F2 Stand-alone 2026 – English Language Proficiency

All applicants must provide evidence of their English language proficiency.

Non-urgent advice: Important

There are no exceptions or exemptions. You must provide evidence of your English language proficiency regardless of your citizenship, nationality, GMC registration status, country of medical school, language your PMQ was taught in, or otherwise. This is a requirement which forms part of the national person specification for entry to foundation training in the UK.

The UKFPO does not accept any other form of evidence of English language proficiency apart from those specifically outlined.

You will be asked to provide evidence of your English language proficiency on your application form, so this must be available to you when you apply. If you are unable to provide the evidence when you apply, the application window will not be extended, and evidence will not be accepted beyond the close of the application window.

You must evidence your English language proficiency by one of the following methods:

Your PMQ will be accepted as evidence of English language proficiency if it was gained from a medical school/university in a country where English is the first and native language. The GMC maintains a list of countries where English is a first and native language. The UKFPO will refer to this list when making decisions about applications.

Using your PMQ if you studied at an overseas campus

• If you gain(ed) your PMQ from an overseas campus of a non-UK medical school/university, you will be deemed by the UKFPO as having studied in the country where the campus is located.
• If you gain(ed) your PMQ from an overseas campus of a UK medical school/university, you will be deemed by the UKFPO as having studied in the UK.

If you would like to use your IELTS certificate as evidence of your English language proficiency, you must provide your IELTS Test Report Form (TRF) number on your application form. The UKFPO will verify IELTS results online using the TRF number to check that the result meets requirements.

To be valid for F2 Stand-alone 2026, your TRF must show:

• Scores of 7.5 or higher in every skill (speaking, listening, reading, and writing).
• The date of the exam was on or after 05 August 2024 – this is to ensure that the test is still valid when the programme begins.
• The date of the exam was on or before 05 January 2026 – this is to ensure the result is available for the UKFPO to view and verify on the IELTS verification portal during the longlisting process.
• The exam was the Academic or the UKVI (Academic) version of the test.

IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR)

The UKFPO will accept your IELTS One Skill Retake if your TRF shows:

• Scores of 7.5 or higher in every skill (speaking, listening, reading, and writing)
• The date of the initial exam was on or after 05 August 2024
• The date of the One Skill Retake was on or before 05 January 2026
• The exam was the Academic or the UKVI (Academic) version of the test

You can only provide one Test Report Form (TRF) number on your F2 stand-alone application form, so you must ensure that the TRF number you provide relates to your One Skill Retake if you would like the UKFPO to consider this. Ensure that this is correct as it cannot be changed or updated after your application has been submitted.

More information about IELTS One Skill Retake can be found on the IELTS website.

Further information – IELTS

• Test results are not always immediately available for verification by third parties, so we encourage you to sit your IELTS test at the earliest opportunity.
• Paper, computer and online delivery methods of the Academic and UKVI (Academic) test are accepted.
• The IELTS TRF you use for your F2 stand-alone application does not have to be your most recent sitting. If you have taken the IELTS test more than once, you can use any one certificate which meets our criteria.
• Overall band scores are not considered. If your TRF shows that you have scored below 7.5 in any skill, your IELTS certificate will not be accepted as evidence of your English language proficiency – even if your overall band score is 7.5 or higher.
• You can only provide one TRF number on your application form. Ensure this is correct as the UKFPO will use the number you provide to verify your result online and ensure that it meets the requirements.
• IELTS General Training certificates and the IELTS Indicator test are not accepted.

More information about IELTS can be found on the IELTS website.

If you would like to use your OET certificate as evidence of your English language proficiency, you must provide your OET Candidate Number on your application form. The UKFPO will verify OET results online using the Candidate Number to check that the result meets requirements; however, you must remember to share your results with the UKFPO first.

To be valid for F2 Stand-alone 2026, your OET certificate must show:

• Scores of 400 or higher in every skill (speaking, listening, reading, and writing).
• The date of the exam was on or after 05 August 2024 – this is to ensure that the test is still valid when the programme begins.
• The date of the exam was on or before 05 January 2026 – this is to ensure the result is available for the UKFPO to view and verify on the OET verification portal during the longlisting process.
• The exam was the Medicine version of the test.

