Knowledge Bank
The B1 English Gap in UK Social Care, and How to Close It
Back to Menu ↩ The visa route that rebuilt the frontline care workforce set the English bar at B1. That route has now closed to
July 21, 2026
The Medical Training Initiative (MTI) follows the ‘learn, earn and return model’. MTI provides a route for overseas doctors, primarily from lower income countries, wishing to train and develop their skills in the NHS for a fixed period of time before returning to their home country where they can put their learning into practice. The NHS benefits from filling spare training capacity in undersubscribed medical speciality placements.
The scheme is run by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges who sponsor visas and offer Certificates of Sponsorship. Partners include individual medical royal colleges, the GMC, the Medical Deaneries and NHS employers.
All international doctors registering with the GMC must meet the regulator’s stipulated scores in either the OET Medicine or IELTS Academic English language tests. This includes doctors applying to the MTI scheme. The scores are:
OET Medicine: grade B or above in each of the four papers (Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing)
IELTS Academic: 7.0 or more in each of the four papers (Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing) and a score of 7.5 or above overall.
A B in OET and a 7.0 in IELTS is an advanced level, equivalent to C1 on the Common European Framework of Reference used globally to describe language competence:
Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.[1]
Many doctors have excellent English and may only need limited support to ensure they understand test formats, marking criteria and time management required when sitting the exam. Others may need to work on their language skills, vocabulary and grammar before focusing on the test specifics.
SLC has supported hundreds of doctors to achieve the scores they need in OET Medicine and the IELTS Academic test, working with NHS employers, NHS England and individuals around the world since 2015.
We provide one-to-one coaching, small group training and lots of expert digital study content. Courses include level assessment, specialist tutors, and learning materials that can be accessed and downloaded on all devices.
If you’re an employer or individual doctor looking for support, you’re in the right place. Contact us to discuss your requirements and what options are available.
Back to Menu ↩ The visa route that rebuilt the frontline care workforce set the English bar at B1. That route has now closed to
Contact us Back to Menu ↩ In this article, Laura Wiggin, Curriculum Manager for ESOL, Skills and Community Interpreting at Hopwood Hall College, shares how the
Contact us Back to Menu ↩ Roughly half of the migrants and refugees arriving in the UK already hold a degree or equivalent tertiary qualification.[1] They include
Subscribe to the newsletter to keep up to date with all our new resources.