Guide to taking Linguaskill remotely

Recent malpractice cases

Recently, some of our Remote candidates did not receive a result for the three reasons below. Everything from the pre-test checks to the end of the test is recorded and fully reviewed afterwards. If anything you do is, or could be interpreted as, malpractice, your result is disqualified and there is no refund.

• Skipping or rushing the 360-degree room check

  The 360-degree check is recorded and reviewed too. If you skip it or only show part of the room, your result may be disqualified.

  How to do the 360-degree check

• Keeping a phone on you during the test

  Your phone must be switched off and kept outside the test room. Keeping it in a pocket or anywhere else on you counts as having it in the test room. If you do, you will not receive a result or a refund.

  Test room rules

• Another person seen during the test

  You must be alone in the test room for the whole test. If another person is seen, you will not receive a result. Tell anyone you live with when your test is, and keep the door closed.

  Test room rules

Eligibility and test format

Individual registrations run as Remote only.

• Age requirement: 18 and over

  Candidates aged 16 or 17 can only sit through an institutional group booking, not as individuals.

• Testing inside the Republic of Korea

  A remote test has to be taken inside the Republic of Korea. You cannot sit it while you are abroad. If that is your situation, contact us before you register.

• The four-hour limit

  You have four hours from the start time on your registration to finish every module. Starting late does not move the deadline. For refunds on modules you could not finish, see “Refunds and date changes” below.

• Invigilation and recording

  Your screen and webcam are recorded during the test. After the test an AI service reviews the recordings and a person makes the final check. The records are kept for six months.

Refunds and date changes

If you can't get your equipment or test room ready, cancel or change your date within the deadlines below.

Cancelling and refunds

Cancel at least 3 business days before the test for a full refund, or at least 1 business day before for a 50% refund. After that, there is no refund.

Changing your test date

You can change your test date once. Ask at least 3 business days before the test. After that, a change is possible only for an unavoidable reason backed by evidence, such as illness or an accident, and still only once.

When there is no refund

Under the Cambridge terms there is no refund if your result is disqualified for malpractice, or if you keep a phone or other electronic device in the test room. There is also no refund for modules you could not finish within the four hours because you started late or because of a problem with your own equipment or internet.

Illness, accidents or system failures

If illness, injury or another exceptional event stopped you taking the test or affected you on the day, tell us with evidence within 48 hours of the test date and before results are released. The same applies if a Cambridge system failure or a problem on our side stopped you finishing. We will review it and offer a new date or a refund.

Equipment and software

These need to be in place 24 hours before your test.

• Eligible devices

  You need Windows 11 or macOS 13 (Ventura) or later. Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 in October 2025, so Cambridge does not guarantee that it will work. The secure browser does not run on phones, tablets (iOS or Android), Chromebooks or Linux, so you cannot test on them.

• Webcam

  640×480 or better; a built-in laptop camera is fine. On a desktop computer you will need an external webcam.

• Computer specification and internet

  4 GB of memory, 10 GB of free disk space, and an internet connection of 5-10 Mbps both up and down. A wired connection is the most stable.

• One monitor only

  Only one monitor is allowed. If you use more than one, move the others out of the test room before the test.

• Photo ID

  Bring the original of the same ID you registered with: a passport, national ID card or driving licence. It must show your name and photo and must not be expired. If your ID has changed since you registered, tell us before test day.

• Closing AI tools and translators

  Anything that checks spelling, improves your writing or translates counts as malpractice. Close input method editors (IME) and keyboard translation tools too. If the secure browser finds one of these running, the test will not start.

Headset requirements

What you need depends on the modules you are taking.

• If you are taking Speaking

  You need an over-ear, closed-back headset with a boom microphone. Built-in computer microphones cannot be used.

• If you are not taking Speaking

  You can use external speakers instead of a headset. You still have Listening, so the test room needs to be free of background noise.

• How to connect

  USB or a wired connection only. Bluetooth is not supported. Confirm that sound and recording both work in the Technical Check.

