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Cambridge · New Linguaskill
New Linguaskill. The Cambridge certificate from B1 to C2, in days and at your own pace.
Cambridge's multi-level exam was overhauled in October 2025: four independent modules, a new 140-to-210 scale and an official certificate that now reaches C2. At ULIC you prepare it, and we arrange your booking with ExamsOne, the official exam centre (ES945).
Since 2010
preparing candidates
Madrid
& online, live
New format since October 2025
Scale 140-210 · up to C2
This page describes the current version of the exam, not the old one
+10,000
candidates prepared
Prepare. Certify. Succeed.
15 years
of exam specialisation
§ 01 · Key facts
Quick facts on the New Linguaskill.
Scoring
140–210
Multi-level. You do not sit a level: the exam is adaptive and certifies you from B1 (140) to C2 (200-210) based on your result.
Duration
~2h 30min
The 4 modules: adaptive Reading (~40 min) and Listening (~40 min), Writing (55 min) and Speaking (16 min). All computer-based.
Results
3 – 5 días
At a centre, working days. Official digital certificate with a score per module and an overall average.
Sittings
Flexible
No fixed calendar: scheduled on demand, arranged with ExamsOne, the official exam centre.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Examining body | Cambridge University Press & Assessment, the same institution behind B2 First, C1 Advanced and IELTS. |
| What it measures | English across four independent modules: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. It comes in two variants, Linguaskill and Linguaskill Business. |
| Format | 100% computer-based and adaptive. Overhauled in October 2025: certifies from B1 to C2 on the Cambridge English Scale (140-210) and issues an official certificate. |
| Modular | Four independent modules. With "My best score" you retake only the one you need and your certificate always records your best mark. |
| Recognition | Validated by the CRUE (Conference of Rectors) for graduation, master's, doctorate and Erasmus mobility. |
| Booking and exam | You prepare with ULIC and we arrange booking, payment and the exam with ExamsOne, the official Cambridge exam centre (ES945). |
| Price | The full exam costs 130 €. When you book with ULIC, you pay the official centre price. |
| Where to sit it | At the centre arranged with ExamsOne in Madrid, or online supervised, depending on the format. |
Swipe horizontally to see the full table.
§ 02 · What it is and what it is for
One exam. Your real level, certified in days.
You do not sit for a level: the exam sets yours, from B1 to C2.
The New Linguaskill is the multi-level exam from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, the same institution behind B2 First, C1 Advanced and IELTS. It is fully computer-based and adaptive: the difficulty adjusts to your answers, so you do not sit for a fixed level; the exam sets yours, from B1 to C2, on the Cambridge English Scale (140-210), the same scale used by the fixed-level Cambridge exams. It comes in two variants, Linguaskill and Linguaskill Business.
Since its October 2025 overhaul it issues an official certificate, not just a report. In Spain, recognition by the CRUE has made it the fast route to accreditation: it works for the graduation language requirement, for master's and doctorates, for Erasmus and for corporate selection processes. The University of Barcelona is among the institutions that use it. Its real edge goes beyond the speed of the result: a modular exam scheduled on demand, with no sitting to wait for.
Pillar · 01
Up to C2, on the Cambridge scale
The new Linguaskill certifies from B1 to C2 on the 140-210 scale, the same as B2 First and C1 Advanced. Your score reads straight off, with no exotic conversion tables.
Pillar · 02
Modular, with My best score
Four independent modules. If one falls short, you retake only that one, and your certificate always keeps your best mark. One bad day does not wipe out three good ones.
Pillar · 03
Sit it with the people who prepare you
ULIC prepares you for the exam and arranges your booking with ExamsOne, the official Cambridge examination centre (ES945), with no middlemen.
§ 03 · Exam format
Four independent modules, all on computer.
The New Linguaskill (since October 2025) has four independent modules, all on computer. Reading and Listening are adaptive and marked automatically; Writing is marked by examiners; Speaking uses hybrid marking (examiners plus Cambridge's automated assessment technology). It can be taken at a centre or with remote invigilation.
