职业英语等级British Council professional exams

Other school entrance exam registration and other relevant information.

Exam registration

Please read carefully and submit the booking for school entrance exams according to the "Booking Exam Registration Guidance" (see the attachment at the bottom of this page).

- Please submit your booking at least 3 weeks in advance, and for exams within the next 3 months. If your exam is expected to be after 3 months or more, please submit your booking later.

-Please ensure that you have applied to the school for taking the exam at the British Council Centre and have obtained the consent before submitting your booking. 

Exam dates

Beijing Office: 04 July, 19 July, 16 Aug, 30 Aug, 12 Sept, 20 Sept, 11 Oct, 18 Oct, 25 Oct, 26 Oct, 5 Nov, 9 Nov, 15 Nov, 16 Nov, 19 Nov, 23 Nov

Shanghai Office: 17 July, 19 Aug, 10 Sept, 23 Sept, 11 Oct, 18 Oct, 25 Oct, 30 Oct, 6 Nov, 15 Nov, 22 Nov, 27 Nov

Guangzhou: 03 July, 16 July, 07 Aug, 03 Sept, 10 Sept, 17 Sept, 24 Sept, 8 Oct, 16 Oct, 22 Oct, 29 Oct, 5 Nov, 13 Nov, 19 Nov, 27 Nov

Chongqing: 23 July, 31 July, 28 Aug, 03 Sept, 10 Sept, 16 Sept, 23 Sept, 9 Oct, 21 Oct, 30 Oct, 5 Nov, 11 Nov, 20 Nov, 27 Nov

*Exam dates listed above is for reference only. Please refer to the registration system for the confirmed exam dates.

*Only exam dates in the upcoming 3 months are available in the registration system. Exam dates for the next 3 months will be updated in every 3 months.

Fees and terms of payment

Exam service fee:

Effective from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026:

·        Exam service fee: RMB 1350 per person every 2 hours.

*NoteThe 2-hour duration will not include break time. An exam less than 2 hours will be charged as 2 full hours.

·        CEM exam: RMB 2058 per person per exam (for reference only).

The fee above is VAT excluded, which includes venue hire, invigilation charges, secure storage of question papers and courier charges.

For all tests, test fees will be doubled if tests are arranged on public holidays (see attachment from "downloads" part of this page) in mainland China. 

Terms of payment

All the above fees can be paid by candidates in RMB through the British Council Exams Online System. All fees must be paid no later than five working days before the test date.

Exam cancellation and absent for exam

With effect from 1 July 2025

  • Exam cancellations will only be considered under exceptional circumstances and must be supported by valid supporting documents. For example, if the cancellation is due to medical reasons, the request must be submitted before the test day along with a medical certificate. The British Council reserves the right to check the supporting documents and to decide whether to approve the cancellation application or not. If the cancellation application is approved, 80% of the test service fee will be refunded (after deduction of an administration fee of 20% test service fee). 

  • The cancellation application must be submitted in writing using the registered email address to the British Council Global Exams Services National service mailbox (Email: Globalexams.China@britishcouncil.org.cn, Service hour: 09:00-12:00, 13:30-17:00, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays). 

  • The refund will be processed approximately 4 to 6 weeks after the request is approved, returned via the original payment channel. 

  • After the test day, or if the candidate has already taken any part of an exam package, the British Council will no longer accept any withdrawal requests. 

Test day information

1.Candidates must bring the same and valid original identity document on the test day as the one recorded in your applications well as this Exam confirmation letter.  

Following identity documents are acceptable for exams registration and sitting: 

-Valid 2nd generation national Identification or Passport for Chinese nationals from mainland China 

-Valid Identification, Passport or Hong Kong / Macau Residents' Residence Permit for Chinese nationals from Hong Kong and Macau  

- Valid Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents of China or Taiwan Residents' Residence Permit for Chinese nationals from Taiwan 

-Valid Passport for foreign nationals 

Candidates may not be allowed to take the examination if they fail to present acceptable identity documents. 

2.Candidates are required to arrive at the test venue at least 30 minutes in advance. 

3.Candidates are required to bring their own writing stationery and materials permitted by the testing institution. Candidates can bring a bottle of transparent bottled water with labels removed into the examination room.

4.Candidates are not allowed to bring any electronic devices such as mobile phones and any watches into the exam room. 

5.Candidates are not allowed to bring any test related materials such as test papers, answer sheets, draft papers, etc. out of the examination room. 

6. Minor candidates (Under 18), please contact the invigilators on site when arrive at the test venue. If minor candidates choose to be picked up by parents/guardians after the examination, parents/guardians should bring their valid ID document to pick up the candidates in the designated area of the venue. 

7. Before the exam, if there are any notifications or updates about the exam, we will contact you through the email or phone number you used during the registration. Please pay attention.

Exam results

  • Candidates should contact the school to receive information on their exam results.