所以不要以为考了 A1 就"全部搞定"。第二，证书必须来自内政部认可的 SELT 考点，无论你是在本国考试还是在英国考试。
4. A2: Extending the 5-Year Family Route | A2：五年家庭路径的续签延期
IELTS Life Skills A2 corresponds to the extension stage. If you entered the UK on a 5-year family route and you are applying for further leave to remain after your initial 2.5 years of leave, you normally have to pass a test in Speaking and Listening at A2 or above.
雅思生活技能类 A2 对应"续签"阶段。如果你是通过五年家庭路径进入英国，并在首次 2.5 年居留期满后申请继续居留（further leave to remain），通常需要通过在 A2 或以上级别的口语与听力测试。
This requirement was introduced for applications decided on or after 1 May 2017. Transitional arrangements existed for people whose initial leave was granted before that date: broadly, they were exempt
Published by TutorHao | Exam Prep Revision Series | aleveler.com
更多咨询请联系16621398022（同微信）
或截图后用「扫一扫 → 相册」选择本图