Linguaskill changed · October 2025
Reading and Listening no longer go together: they are now separate modules. Writing moved to two examiner-marked tasks, Speaking introduced five new tasks, the scale changed from 82-180 to 140-210 and now certifies up to C2, and the result is an official certificate, not a report. If you find the old scale or "results in 48 hours" out there, it is out of date.
| Module | Format | Time | Marking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | Adaptive: the difficulty adjusts to your answers, variable number of questions. | ~40 min (max 59) | Automatic |
| Listening | Adaptive, variable number of questions. | ~40 min (max 59) | Automatic |
| Writing | 2 keyboard tasks. | 55 min | Examiners |
| Speaking | 5 tasks with microphone and headphones, plus 3 unscored warm-up questions. | 16 min | Hybrid: examiners + automated assessment |
Swipe horizontally to see the full table.
| Reading · task | What it asks |
|---|---|
| Multiple choice | Read a notice, label, message or email and choose the sentence that best captures its meaning. |
| Gapped, with options | Complete sentences or texts by choosing the correct word from 3 or 4 options. |
| Open gaps | Write the missing word in a text, with no options. |
| Long text | Answer multiple-choice questions in the order of the text. |
| Removed paragraphs | Put back the paragraphs or sentences that were removed. |
| Match across texts | Locate specific information across four texts. |
| Listening · task | What it asks |
|---|---|
| Short recordings | Listen to a short clip and answer one multiple-choice question. |
| Long recordings | Answer 2 or 5 questions in the order of the recording. |
| Sentence completion | Listen to a speaker and complete 5 sentences with a maximum of 3 words each. |
| Match speakers | Listen to several monologues and match each speaker to the correct option. |
In Reading and Listening you will see a selection of these task types, not all of them: the exam is adaptive.
| Writing · task | What it asks | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | An email based on a given situation. min 50 words | 25% |
| 2 | An essay (General variant) or a report (Business variant). min 250 words | 75% |
55 minutes in total. Marked by Cambridge examiners.
| Speaking · task | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 · Presentation | Speak for 1 minute on a given topic with three prompts. |
| 2.1 · Summary | Listen to a meeting recording with four key ideas and summarise them in 40 seconds. |
| 2.2 · Discussion | Answer and give your view on three follow-up questions on the same topic. |
| 3 · Recommendation | Read a colleague's requirements in a message, check the information and make a recommendation. |
| 4 · Argument | Take a statement, weigh arguments for and against, and reach a conclusion. |
16 minutes, on your own, with headphones and a microphone.
Structural note
Within Writing, the Task 2 essay or report is worth 75% of the module mark: a solid email will not rescue a weak 250-word essay. And the certificate has no fail, only silence: if a module falls below B1, no score is issued and it does not appear on the certificate.
Practical note
The new Speaking tasks (summarising a meeting in 40 seconds, recommending from a message, arguing for and against) look nothing like any traditional Cambridge Speaking: they are real-work tasks against the clock. Anyone who arrives without rehearsing them loses points on format, not on English. Mock runs matter here more than in any face-to-face exam.
§ 04 · Scoring system
Cambridge English Scale, from 140 to 210.
Scale · 140 to 210
A result per module.
You get a Cambridge English Scale score for each module taken, from 140 to 210, and an overall score that is the average of the modules taken. It is the same scale as B2 First and C1 Advanced, so institutions read it without conversions.
New in 2025
The ceiling is now C2.
The scale reaches 210 and the 200-210 band certifies C2, something the old format did not do. Being multi-level there is no fail: the certificate reflects your real level. But if a module falls below B1, no score is issued and it does not appear on the certificate.
From the 140-210 scale to the CEFR
| Score | CEFR level | What it unlocks in practice |
|---|---|---|
| 200 – 210 | C2 | The new format's headline feature: C2 accreditation in a multi-level Cambridge exam. |
| 180 – 199 | C1 | Teaching, demanding master's, a language mention. |
| 160 – 179 | B2 | The most common graduation and Erasmus requirement at Spanish universities. |
| 140 – 159 | B1 | The minimum graduation requirement in many degrees. |
| < B1 | No score | The module does not appear on the certificate. |
Swipe horizontally to see the full table.
What each module assesses
| Module | What it assesses | Common trap for Spanish speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | Adaptive comprehension: difficulty rises with each correct answer. | Getting frustrated as the questions get harder: it is a sign you are doing well, not badly. |
| Listening | Comprehension of recordings you handle only once, at their own pace. | Spelling errors when completing sentences: a correct answer spelled wrong is a fail. |
| Writing | The email's register and the essay's argument, marked by examiners. | Falling short of the essay's 250 words or copying memorised templates. |
| Speaking | Five real-communication tasks against the clock. | Going blank in the 40-second summary because you never rehearsed the format. |
Swipe horizontally to see the full table.