Further information – OET

• Test results are not always immediately available for verification by third parties, so we encourage you to sit your OET test at the earliest opportunity.
• OET Test on Paper, OET Test on Computer and OET@Home delivery modes of the Medicine version of the test are all accepted.
• Your OET scores must have been achieved in one test sitting – the UKFPO does not accept ‘clubbing’ of OET scores from multiple sittings. If you have taken more than one OET test, bear in mind that the UKFPO will only consider the scores from the test which matches the test date you specify on your application form. Ensure that this is correct as it cannot be changed or updated after your application has been submitted.
• The OET results you use for your F2 stand-alone application do not have to be your most recent sitting. If you have taken the OET test more than once, you can use the results from any one sitting which meet our criteria.
• You must share your OET results with the UKFPO. If you do not, the UKFPO will be unable to verify the result and your application will be deemed unsuccessful. It is a good idea to share your results before you submit your F2 stand-alone application. Instructions on how to share OET results through your OET online account can be found on the OET website.
• The UKFPO does not consider OET letter grades. If your results show that have scored below 400 in any skill, your OET certificate will not be accepted as evidence of your English language proficiency – regardless of your overall letter grade.

More information about the OET can be found on the OET website.

If you have worked in paid employment as a doctor in the NHS for 3 months or longer, you can submit an NHS consultant testimony. This must be completed by a consultant who has supervised you, and can verify that you have demonstrable skills in listening, reading, writing and speaking in English that enable effective communication about medical topics with patients and colleagues, as set out in the GMC’s Good Medical Practice.

If you wish to provide a consultant testimony, you must use the 2026 NHS Consultant Testimony Form template. Only evidence provided on the form template can be considered. The UKFPO will not accept evidence of an NHS consultant testimony provided in any other format/template. If you have applied to F2 Stand-alone programmes before, please note that you cannot re-use a previous consultant testimony. Only the current 2026 version of the consultant testimony form will be accepted.

Consultant testimonies from work in either general practice (GP) and/or hospital settings are acceptable.

The testimony must cover a minimum period of 3 full months of employment as a doctor in the NHS between 05 August 2024 and 05 January 2026.

You must upload the completed NHS Consultant Testimony Form onto your application form on Oriel at the time of application. This means that a minimum of 3 months’ employment must have been accrued by the date the vacancy opens on Oriel. Future or expected employment will not be considered.

The UKFPO does not accept consultant testimonies from employment outside the NHS, clinical attachments, agency/bank locum work, or posts where you were not employed in the capacity of a doctor. However, fixed-term locum appointments are accepted.

Important information about English language proficiency for your F2 Stand-alone application

The UKFPO does not accept any other form of evidence of English language proficiency apart from those specifically outlined. Other courses and qualifications including (but not limited to) PhD, Masters or Bachelors’ degrees, Diplomas or Certificates of Higher Education, GCSEs, BTECs, A-Levels, and Duolingo are not considered satisfactory evidence of English language proficiency for entry to foundation training in the UK. The required assurances regarding English language proficiency specifically relate to patient contact and communication.

It is important to remember that the UKFPO and the General Medical Council (GMC) are not the same organisation and may have differing requirements for demonstrating your English language proficiency. You do not have to use the same evidence of your English language proficiency for both organisations.

The UKFPO’s requirements for satisfactory IELTS and OET certificates are set at a higher level than the requirements for the GMC. The UKFPO has set the level for English language proficiency to be in line with the expectations of a doctor operating at foundation level and to meet the national person specification.

Please do not send physical copies of any documents by post (for example, your IELTS/OET test certificate). These are not required, as the UKFPO can verify IELTS and OET test results online. Simply ensure that you have followed the provided guidance and included all necessary information in your application form. Please note that we are unable to consider or return any physical documents submitted by post.