British Institutes certifies language skills according to the standards of the Council of Europe (COE) which are laid down in the Common European Framework.

The British Institutes Certification Board offers the following examinations:

• ESOL General English, for adults, teenagers, secondary schools and universitie.
• ESOL Young Learners, for primary school children and lower secondary school teenagers.
• British Institutes Business English, for managers, white-collar workers and professionals. These examinations use and test language which is pertinent to the world of work.

British Institutes examinations assess the four fundamental skills through specific tests (sub-tests) for:

• written comprehension (Reading),
• written production (Writing & Use of English),
• oral comprehension (Listening)
• oral production (Oral)