Plans to introduce a new Home Office Language Test (HOELT) in the UK – and to move away from the current model, where there are several Home Office-approved suppliers – were first highlighted by The PIE in September.
At the time, the government set out that it would be engaging with the market about tendering for the deal, which is estimated to be valued at £1.13 billion, and split into two parts; the Home Office-branded test itself (to be used globally for all HOELTs tests) and the facilitation of the tests around the world.
Now, The PIE has learned more about the government’s proposed timeline to roll out the changes. The Home Office plans to choose its supplier early next year and to have the new testing model in place in 2026, it revealed.
And it confirmed that its plans will not change existing policy, rather supporting them. It could not give further details due to the ongoing procurement process, however.
The PIE understands that the development of the HOELT was created with work visas in mind, rather than study visas.
And it is understood that taking a HOELT test will not be a mandated part of getting a study visa in the UK – in effect meaning that universities will still have the freedom to choose which tests they accept as proof of international students’ English language proficiency.
Universities UK International (UUKi) confirmed that the HOELT “will underpin and not change policy”.
However, it warned that it still has “some concerns about the operational aspects of the HOELT proposal on test access and global recognition, as well as the risk in moving to a sole supplier”.
“We have now established a direct channel to the UKVI team leading on HOELT and will be seeking clarification on our key concerns as well as ensuring some direct engagement with universities to help shape the HOELT proposal,” it said.
We have now established a direct channel to the UKVI team leading on HOELT and will be seeking clarification on our key concerns
UUKi
Since the government put out a tender for the HOELT earlier this year, there has been little news about which companies are bidding for the tender or what their proposed models would look like.
The international education sector was rocked by the news, with stakeholders calling the move a “seismic shift in the language testing world”. Meanwhile, others questioned whether the new model would pose competition problems for the sector and whether one company would have a testing monopoly.
There are currently a host of testing providers in the UK, with Pearson, IELTS SELT Consortium, LanguageCert and Trinity College London all delivering Home Office-approved SELTs in the country.
