As a legal English teacher and a registered TOLES (“Test of Legal English Skills”) centre, I see first-hand the benefits the TOLES certification offers aspiring and established lawyers alike. 

This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about the TOLES exams. But that’s not all! At the end of this article, we’ll talk about a brand new legal English certificate that almost nobody knows about — TOLES Professional. This is your chance to stand out before everyone else catches on.

This guest blog post was written by Claudia Amato, Legal English teacher, and trainer.   

What is TOLES?

TOLES stands for “Test of Legal English Skills.” Established in 2000, these certificates are jointly owned by Cambridge Law Studio Limited and Global Legal English Limited. They assess a candidate’s proficiency in the specialised legal English required for international commercial law. Unlike general English exams, TOLES focuses on the specific vocabulary and grammar needed to navigate cross-border contracts. Moreover, it delves into international commercial liabilities, and on handling financial matters with confidence.

How Can a TOLES Certificate Help You?

The advantages of a TOLES certificate extend throughout your legal career, regardless of your current stage and profession.

• For Lawyers: Studying for TOLES will enhance your legal English accuracy, efficiency, and confidence. It will help you master the precise language needed to provide legal assistance to international clients. 
• For Law Students: Having a TOLES certificate will help you stand out from the crowd. A TOLES certificate demonstrates strong commercial legal English skills, which is a valuable asset on your CV in a competitive job market.
• For Legal English Teachers: Since TOLES is currently the only legal English exam available, it has become a must-have for legal English teachers. Think of it as a springboard – you can tailor your classes to meet your students’ needs with personalised exercises, but the core knowledge from TOLES will always be there to ground you.

Is it Recognised Worldwide?

Unlike general English exams like Cambridge ESOL, IELTS, or TOEFL, TOLES doesn’t align with the CEFR framework. For this reason, it is unsuitable for visa applications or university admissions. 

However, for legal professionals, TOLES offers a unique advantage.  It demonstrates a candidate’s legal English expertise to potential employers, strengthens communication accuracy and fluency when working with international clients, and provides a valuable foundation for legal English instructors.  Furthermore, TOLES certifications hold a unique benefit – they never expire, ensuring the lasting value of your legal English proficiency throughout your career.

What Subjects are Covered in the TOLES Programme? 

TOLES functions as a specialised English language programme. Therefore, it’s important to remember that, unlike a traditional law course, TOLES functions as a specialised English language programme. 

Here, you’ll improve your understanding of terminology across a wide range of legal areas, from contract law, employment law, bank law, and the law of torts to business and company law. This targeted language training ensures you can navigate legal situations confidently, regardless of the geographical jurisdiction and its unique legal framework.

How Many Levels of TOLES Certificate Exist?

TOLES offers three levels, catering to different legal English proficiency levels:

• TOLES Foundation Certificate: The TOLES Foundation Certificate assesses your ability to use legal English at an elementary/lower intermediate level. This first-level exam is a 90-minute online test that focuses on two key skills: reading and writing. It evaluates your grasp of basic legal vocabulary and core grammar structures needed to provide legal services to international clients.
• TOLES Higher Certificate: The second level, targeting intermediate legal English skills, is also a 90-minute online exam. It delves deeper into legal vocabulary and tests your understanding of intermediate to upper-intermediate English grammar. This exam tests three core language skills, i.e. reading, writing, and listening.
• TOLES Advanced Certificate: The most challenging level, geared towards upper intermediate/advanced legal English, is a 120-minute online exam. This exam assesses your knowledge of advanced legal vocabulary and high intermediate to advanced English grammar. In addition, this exam tests two language skills, namely reading and writing.

As you may have noticed, the TOLES exams don’t include a speaking component. This is because, unlike spoken communication where minor errors might go unnoticed, written legal communication demands absolute precision. That is why the TOLES exams focus predominantly on assessing writing skills.

How are the TOLES exams structured?

Knowing in advance how the exam is structured can positively impact your confidence when approaching your TOLES exam. So, you may want to know that regardless of the level you’re taking (Foundation, Higher, or Advanced), all TOLES exams rely heavily on multiple-choice questions.  To deepen your understanding of the specific question formats at each level, TOLES offers free sample exams tailored to each one.

Choose the level you’re interested in and experience the exam firsthand:

• Foundation:
• Higher: 
• Advanced:

How do I prepare for the TOLES Exams?

Before diving into studying, it’s crucial to choose the TOLES exam level that matches your current legal English knowledge. The TOLES website offers free online placement tests to help you determine your ideal starting point. 

However, my personal advice is to consider starting from the Foundation level. Undoubtedly, this will ensure you have a solid basis in legal English vocabulary, which will prove invaluable as you progress to TOLES Higher and Advanced.

Once you have identified your ideal TOLES level, you can explore your study options. You can choose to prepare for the exam independently through self-study, or you can benefit from the guidance of a legal English teacher. If you choose the second option, consider finding a teacher affiliated with a TOLES registered centre. Surely, this ensures access to a tutor familiar with the TOLES format and who can provide the smoothest possible preparation experience.

Self-Study 

Another key point is that tackling the TOLES exam independently is achievable. TOLES offers a variety of self-study resources, including textbooks designed for independent learners. You can find these resources, along with practice papers, at the official TOLES online bookshop.

Once you’ve completed your TOLES exam preparation, take advantage of these free sample exercises. This way you can familiarise yourself with the specific question types you’ll encounter on the actual exam. Also, you’ll practice pacing yourself within the allotted time limit. Remember, it’s always better to aim for an early finish. Exam anxiety can throw your usual reading and writing speed off track, so practicing under timed conditions can help you develop strategies to stay calm and focused during the real test.

