Your Aptis report shows a score and level per skill, a global score out of 200 and a global level. See each field, the role of Core and official deadlines.
Your Aptis report gives you a score out of 50 and a level for each skill. If you took all four skills, it also gives a global score out of 200 and a global level. Here is each field, how the global level is calculated, and the official deadlines. Back to home.
The British Council publishes a sample Aptis General report from 2025 and another from 2023, with a reading guide.
Score per skill (out of 50). The 2023 report warns that numeric scores are not compared between skills. A 40 in Listening and a 40 in Writing are not worth the same, because the cut-offs change. In General, B2 starts at 34 in Listening and at 40 in Writing. Inside the same skill you can compare scores, for example to see if you improved between two exams.
CEFR skill profile. The row of levels per skill plus the global level. According to the 2023 report, this row can be compared between skills. It shows where you are strongest and weakest.
Core. It has a score out of 50 and no level. But when a skill score falls just below a cut-off, grammar and vocabulary performance is taken into account to assign the level.
Global score. The sum of the four skills, maximum 200. In the 2025 sample report, the four skills add up to 187 (50, 50, 45 and 42), and Core is separate, with 50 out of 50.
Certificate title. The 2025 sample certificate shows "Aptis Level 2 Certificate in ESOL International", which corresponds to C1. Since 24 April 2025 the official titles have new names (B2 is Level 1, C1 is Level 2, C2 is Level 3). Earlier certificates are just as valid.
Level descriptions. Examples from the 2025 report, in simpler words:
These are general descriptions, not a personal evaluation.
The global level comes from the rounded average of the four skill levels, not from the 200 points. So a person with fewer points can have a higher global level. Three B2 and one B1 give B2. But the certificate lists each skill, and many institutions look at each skill: there, a single B1 can put you out.
Official examples from the British Council table:
| Levels per skill | Global level |
|---|---|
| A2 · A2 · A2 · B1 | A2 |
| A2 · A2 · B1 · B1 | B1 |
| A2 · B1 · B1 · B1 | B1 |
In the second row, two A2 and two B1 are exactly in the middle, and the rounding goes up. With the same rule, two B1 and two B2 give B2, one B2 with three B1 gives B1, and three B2 with one B1 give B2.
Two examples by AptisBot (not official), using the Aptis General cut-offs (Aptis Scoring System version 2.1):
| Case | L / R / W / S | Levels | Global score | Global level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three B2 and one B1 | 30 / 40 / 42 / 44 | B1 · B2 · B2 · B2 | 156 | B2 |
| One B2 and three B1 | 28 / 30 / 32 / 44 | B1 · B1 · B1 · B2 | 134 | B1 |
The first case shows the point: the global level is B2, but Listening is B1. If you are asked for B2 in each skill, that report does not meet the requirement.
The 2023 report compares two candidates who both total 169 points. Candidate A scores 44 in Listening, 32 in Reading, 47 in Speaking and 46 in Writing, with 30 out of 50 in Core, and gets a global B2. Candidate B scores 40, 42, 47 and 40, with 35 in Core, and gets a global level C. The two scores are calculated separately, and the global level is based on the four levels, not on the total.
Both scored 47 in Speaking, but A received B2 and B received C. The report says this is not an error: both were in the "grey zone" just below the cut-off (in General, the C cut-off in Speaking is 48), and B's stronger Core raised the level.
If a skill score is just below a cut-off and Core is strong, the system can move you to the next level. The boost works only in the grey zone. In the sources we reviewed, the exact formula and the number of Core points needed do not appear, so you cannot calculate it in advance. Use a level calculator as an approximate guide, not as a verdict.
According to the British Council FAQ of 2023:
That document is from 2023. Confirm the deadlines on the British Council website before you rely on them. We do not describe the steps of the results portal because we have not verified them.
How long do Aptis results take? 48 to 72 hours after the exam, not counting weekends and public holidays (FAQ 2023).
What does 187/200 mean? It is the global score: the sum of the four skills. The global level is calculated separately, with the rounded average of the levels.
Can I have a global B2 with a B1 in one skill? Yes. But the certificate lists each skill, and if an institution asks for each skill, that B1 counts.
Compare your own scores with the cut-offs: take a practice exam in your browser. Our practice score is an estimate, not an official result.
British Council sample Aptis General report 2025 and "How to read the score report" guide 2023; "Aptis Scoring System" v2.1 (TR/2024/002); official letter on title changes (February 2025); British Council FAQ (18 July 2023). The numbered examples and the advice are AptisBot's own judgement.
Aptis is a trademark of the British Council. AptisBot is an independent project.
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