Guide
Do I need IELTS for a UK university with the IB, Abitur or Matura?
By Michael Thompson - Head of Teaching Excellence; 15 years as an IB Coordinator
In short: Often not. Warwick, King's College London, Manchester and Loughborough accept a good Abitur English grade (11 or 12 points at advanced level) instead of IELTS; Warwick also lists the Austrian Reifeprüfung (grade 2) and the Swiss Matura (grade 5); and IB English A or B at set grades counts at Warwick, King's and LSE. LSE does not list the Abitur or Matura. Check the university's own English requirements page for your qualification before booking a test.
Every autumn, students in Germany, Austria and Switzerland book an IELTS test for a UK application that did not need one. The test costs from €286, takes weeks of preparation, and the result expires after two years. Universities publish lists of qualifications that meet their English requirement, and school-leaving English grades and IB English are on many of them.
This guide collects what five universities publish for the IB, the Abitur, the Austrian Reifeprüfung and the Swiss Matura, explains where a test is still needed, and ends with a twenty-minute check you can do yourself. The thresholds below were read on the universities' pages on 17 October 2026 and change every admissions cycle, so treat them as a map, not as the final word.
The rule in one sentence
A UK university sets its own English requirement and publishes a list of qualifications that satisfy it. If your school qualification is on the list at the grade the course asks for, you do not sit a test. If it is not on the list, or your grade is below the line, you do. Most universities group courses into two or three bands with different thresholds, so the same grade can be enough for one course and short for another at the same university.
IB Diploma: English A and English B
IB English is the best-recognised school route. All three universities below list it, and LSE states that IB results count indefinitely for this purpose.
| University | English A (Literature or Language and Literature) | English B |
|---|---|---|
| Warwick | HL 4 or SL 4 for bands A and B; HL 5 or SL 5 for band C courses | HL 4 (bands A, B) or HL 5 (band C); SL 5 (A), SL 5 (B), SL 6 (C) |
| King's College London | HL 4 or SL 5, all bands | HL 5 or SL 7, all bands |
| LSE | Any HL grade, or SL 6 | HL 7 only |
English ab initio is not listed by any of the three. Warwick's bands depend on the course; the band is shown on each course page.
Abitur
The Abitur English grade replaces IELTS at several universities when English was taken at advanced level (Leistungskurs, erhöhtes Anforderungsniveau or Hauptfach). The points are the 15-point scale of the Qualifikationsphase, not the final average.
| University | Abitur English requirement | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Warwick | 11 points (bands A and B), 12 points (band C) | English as Leistungskurs or erhöhtes Anforderungsniveau |
| King's College London | 12 points | Hauptfach, Leistungskurs or erhöhtes Anforderungsniveau; in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria the 12 must be from the final year |
| Manchester | 12 points | Published as the expectation for courses asking IELTS 6.0 to 6.5; Manchester says it may be accepted by some schools, so confirm with the department |
| Loughborough | Normally sufficient | States that Abitur English is normally accepted as English proof |
| LSE | Not listed | LSE requires IELTS 7.0 in every component or an equivalent test; the Abitur does not appear |
Secondary sources list lower thresholds elsewhere, from 10 points at Kingston and Oxford Brookes, for example. We have not verified those pages ourselves; check them directly.
Austrian Reifeprüfung and Swiss Matura
Austrian and Swiss qualifications appear on fewer lists than the Abitur, so a test is more often needed. Warwick is the clearest case: it accepts the Austrian Reifeprüfung with English at grade 2 for all three bands, and a federally recognised Swiss Matura with English as first language at grade 5. King's College London lists a Swiss route but only for applicants who do not need a Student visa. LSE lists neither.
The Austrian standardised Reifeprüfung sets the first foreign language at CEFR B2, which is below what the most selective courses expect, so a C1 Advanced certificate or IELTS is the usual route for those. German Abitur English at advanced level is typically described as B2 to C1.
Where you still need a test
- LSE, and any other university that does not list your qualification. LSE wants IELTS 7.0 in every component, or an equivalent score in another accepted test.
- A grade below the line: a 10 in Abitur English at King's, or SL 4 in IB English A at LSE, means a test.
- A course in a higher band than your grade covers, for example a Warwick band C course with 11 Abitur points.
- A qualification taken too long ago, where the university sets a recency rule; IELTS results themselves count for two years at most.