Special rule · My best score
If a module falls short, you retake it without redoing the other three, and your certificate always records your best score. It is the Cambridge version of retaking only what failed, with an advantage: the best mark does not expire when you retake. You retake a single module, as many times as you like within a 6-month window.
Overall score
The overall score is the average of the modules taken. If you sit only one module, your certificate records that module; if you do all four, you also get an overall combined score.
§ 05 · Certificate validity
The age is decided by each institution.
No imposed expiry.
The New Linguaskill certificate has no expiry date set by Cambridge. But, as with any language certificate, who decides whether to accept it and with what maximum age is the institution that asks for it: Cambridge says so explicitly in its official documentation. In Spanish university practice it is common to require results no more than 2 to 4 years old, depending on the university and the procedure.
Important · two scales coexist
With the October 2025 format change, two generations of results coexist: certificates from the old Linguaskill (82-180 scale) remain valid and verifiable, but your institution may have equivalence tables for one scale or the other. Before you sit, confirm with your registry which scale appears in its rules and, if in doubt, that it accepts the new certificate (140-210).
§ 06 · Two variants
Linguaskill versus Linguaskill Business.
| Linguaskill | Linguaskill Business | |
|---|---|---|
| Level assessed | B1 to C2, scale 140-210 | Identical: the English level assessed is the same |
| Task context | Everyday and academic situations | Business and professional situations |
| Writing · Tarea 2 | An essay | A report |
| Typical use | Graduation, master's, Erasmus | Selection processes and corporate training |
| Format and modules | Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking | The same four modules |
Swipe horizontally to see the full table.
In practice
For graduation and Erasmus, Linguaskill is used; some companies ask for Business. The English level you measure is the same in both: only the task context and the Writing Task 2 text (essay or report) change. If in doubt, choose Linguaskill.
§ 07 · Formats
All computer-based: at a centre or remotely.
The New Linguaskill is 100% computer-based, including the Speaking, which is recorded and marked in a hybrid way: examiners plus Cambridge's automated assessment technology. Depending on the exam centre, it is taken in person or with remote supervision. Results arrive in 3 to 5 working days if you sit at a centre, and 6 to 8 if the session is remote.
| In person at ULIC | Remote supervision | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | In centre, arranged with ExamsOne, the official Cambridge exam centre (ES945), in Madrid. | From home or another private place, on your own computer. Available with ULIC: booked a week ahead. |
| Supervision | In person, possibly in a room with other candidates. | Remote proctor via webcam and microphone. |
| Requirements | Valid ID document. The equipment is provided by the centre. | Valid ID document, a computer with camera, microphone and a stable connection. |
| Results | Official certificate in 3 to 5 working days. | In 6 to 8 working days. |
| Score | Identical validity. | Identical. |
| Speaking | Recorded with headphones and microphone. | Recorded with headphones and microphone. |
Swipe horizontally to see the full table.
Certified range
B1–C2
The new Linguaskill certifies from B1 to C2. Below B1 no score is issued.
Cambridge scale
140–210
The same scale as B2 First and C1 Advanced: your Linguaskill 165 reads the same as a Cambridge 165.
Results
3 – 5 days
Official certificate in 3 to 5 working days when you sit at a centre.
À la carte
4 modules
Independent Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. Retake only the one you need: your best mark always counts.
§ 08 · Linguaskill in Spain
Price, sittings and uses.
Price
Official centre
The full exam costs 130 €. When you book with ULIC you pay the official centre price, with no intermediaries; market references from before the format change are no longer reliable.
Sittings
On demand
There is no fixed calendar. Being computer-based, sessions are scheduled flexibly with ExamsOne, booked at least a week ahead.
Results
3 – 5 days
Official certificate in 3 to 5 working days when you sit at a centre; 6 to 8 if the session is remote.
Main uses · Spain
The fast route recognised by the CRUE.
Language requirement for university graduation (recognised by the CRUE), access to master's and doctorate, Erasmus mobility, level accreditation in selection processes and corporate training plans, and some public processes depending on the autonomous community.
