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English Language Levels Required

Durham city and castle

Find your subject to find the level you will need to achieve.   

Anthropology 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND E 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND C 

Archaeology 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND B 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND B 

Biosciences 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND E 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND E 

Business School 

Doctoral programmes: BAND B 

Full-time, Postgraduate Taught (PGT) - Finance, Economics and Accounting Programmes: BAND E 

Full-time, Postgraduate Taught (PGT) - Management and Marketing Programmes: BAND C 

MBA Programmes: 

  • BAND C 
  • Please note that only the 6-week Pre-Sessional programme (or Direct Entry) can be used to meet entry requirements for the MBA programmes.  

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Chemistry: F106 and F107 only 

Undergraduate: BAND B 

Chemistry: Other courses 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND E 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND E 

Classics and Ancient History 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND B 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND B 

Combined Honours in Social Sciences 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Computer Science 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND E 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND E 

Computer Science and Business School: Business Analytics 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND C 

Durham Centre for Academic Development  

MA TESOL and MA Applied Linguistics for TESOL courses 

  • BAND B+ 
  • NB There is a specific writing requirement for this course 

Earth Sciences 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND E 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND E 

Education, School of: All PGR and PGT Programmes 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND B 

Postgraduate Research (PGR):  

Education, School of: Undergraduate Programmes 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Engineering 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND E 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT) - Master of Energy Systems Management: BAND C

English Studies 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND A 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND A 

Foundation Centre  

Law Foundation: BAND E 

Other Foundation Programmes: BAND G 

Geography 

MA Research Methods (PGT): BAND B 

All Other Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND E  

Postgraduate Research Programmes (PGR): BAND B 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Government and International Affairs, School of 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND B 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND B 

History 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND A 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND A 

Law School 

LLM applicants currently taking an LLM at another UK university (Direct Entry or DALI only - not normally eligible for Pre-Sessional) 

  • Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND E 
  • There is a minimum WRITING level requirement of IELTS 6.5/TOEFL iBT 25/ Cambridge Scale 176 / Pearson Academic 62 

LLM programmes M1K116, M1K316, M1K616, M1K916, M1KB16 (students not currently taking LLM at another university) 

  • Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND B+ 
  • There is a minimum WRITING level requirement of IELTS 7.0/TOEFL iBT 27/ Cambridge Scale 185/ 

Postgraduate Research programmes: BAND A 

Undergraduate: BAND B 

Liberal Arts 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Mathematical Sciences 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND E 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND E 

Modern Languages and Cultures 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND B 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND B 

Music 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND B 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND B 

Natural Sciences 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT) - Master of Data Science (MDS) programmes: BAND C

Philosophy 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND B 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND B 

Physics 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND E 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND E 

Psychology 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND B 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND B 

Sociology 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND B 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND B 

Sport and Exercise Sciences 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND B 

Theology and Religion 

Undergraduate: BAND E 

Postgraduate Taught (PGT): BAND A 

Postgraduate Research (PGR): BAND A