- A visa case below degree level, such as a foundation year, where the Home Office requires a secure English test. At degree level the university assesses English itself and records it on the CAS, so a listed school grade is enough for the visa too.
If you need a test: which one, and when
IELTS Academic is the default for the UK and is accepted everywhere; results are recommended valid for two years, so sit it in the final school year, not earlier. Cambridge C1 Advanced is accepted by the same universities, on the Cambridge scale (Warwick 170 to 190 by band, VU Amsterdam 180), and the certificate never expires, which suits students who want it done in year 11 or 12. TOEFL iBT is accepted too; since January 2026 it is scored 1 to 6, so translate any requirement still written on the 0 to 120 scale.
Fees are set by centre: IELTS from €286 at the British Council in Berlin, with IELTS for UKVI at €308. Our IELTS and TOEFL page and our Cambridge page cover the preparation; the guide on choosing between the three tests covers the trade-offs.
The Netherlands: VU Amsterdam as the example
Dutch universities publish similar lists. VU Amsterdam exempts the Abitur when English was a Grundkurs exam subject or taken at advanced level, and the Austrian AHS Reifeprüfung when English was in the final exams. The Swiss Matura is not listed. For the IB, VU accepts a fully English-taught Diploma, or English A Language and Literature at SL 7 or HL 6 to 7. Otherwise it asks for IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 4.5 on the new scale, or Cambridge 180, and it states that the Duolingo English Test is not accepted.
How to check in twenty minutes
- Open the university's English language requirements page, not the course page; search the site for 'English language requirements'.
- Find your qualification by name: International Baccalaureate, German Abitur, Austrian Reifeprüfung, Swiss Matura. Note the exact grade and any condition such as advanced level or final-year grade.
- Find the band or level your course sits in. It is usually named on the course page or in a table on the requirements page.
- Screenshot the page with the date. Requirements change by cycle and admissions teams honour what was published when you applied.
- If anything is ambiguous, email admissions with the qualification, the subject level and the grade. Ask in the same email whether a visa applicant needs anything extra.
- Only then decide on a test, and choose it by the universities on your list, not by habit.
Frequently asked questions
- My Abitur is not finished yet. Can the university accept predicted grades?
- Universities make conditional offers on predicted grades and confirm when the certificate arrives, and the English condition works the same way: an offer can be conditional on 12 points in English. Ask your school to state the English level and predicted points on the reference.
- Does Grundkurs English count?
- At King's and Warwick the thresholds are written for Leistungskurs or erhöhtes Anforderungsniveau, so a Grundkurs grade usually does not meet them. VU Amsterdam accepts English as a Grundkurs exam subject. Check the wording for each university.
- I did the IB in English. Is that enough on its own?
- For English language purposes, the universities above look at the English A or English B grade, not at the language of instruction. VU Amsterdam is the exception: it accepts a fully English-taught IB Diploma. Some UK universities also accept several years of English-medium schooling; that is a separate route and has to be on the list too.
- Do I need IELTS for UKVI?
- Not for a degree course. At degree level the university assesses your English itself and records it on your CAS, so a listed school grade or a normal IELTS Academic result is enough for the visa. IELTS for UKVI matters for courses below degree level, such as some foundation programmes.
- How long does an IELTS result count?
- IELTS recommends that organisations accept a result for two years from the test date, and universities follow that. A Cambridge C1 Advanced certificate has no expiry date, though universities can still set a recency rule.
- What if the university's page contradicts this guide?
- The university's page wins. These thresholds were read on 17 October 2026 and change each cycle. If you find a difference, follow the page and, if you like, tell us so we can update the guide.
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Sources
- University of Warwick: English language requirements (undergraduate)
- King's College London: English language requirements (undergraduate, 2027/28)
- LSE: English language requirements (undergraduate)
- University of Manchester: entry requirements for applicants from Germany
- Loughborough University: undergraduate entry requirements, Germany
- VU Amsterdam: meeting the language proficiency requirements
- GOV.UK: Student visa, knowledge of English
- IELTS: verifying results (two-year recommendation)
- IELTS: British Council Germany test centre (fees)
- Cambridge English: C1 Advanced
Facts on this page were last checked on 17 October 2026. Exam fees and formats change; confirm them with the exam provider before booking a test.