Practical note
If your university is in the CRUE system and your deadline closes in weeks, Linguaskill is usually the fastest route to an accepted certificate.
ALWAYS confirm two things with your registry before booking: that it accepts Linguaskill for your specific procedure and that its rules recognise the new 140-210 scale.
The price is ours, not a reference
Unlike other exams, here you prepare with ULIC and we arrange booking and payment with ExamsOne, the official exam centre (ES945). You pay the official candidate fee: 130 € for the full exam.
§ 09 · How to register
How to enrol for the Linguaskill.
Official Cambridge Preparation Centre
Your seat, with your personal link.
Enrolment isn't handled on the website. Message us and we'll send you your personal link to complete it, with the session, deadline and payment. The Linguaskill is sat with ExamsOne, the official Cambridge exam centre (ES945).
Message us and we'll enrol you
We send your personal enrolment link and confirm the session, deadline and payment.
Enrol via WhatsAppWe reply during office hours · admon@ulic.es
§ 10 · My best score
Retake only the module that fell short.
Mechanism
My best score
You retake only the weak module, without redoing the other three, and your certificate always records your best score.
What you retake
Just 1
Only the module you need: Reading, Listening, Writing or Speaking, without touching the rest.
Wait between sessions
On demand
No fixed sittings: another session is scheduled, booked at least a week ahead.
The best mark does not expire when you retake
It is the Cambridge version of retaking only what failed, with an advantage: if your new mark is worse, the previous one is kept. The certificate always records your best score per module.
A bad day does not erase three good ones
Being multi-level and modular, a weak result in one module does not invalidate the rest: you retake only that one, whenever you like, and keep the others.
§ 11 · Strategic comparison
New Linguaskill versus Aptis, Cambridge and IELTS. When speed is worth it.
| Nuevo Linguaskill | Aptis ESOL | B2 First / C1 Advanced | IELTS Academic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of result | Multi-level certificate B1-C2, Cambridge scale 140-210. | Multi-level A1-C2, score per skill. | Fixed-level certificate: you pass that level or not. | Band 0 to 9. |
| Best for | Certifying a level NOW for graduation, master's, Erasmus. | Public exams and job pools depending on the autonomous community. | Prestigious accreditation of a specific level. | Studying or working abroad. |
| Results | 3-5 working days. | A few days. | 2 to 6 weeks. | 1 to 5 days. |
| Speaking format | Recorded, hybrid marking (examiners + Cambridge technology). | Recorded. | Face to face with examiners. | Face to face with an examiner. |
| Unique trait | "My best score": retake a module and your best mark always counts. | Deeply embedded in Spanish education administrations. | The prestige benchmark in Spain for decades. | The global mobility standard. |
Swipe horizontally to see the full table.
An honest read
Choose it for speed and flexibility, not for long-term prestige.
DO choose the New Linguaskill when you need to certify a level for a Spanish university with a close deadline (graduation, master's, Erasmus), when you want a Cambridge certificate from B1 to C2 without betting everything on a fixed-level sitting, when your company wants a reliable snapshot of your level without waiting months, or when you value being able to retake only the weak module while keeping your best mark.
Do NOT choose it when your process or public exam names another exam (Aptis, B2 First, IELTS) explicitly, when your destination is a foreign university or a visa (the standards are IELTS and TOEFL), when your institution has not yet updated its rules to the new scale, or when you want the weight of a fixed-level Cambridge certificate (B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency) for a long-term résumé.
Not sure which exam?
We help you choose the right certificate.
Tell us your goal and we will tell you straight whether Linguaskill, B2 First, C1 Advanced or IELTS is right for you.
§ 12 · Who is it for?
Check whether Linguaskill fits your goal.
It is for you if
Linguaskill fits.
- +You are missing the language requirement to graduate and your university deadline closes soon.
- +You need to certify B1, B2 or C1 to enter a master's or apply for this year's Erasmus.
- +Your company or a selection process asks for an official level accreditation and you cannot wait for a quarterly sitting.
- +You want an official Cambridge diagnostic of your real level before investing in preparing a B2 First or C1 Advanced.
- +You already took Linguaskill and one module fell short: you retake only that one with "My best score" and keep the rest.
Consider another option if
Better another exam.
- ·Your public exam or process requires another exam by name: sit exactly the one they ask for.
