About the ILEC

The exam tests four skills:

• reading
• writing
• listening
• speaking

Reading and listening

It assesses your ability to understand spoken and written English in a number of realistic contexts of the kind legal practitioners are likely to encounter in their daily working lives:

• spoken texts including legal presentations, lectures, discussions and interviews
• written texts such as contract clauses, corporate documentation, commercial statutes and legal opinions

Writing and speaking

The writing and speaking tasks are based on the kinds of skills needed in the legal workplace:

• the ability to write letters, memoranda, and proposals in a legal context
• speaking skills in relation to the legal workplace - these will be conducted by trained oral examiners

How to prepare for ILEC

As with all Cambridge ESOL certificates, there is a wide range of support available which will help you prepare for the exam.

The Cambridge University Press International Legal English course book authored by TransLegal forms the basis of many of the preparation courses offered by private language schools and universities and also provides the option of self-study, including online research tasks by TransLegal, for advanced learners.

Find out more about ILEC and the preparation materials available.