Where you take the test

Before the test starts you have to sweep the whole test room with your webcam through 360 degrees. Set the test room up in advance so it meets these conditions.

• A test room where you can be alone

  It must be a private residence or a private space inside a public building. You cannot test in a shared public place such as a library, café or open-plan office. A booked room (a hotel room, a university library study room) is fine if you can guarantee you will not be disturbed.

• Nobody else in the room

  You must be alone in the test room for the whole test. If anyone else comes in or is seen on camera, you will not receive a result. Tell anyone you live with when your test is.

• Door closed, glass walls covered

  Keep the door closed during the test. If the test room has glass walls, close the curtains or blinds.

• Quiet and well lit

  There should be no distracting background noise such as traffic, and your surroundings must be clearly visible at all times.

• Nothing with English writing in view

  No posters or other material with English writing may be visible. Close any desk drawers as well.

• At a desk or table

  Sit or stand at a desk or table. A low table such as a coffee table is not allowed, and you cannot test with the laptop on your lap, on a sofa or lying down.

• Not in a vehicle

  The test cannot be taken in a vehicle, moving or parked.

What can be on your desk

The list is fixed. Anything not on it has to be cleared away.

Allowed

• Computer or laptop, a stand if you need one, and the charger
• Keyboard, mouse and mouse mat
• Headset (external speakers are fine if you are not taking Speaking)
• Webcam
• Your login details, written down
• The original photo ID you registered with
• Pen or pencil and blank paper for notes
• A bottle of water with the label removed, or water in a clear glass
• Tissues or a handkerchief
• Medicine and medical devices you told us about and we approved

Must be cleared away

• All electronic devices and watches, including phones and smartwatches (switched off and kept outside the test room)
• A second monitor (not allowed in the test room even if it is not plugged in)
• Any printer attached to the computer (switched off and out of reach)
• Notes stuck to the computer or around the screen
• Labelled water bottles, and any food or drink other than water
• Printed material of any kind, including a printout of this page

Your phone must be switched off and kept outside the test room. Keeping it in a pocket or anywhere else on you is not allowed either; if you do, you will not receive a result or a refund. The one exception is calling us about a technical problem during the test: step outside the test room to make that call, and when it is over, switch the phone off and leave it outside again.

Allowed items: an example

Banned items: an example

Getting set up

From installing the secure browser to closing the test, in the order you will actually meet them.

1. 01

   Install the secure browser

   Download and install the Talview secure browser, from the Microsoft Store on Windows or as a separate installer on Mac. Uninstall any older version first.

   

2. 02

   Run the secure browser diagnostic

   Opening the installed browser brings up a diagnostic screen. Press Start and it lists the applications you will need to close on test day.

   

3. 03

   Technical check

   Go to Technical Check on the Cambridge English Test Portal (Metrica). No login is needed. It works through your operating system, internet speed, headphones and microphone in turn.

   

Logging in and checking your details

1. Logging in on test day

   Get into the test portal through the secure browser. The two ways to open it are set out below. After you log in you accept the terms, check your registration details under Your Details, fill in First language and Reason for taking the test, then press Submit.

   

AI invigilation checks

Identity and test room checks. The test will not open until these are done.

1. 01

   Test day photo

   Clicking the test tile starts the pre-test checks. Once you have accepted the terms, allowed access to your camera and microphone, and shared your Entire Screen, it is time for the photo. Face the camera with your head and shoulders in frame.

   

2. 02

   Photo ID capture or upload

   Hold the ID you registered with up to the camera, or upload it as a png or jpg file. Covering any of the details with your fingers counts as malpractice.

   

3. 03

   360-degree test room check

   Turn your webcam slowly right around so the whole room is visible, including your desk, the floor and the ceiling. If the camera is built in, turn the whole laptop. This check is recorded and reviewed too. Trying to hide any part of the room may be treated as malpractice, and if the check is skipped or not done properly, your result may be disqualified.

   

Not allowed during the test

Everything you do is recorded, and the whole recording is reviewed after the test, so avoid anything that could look suspicious.