1. Foundation:
2. Higher: 
3. Advanced:

As you prepare for the exam, you might feel the need to review some grammar concepts. To keep things clear and focused, I highly recommend this comprehensive resource. It provides a series of free, downloadable e-books specifically designed for learners at different proficiency levels. Each e-book offers clear explanations of grammar rules, making it the perfect tool to solidify your foundation and approach the TOLES exam with confidence. 

Moreover, don’t forget a reliable dictionary! The official dictionary of the European Union terminology is a fantastic multilingual resource freely available online. It allows you to search for legal vocabulary in any of the EU’s official languages and find its translation into any other. Obviously, this can be incredibly helpful for solidifying your understanding of specific legal terms.

Study with a Legal English Teacher

Some students prefer the guidance of a qualified instructor. If this is you, TOLES has a network of registered centres around the world. Simply send an email to info@toles.co.uk requesting a list of accredited centres in your area. Then you can choose the instructor who best suits your learning needs.

As I have been an accredited TOLES centre since 2016, I’ve had the pleasure of helping lawyers, law students, and judges achieve top marks on their TOLES exams. Over the years, I’ve honed my expertise in preparing individuals for success in this language assessment. So, if you’re looking to enhance your legal English skills and tackle the TOLES exam, I’d be happy to assist you! Email me at Claudia.Amato@SpeechLex.eu  to discuss your goals and explore how I can lead you toward achieving a high score.

Other resources to get ready for the TOLES exam

While focusing on the official materials is crucial for maximising your TOLES exam score, legal English extends far beyond exam success. To truly expand your legal language proficiency, we recommend exploring these additional resources – a fantastic way to keep your legal English sharp and broaden your horizons.

Books

 “Introduction to International Legal English: A course for classroom or Self-Study Use: Students book” by Amy Krois-Lindner, Matt Firth, and TransLegal;

“Black’s Law Dictionary” by Bryan A. Garner (a high-quality law dictionary);

“Lawyering skills and the legal process” by Caroline Maughan, and Julian Webb;

“The Insider’s Guide to Legal Skills. Routledge” by Emily Allbon, and Sanmeet Kaur Dua;

Online sources

 “The Law Society Gazette. Law Gazette”

 ‘The ABA Journal – American Bar Association“

Podcasts

“Legal News & Analysis on litigation, policy, deals. Law360” 

“The Study Legal English Podcast” by Louise Kulbicki 

Online courses

There are many online courses on Coursera. As of today, there are 836 courses in the legal field.  

If you’d like to read more, there is a post that I wrote last year: “How to become a Legal English teacher – 10 practical tips”

How does a TOLES Exam Assess my Legal English Knowledge?

The TOLES exam is designed to measure your proficiency in Legal English at your chosen level: Foundation, Higher, or Advanced. Unlike traditional exams with pass or fail grades, TOLES uses a scoring system with bands based on your achieved score.

Here’s a breakdown of the TOLES exam score bands. Although these bands are the same across all TOLES exams, the specific skills assessed within each band differ depending on the exam level you’re taking, i.e. Foundation, Higher, or Advanced.

Now let’s take a closer look at the TOLES exam score bands:

• Band One (81-100%): Excellent Legal English Skills 
• Band Two (61-80%): Very Good Legal English Skills 
• Band Three (41-60%): Satisfactory Legal English Skills 
• Band Four (1-40%): Less Than Satisfactory Legal English Skills 

To gain a more detailed understanding of the specific capabilities assessed within each score band for your chosen TOLES exam,  visit the TOLES website https://toleslegal.com/for-exam-candidates/

The TOLES score bands provide a more detailed picture of your legal English abilities at a specific level (Foundation, Higher, or Advanced) compared to a simple pass or fail mark. This information is valuable, especially when showcasing your TOLES certificate to potential employers. It allows them to understand the depth of your legal English skills and how they can benefit their team. 

Where can I take my TOLES Exam?

The beauty of TOLES exams lies in their accessibility. TOLES online is open to anyone, anywhere. The exams are conducted on a secure platform and carefully proctored. This means you can take the exam on any available date throughout the year from the comfort of your own space, eliminating the need to travel to a test centre. Here you can learn more about the exam dates, fees, and how to register.

Once you feel confident about your TOLES preparation and choose your exam date, head over to register. 

Pro tip: don’t procrastinate and make sure you register within the deadline. 

TOLES Professional: The Newly Introduced Exam for Busy Lawyers

Launched in March 2024, this online exam takes just 75 minutes to complete and assesses your English skills across speaking, listening, reading, and writing. 

Targeted at a B1/B2 proficiency level, TOLES Professional focuses on the core legal English areas most relevant to the modern corporate office, including client interaction, contracts, corporate structures, negotiation, and case studies. 

This makes it ideal for lawyers and legal English teachers seeking to validate their legal English proficiency and enhance their CVs without devoting extensive study time. With its on-demand availability 24/7 and a price of £195, TOLES Professional offers a convenient and efficient way to demonstrate your legal English expertise to potential employers.

I’m sure that now you want to learn more about this brand-new exam! For more information about TOLES Professional,  go to https://toleslegal.com/toles-professional/.

If you’re seeking assistance in preparing for the TOLES Professional exam you can send me an email at Claudia.Amato@SpeechLex.eu. 

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