NMC changes English language requirements

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NMC changes English language requirements

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the UK has just approved two changes to their English language requirements. The changes ensure a fair and reliable approach to validating the language proficiency of nursing and midwifery professionals.

The two changes affect: 

  • The scores and length of time when combining scores (also called clubbing); and 
  • The use of other evidence of English language competence.  

The proposals were examined during an eight-week consultation that received more than 34,000 responses, which is a new record for the NMC. The timeframe for implementation is still being finalised but it is expected the changes will come into effect from January 2023 at the earliest. 

To help you better understand the changes, we’ve put together an overview of each change and how it affects nurses and midwives applying for registration in the UK.  

Change one: Combining scores

The first change the NMC will implement is around the minimum scores it will accept when a nurse or midwife combines English scores achieved across two test sittings. Currently, when combining test scores, an applicant will need to achieve an overall OET score of B in Listening, Reading and Speaking and C+ in Writing provided no score from either test is lower than C+.  

Under the new regulations, the NMC will accept combined scores if they score a B in Listening, Reading and Speaking and C+ in Writing and no sub-test is more than half a grade lower than the required score. What this means is that nurses and midwives could score a C in one of their Writing sub-tests (provided the score is above 250) and a C+ in another and still combine their scores.  In another example, a nurse or midwife might score a B in Reading and a C+ during another attempt and still combine their scores. 

Take a look at the box below for an example of scores that will meet the new NMC requirements from January: 

 Test One Test Two 
Listening C+ 
Reading C+ 
Writing C (score 250 or upwards) C+ 
Speaking 

In this example, the required mark has been achieved in at least one of the two sittings, and everything is within half a grade of the required mark.  

Take a look below for scores that will not meet the new NMC recruitments: 

 Test One Test Two
Listening C+ 
Reading 
Writing C+ C+ 
Speaking 

In this example, Reading is more than half a grade lower than required in the second test 

Additionally, the NMC will extend the period for combining test scores from six to 12 months to allow for greater flexibility and more time to prepare before retaking the test. 

Change two: Other evidence

The second change is around the types of evidence nurses and midwives can use to prove their language proficiency. The NMC will accept supporting information from employers as supplementary evidence for:  

  • Applicants who have trained in English but in a non-majority English speaking country; or 
  • Applicants who have taken the test at least twice and narrowly missed the required score in their English language requirement for one sub-test by half a grade 
  • All applicants will need to have worked for their employer for a minimum of 12 months within the last two years, in practice in a health and social care setting in the UK.

For applicants meeting the above conditions, UK employers will be able to provide evidence regarding a nurse or midwife’s use of English in a health and social care setting. The types of evidence will include interactions with people who use services relating to their role.  

To help ensure consistency, the NMC will create a standard for employers to complete. Additionally, your manager will need to be a NMC registered professional, while the form will need to be counter signed a more senior NMC registered professional who is working for the same employer.  

Both changes should provide greater flexibility for healthcare professionals who are either applying for registration in the UK or currently contributing to health and social care in the country.  

If you would like to learn more about the NMC changes, please head over to the regulator’s website.  

Or for a hassle free clearance of your OET test contact us

NMC changes English language requirements

Reading Time: 3 minutes
NMC changes English language requirements

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the UK has just approved two changes to their English language requirements. The changes ensure a fair and reliable approach to validating the language proficiency of nursing and midwifery professionals.  

The two changes affect: 

  • The scores and length of time when combining scores (also called clubbing); and 
  • The use of other evidence of English language competence.  

The proposals were examined during an eight-week consultation that received more than 34,000 responses, which is a new record for the NMC. The timeframe for implementation is still being finalised but it is expected the changes will come into effect from January 2023 at the earliest. 

To help you better understand the changes, we’ve put together an overview of each change and how it affects nurses and midwives applying for registration in the UK.  

Change one: Combining scores

The first change the NMC will implement is around the minimum scores it will accept when a nurse or midwife combines English scores achieved across two test sittings. Currently, when combining test scores, an applicant will need to achieve an overall OET score of B in Listening, Reading and Speaking and C+ in Writing provided no score from either test is lower than C+.  

Under the new regulations, the NMC will accept combined scores if they score a B in Listening, Reading and Speaking and C+ in Writing and no sub-test is more than half a grade lower than the required score. What this means is that nurses and midwives could score a C in one of their Writing sub-tests (provided the score is above 250) and a C+ in another and still combine their scores.  In another example, a nurse or midwife might score a B in Reading and a C+ during another attempt and still combine their scores. 

Take a look at the box below for an example of scores that will meet the new NMC requirements from January: 

 Test One Test Two 
Listening C+ 
Reading C+ 
Writing C (score 250 or upwards) C+ 
Speaking 

In this example, the required mark has been achieved in at least one of the two sittings, and everything is within half a grade of the required mark.  