- ·Your goal is a foreign university or a visa: you need IELTS or TOEFL.
- ·Your institution still works with old-scale tables and does not recognise the new certificate: confirm it before paying.
- ·You want a fixed-level certificate with the maximum long-term recognition in Spain: B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency.
§ 13 · Frequently asked questions
The most common questions about Linguaskill.
Cambridge's multi-level exam, 100% computer-based and adaptive, overhauled in October 2025. It has four independent modules (Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking) and issues an official certificate placing your English between B1 and C2 on the Cambridge English Scale (140-210).
In almost everything: Reading and Listening became separate modules, Writing became two tasks (email and essay or report) marked by examiners, Speaking introduced five new tasks, the scale went from 82-180 to 140-210, it now certifies up to C2 and the result is an official certificate, not a report. If you find information with the old scale or "results in 48 hours", it is outdated.
Neither: it is multi-level. The certificate reflects the level you demonstrate, from B1 to C2. That said: if a module falls below B1, no score is issued and it does not appear on the certificate.
The CRUE recognises it for graduation, master's, doctorate and mobility, and many Spanish universities accept it (the University of Barcelona is among its official users). Confirm with your registry that it accepts it for your procedure, with what maximum age, and that its rules already include the new 140-210 scale.
Yes, it is one of the new features of the 2025 format: the scale reaches 210 and the 200-210 band certifies C2. In the old format the ceiling was "C1 or above".
The official certificate is available in 3 to 5 working days if you sit at a centre, and 6 to 8 if you do it remotely. It is still weeks faster than a fixed-level exam.
Yes, it is modular: you can do all four modules or just the ones you need. And with "My best score", if you retake a module, your certificate always keeps your best score.
The New Linguaskill's retake mechanism: you retake only the module you want to improve, without redoing the other three, and the certificate always records your best mark. A bad day does not erase three good ones.
Arranged with ExamsOne, the official Cambridge exam centre (ES945). There are no fixed sittings: it is scheduled on demand, in centre or from home, booked at least a week ahead.
It depends on the modules you need. Book with ULIC at the official centre price, with no intermediaries.
You speak to a computer with headphones and a microphone for 16 minutes: a 1-minute presentation, a 40-second summary of a meeting you have just heard, three opinion questions, a recommendation from a message and an argument for and against. It is marked by examiners together with Cambridge's automated assessment technology. The format is trainable: those who arrive without rehearsing it lose points on format, not English.
Two tasks in 55 minutes: an email (minimum 50 words, 25% of the mark) and an essay in the General variant or a report in the Business one (minimum 250 words, 75% of the mark). Marked by Cambridge examiners.
The level assessed is the same; the task context changes. Linguaskill uses everyday and academic situations and asks for an essay in Writing; Business uses company situations and asks for a report. For graduation and Erasmus, Linguaskill is used; some companies ask for Business.
No: Reading and Listening are adaptive and the questions change according to your answers. There are no "leaked exams" to memorise; what works is training the level and the task formats.
Cambridge sets no expiry on the certificate, but each institution decides the maximum age it accepts; at Spanish universities a limit of 2 to 4 years is common. Confirm it for your procedure before sitting.
Yes, results from before the change remain valid and verifiable. But your institution may already work with the new scale: if your old result does not fit its current table, ask before retaking the exam.
It is not its territory. To study abroad or for visas, the standards are IELTS and TOEFL. Linguaskill is the fast accreditation route within the Spanish and corporate system.
Yes, with One to One sessions focused on the new task formats and computer-based mock exams under real conditions, including the recorded Speaking. Preparation and exam in the same centre.
§ 14 · Prep at ULIC
One format for an à la carte exam.
The New Linguaskill cannot be memorised: it is adaptive and every exam is different. What can be trained is what changed in 2025: a 250-word essay worth 75% of the Writing, and a five-task Speaking against the clock (summarise, recommend, argue) that resembles no previous Cambridge exam. At ULIC you prepare and sit in the same official centre, with a single preparation format, the one that truly fits an à la carte exam.
Your deadline does not wait for a sitting. Your Cambridge certificate, in days.
Confirm the level you are asked for, train the new format and sit when you are ready, not when it is scheduled. At ULIC everything is handled for you: we have prepared the exam since 2010 and we arrange your booking with ExamsOne (ES945).
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