• Leaving your seat

  Once you pick a module and start, you cannot leave your seat, so use the restroom beforehand. If you need a break, take it between modules and keep it under 20 minutes.

• Looking away from the screen

  Looking away from the screen or scanning the test room can be treated as suspected malpractice.

• Covering your mouth

  Keep your hand and any object away from your mouth. Your face has to stay visible to the camera.

• Speaking aloud

  Do not talk or whisper aloud except during the Speaking module.

• Food and drink other than water

  No smoking, vaping, eating or drinking anything but water in the test room.

• Leaving the test window

  Do not switch to another window or use another device, and do not use keyboard shortcuts. If you press one by accident, press CTRL to return to the test.

• Stopping the screen share

  If the screen-sharing message covers a question, tuck it away with Hide. Never click Stop sharing: your screen stops being recorded and you will not receive a result.

• Moving out of camera shot

  Any stretch with no recording, or where only part of you is visible, is flagged as suspicious and you may not receive a result. Click the video icon to check your head and shoulders are in frame, and adjust the webcam if they are not.

If something goes wrong

Loss of internet connection

Once you are back online, close the test window and reopen it to continue. Repeated or long disconnections can be treated as malpractice, so tell the centre straight away.

Login email not received

Cambridge sends your login details from no-reply@metritests.com. It is an overseas sender, so check your spam folder. If it has not arrived 24 hours before your test, tell us.

Forgotten password

Press Forgotten your password? on the login screen and enter your Username and Institution ID. Our Institution ID is KR066.

Finishing the test

Your answers are only submitted once you reach the last screen.

1. 01

   Choosing a module and testing

   The Timeline screen lists the modules you are entered for, and you can take them in any order. Read the instructions, then press Start at the bottom right.

2. 02

   Finishing with Close

   At the end of a module two screens appear asking for feedback. Your test is only submitted once you press the blue Close button. Do not close the browser with the X in the corner.

   

Your results

When results are released

Results are normally available 6–8 days after the test. If the recording review flags anything, that can add up to 10 days on top. You will get an email from no-reply@metritests.com when they are ready.

Checking results in the portal

Log in to the Cambridge English Test Portal with the same Username, Password and Institution ID you used for the test, and open the Results tab. You do not need the secure browser to view results.

Digital certificate

It shows a Cambridge English Scale score and CEFR level for each module, an average score, and your photo and identity document number. If you are asked to try again in five minutes, the certificate is still being compiled.

An asterisk (*) on your result

On Speaking it means the audio was not good enough to assess. On Reading or Listening it means too few questions were answered in the time available. Contact us about re-sitting.

Sharing your result

You can send your result to a school or employer straight from the portal.

Choosing which result to send

In Share your results, press Share or download a result, then pick the result you want from My Best Score or Available Results.

Choosing who receives it

Find the organisation in the list, select it and press Share result. Some organisations have more than one account, so check with them which to use. If they are not listed, you can send them an invite.

What you have already sent

The Shared results tab keeps a record of who you sent each result to and when.

Downloading the Digital Certificate

You can download it from either Share your results or Shared results. It shows a Cambridge English Scale score and CEFR level for each skill, an average score, and your photo and ID number.

What the average leaves out

Modules below B1, marked with an asterisk, still pending, or disqualified are not counted in the average or in My Best Score.

Retaking and My Best Score

You can re-sit any module on its own, and a better result feeds into My Best Score automatically, provided you sit it with the same centre and the same login (email).

Validity of your result

There is no expiry date on a Linguaskill certificate, but organisations set their own limits on how recent a result must be, so check with whoever you are submitting it to.

Remarks and appeals

Enquiry on Results

Only Speaking and Writing can be remarked. Reading and Listening are adaptive and are not eligible. The centre submits the request on your behalf, so contact us to start it. The deadline is 28 days from the test date and there is a fee. However, if your Speaking or Writing test was 100% auto-marked, Cambridge carries out the enquiry free of charge. A remark can move your score up or down, and if your CEFR level changes the fee is refunded in full. To appeal the outcome of a remark, you must apply within 21 days of being notified.

Contacting us during the test