Take a look below for scores that will not meet the new NMC recruitments: 

 Test One Test Two
Listening C+ 
Reading 
Writing C+ C+ 
Speaking 

In this example, Reading is more than half a grade lower than required in the second test 

Additionally, the NMC will extend the period for combining test scores from six to 12 months to allow for greater flexibility and more time to prepare before retaking the test. 

Change two: Other evidence

The second change is around the types of evidence nurses and midwives can use to prove their language proficiency. The NMC will accept supporting information from employers as supplementary evidence for:  

  • Applicants who have trained in English but in a non-majority English speaking country; or 
  • Applicants who have taken the test at least twice and narrowly missed the required score in their English language requirement for one sub-test by half a grade 
  • All applicants will need to have worked for their employer for a minimum of 12 months within the last two years, in practice in a health and social care setting in the UK.

For applicants meeting the above conditions, UK employers will be able to provide evidence regarding a nurse or midwife’s use of English in a health and social care setting. The types of evidence will include interactions with people who use services relating to their role.  

To help ensure consistency, the NMC will create a standard for employers to complete. Additionally, your manager will need to be a NMC registered professional, while the form will need to be counter signed a more senior NMC registered professional who is working for the same employer.  

Both changes should provide greater flexibility for healthcare professionals who are either applying for registration in the UK or currently contributing to health and social care in the country.  

If you would like to learn more about the NMC changes, please head over to the regulator’s website.  

Or for a hassle free clearance of your OET test contact us

Improve Your IELTS Writing

Reading Time: 3 minutes
Improve Your IELTS Task 1 Score
Improve your IELTS writing by following a writing style that showcase your English language expertise in a way IELTS require you to do it. This of course is an approach towards writing. There are a few steps beyond your basic understanding to improve your IELTS writing scores specially in the task 1. Do not mistake me when I say beyond the understanding. What I actually mean here is that we have a lot of content online helping us to improve our IELTS score, improving in such a way that it looks pretty easy to make even a 9 band score. Well, I too want insist here on the fact that, though it is not that easy, it is possible to come out with 9 band score in IELTS writing. When practicing writing, we are usually concerned about a few points such as including connective devices or the so called Linking words and making comparisons. But we, on purpose or not, ignore the direction given in the question that make comparisons WHERE RELEVANT. this relevant in fact means that make comparisons only where it is appropriate and applicable.
Now I would like to take you through a sample answer written by an examiner, published in Cambridge IELTS book.

“The pie chart shows that there are four main causes of farmland becoming degraded in the world today. Globally 65% of degradation is caused by too much animal grazing and tree clearance constituting 35% and 30% respectively. A further 28% of global degradation is due to over-cultivation of crops. Other causes account for only 7% respectively.
These causes affected different regions differently in the 1990s, with Europe having as much as 9.8% of the degradation due to deforestation, while the impact of this on Oceania and North America was minimal, with only 1.7% and 0.2 of land affected respectively. Europe, with the highest overall percentage of land degraded (23%), also suffered from over-cultivation (7.7%) and over-grazing (5.5%). In contrast, Oceania had 13% of degraded farm land and this was mainly due to over-grazing (11.3%). North America had a lower proportion of degraded land at only 5%, and the main causes of this were over-cultivation (3.3%) and, to a lesser extent, over-grazing (1.5%).
Overall, it is clear that Europe suffered more from farm land degradation than the other regions and the main causes there were deforestation and over-cultivation.”
Have you noticed anything from this piece of writing. Why do you think this is written by an IELTS examiners as an example of a very good task 1, though it is not the only one approach. It is because it meets the assessment criteria and the paragraphs are written in accordance with the instructions given in the questions. It is evident that IELTS writing assessment criteria are meant for fulfilling the purpose of writing, and the purpose of any form of writing is to communicate. The relevant use of comparisons and connective devices in the task 1 is to communicate the information given in the pictorial representation given as questions.
Therefore it is always important to understand the criteria of task 1 writing. They are Task achievement, Cohesion and Coherence, Lexical Resources and Grammatical Range and accuracy. Understanding the requirements and learning to incorporate them in our writing is the key to achieving a great score in writing. This would be simple and possible task well within our capacity to achieve, if we set out to do it with right mentoring and we have a plan for step by step to improve your IELTS writing.
Analyzing this answer, we understand that it is not exactly in tune with many of the 9 band score answers we see online in its pattern of presentation. It is rather task oriented very much in harmony with the content of the information given in the picture. I would say it communicates well. Apart from that, there are comparisons very coherently expressing the information to the reader. If you need to understand what do I mean in this statement It is important to know what actually the comparisons mentioned at this level of linguistic circles. However, what we are trying to achieve here is to Let the reader know what is the information given in the picture without looking at the picture, but only from my writing. Being able to convey this message to the reader is the key to improve your IELTS writing scores.