Aptis vs Linguaskill: format, levels, results and how to retake each exam, using only official British Council and Cambridge information.
Aptis and Linguaskill are both four-skill English exams. Neither certificate expires. But they are scored differently and retaken differently. This comparison uses only what the British Council and Cambridge publish. We do not say which one is "easier" or which one is accepted more: there is no official source for that, and each institution decides. For other levels and variants, see the home page.
| Aptis (British Council) | Linguaskill (Cambridge) | |
|---|---|---|
| Skills | Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking, plus a Core of grammar and vocabulary | Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking, in modules |
| Levels measured | General: A0 to C1. Advanced: B1 to C2 | B1 to C2 |
| Time per skill | General: Reading 35 min, Listening 40, Writing 50, Speaking 12. Advanced: 60, 30, 45 and 10 | Reading and Listening: about 40 min (maximum 59). Writing: 55 min. Speaking: 16 min |
| Adaptive | Not described this way in the official documents we use | Reading and Listening yes: no fixed number of questions |
| Scale | Score from 0 to 50 per skill and level; global out of 200 | Cambridge scale: B1 140-159, B2 160-179, C1 180-199, C2 200-210 |
| Results | 48-72 hours after the exam, not counting weekends or holidays (2023 FAQ) | From three working days; in small sessions, 3-5 days at a centre and 6-8 remote |
| Expiry | The certificates do not expire | The certificate does not expire |
| Retaking | The full exam; you cannot take one skill alone | "My best score" improves one module without retaking everything |
This is what each organisation publishes. We do not judge which is more demanding.
Reading and Listening
Writing
Speaking
Cambridge describes Linguaskill as adaptive: in Reading and Listening there is no fixed number of questions. In Aptis, the British Council guides describe parts with a defined number of items (Core: 25 grammar and 25 vocabulary; General Reading: 29; General Listening: 25). We have found no official description of adaptivity for Aptis, so we do not claim it.
Aptis. Each skill gives a score from 0 to 50 and its level. The Core gives only a score, with no level of its own, but it can raise a skill that ended just below a cut score. If you take all four skills, you also get a global score out of 200 and a global level, the rounded average of the four levels. In General, the B2 cut scores are 34 in Listening, 38 in Reading, 40 in Writing and 41 in Speaking. Writing is marked holistically.
Linguaskill. Each module is reported on the Cambridge scale, aligned with the CEFR. Writing and Speaking are marked by human examiners and automatic marking technology, which Cambridge calls hybrid marking. The certificate gives a report for each module and an average of the modules that score B1 or higher. If a module is below the B1 range, it appears as "Not reported".
The two scales are not equivalent point by point: 41 out of 50 in an Aptis Speaking does not translate into any Linguaskill figure. You compare levels, not points.
Careful with compensation. In Aptis, the global level balances some skills against others: three B2 and one B1 give B2 globally. But the certificate shows each skill, and if an institution looks at skill by skill, that B1 counts. Always check how the institution reads the result.
Linguaskill price (Cambridge does not publish it; each centre sets it), total Linguaskill duration, which exam is easier, and which one your institution accepts. The last one depends on their rules.
Write to the organisation that asks for the certificate. Ask which certificates it accepts and at what minimum level, whether it looks at the global level or at each skill, how old a certificate can be, and whether it accepts the combined score of several attempts (for example, modules improved with "My best score").
Is Linguaskill taken at home? Cambridge offers two modes: at a centre with a supervisor, or at a remote place with online supervision. In both there is AI monitoring during the whole exam.
What happens if I get less than B1 in Linguaskill? The certificate marks that module "Not reported". Aptis General does report levels below B1, down to A0.
Do the Writing part of the simulator and see how you handle the Aptis format: take a practice exam in your browser.
Aptis is a registered trademark of the British Council. AptisBot is an independent project. Our feedback is an estimate, not an official result.
Cambridge English, official Linguaskill pages (formats, presentation of results, validity, how it is administered), consulted on 9 Oct 2026; Test format overview 2023 and "Aptis Scoring System" v2.1 (TR/2024/002) from the British Council; Aptis General technical manual; British Council FAQ (18 Jul 2023). We do not compare difficulty or acceptance.