Questions and answers for Australian Immigration Officers

There are two ways for a candidate to share their results with you to verify on the service:

1. They can verify online
   Candidates can log into the Candidate Results Website and choose to share them with your institution. New candidates will then appear in bold when you login to the service.
2. They can verify offline
   Candidates can share their Statement of Results Reference number with you offline and you can select their name from the list. After locating your chosen candidate, you can click through to view their result details.

C1 Advanced is a high-quality, established, secure and reliable test aimed specifically at people who want to study, live and work in a demanding English speaking environment. It gives a much more in-depth assessment of the relevant language skills than most other tests on the market, which means that candidates and the institutions where they study or companies where they work can be sure that they really have the language skills they need.

Yes, they are the same exam. Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) is the official name used in the Statement of Results, certificates, test papers and other official documents.

The title C1 Advanced is used for the promotion of the exam. The Australian Government Department of Home Affairs will be referring to the exam as C1 Advanced in their communications.

C1 Advanced is produced and distributed by Cambridge English. We also produce IELTS (International English Language Testing System) which is jointly owned and managed by British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English.

To provide in-depth assessment of language at the levels tested by C1 Advanced, candidates have to demonstrate that they have sufficient understanding of vocabulary, grammar and the other aspects of the use of English to be able to communicate in non-routine and unpredictable education or employment situations.

The Reading and Use of English paper requires candidates to demonstrate their ability to apply their knowledge of English vocabulary and grammatical structures appropriately at the kinds of levels needed for work and study.

Paper-based (PB) and computer-based (CB) versions of C1 Advanced are different versions of the same exam. They lead to exactly the same certificate and are scored in exactly the same way. The two versions allow candidates more choice in how they take the exam. Additionally candidates taking computer-based exams can register for their exam later (up to a week before their exam date) and will receive their exam results more quickly (in two weeks instead of four weeks for paper-based tests).

C1 Advanced can be taken at over 1,400 examination centres in 117 countries. Applicants can find their nearest examination centre here. Please note many test centres offer the test in more than one location, city or town.

Centres can advise candidates on:

• how to register
• when they can take the test
• how much the test will cost
• how they can prepare for the test.

A large number of C1 Advanced test dates (both paper-based [PB] and computer-based [CB]) have been introduced, which makes the test available frequently throughout the year.

There are more than 39 test dates each year.

To check the available dates, applicants should see the C1 Advanced exam pages or contact their nearest test centre.

We want candidates to perform well and do their best, so we always advise candidates to book their exam well in advance, so they have plenty of time to prepare. However, if a candidate needs to take their test quickly, there are exam dates throughout the year and they can register as little as one week before a computer-based exam. For paper-based exams, the entry date can vary, although on average, they will need to register around 33 days before their exam. Their examination centre will publish an entry deadline.

Candidates will normally receive their results within two weeks if they have taken a computer-based version of C1 Advanced. If they have taken the paper-based version, they will get their results in four weeks. In India, paper-based exam results should be available after 15 days.

Password must be at least 8 characters in length, contain at least 3 of the 4 following types of characters: lower case letters, upper case letters, numbers, special characters.

1. Make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Reader installed. You can download it here.
2. Make sure you have turned off the pop-up blocker, or configured it to allow pop-ups from the Results Verification Service site. The option to do this may be found in the ‘Tools’ menu of most browsers.

Our test day photos are delivered by Aware, a leading international supplier of biometric services which provides solutions to many immigration services, border agencies and high-security organisations such as the FBI. It is a highly robust solution proven through extensive use. The software is able to take photos to the geometric requirements of ISO/IEC 19794-5 face image data interchange format standards. It has been developed to work in highly sensitive situations such as border control and is highly secure.

The photo is available to be seen only on the online Results Verification Service and not on the Statement of Results or certificate.

Test day photos were globally introduced for C1 Advanced on 1 November 2011.

You should refer to DIBP policy for guidance on dealing with applicants who took C1 Advanced before that date and who have no photo.

For exams taken from January 2015, DIBP officers will use the secure online DIBP Verification Service. This will allow DIBP officers to easily verify candidate results. Data on the site is securely encrypted and results will be automatically uploaded as soon as they are ready for release. 

DIBP Gold Users will have the ability to create an account within the system, which will then automatically email log-in details to the new user. You can then sign in at: https://dibp.cambridgeenglish.org and enter your username and password. 

Please see the Information for DIBP officers guide for more details on account creation.

For exams taken from January 2015, DIBP officers will use the secure online DIBP Verification Service. This will allow DIBP officers to easily verify candidate results. Data on the site is securely encrypted and results will be automatically uploaded as soon as they are ready for release. DIBP officers should regard the Results Verification Service as the only wholly authoritative source of information for verifying results for immigration purposes since it is completely secure and cannot under any circumstances be tampered with.

1. Account creation
   DIBP Gold Users will have the ability to create an account within the system, which will then automatically email log-in details to the new user.

2. Sign in
   Go to https://dibp.cambridgeenglish.org and enter your username and password.
   

3. Enter candidate details
   Enter the candidate's Unique Reference Number, as found on their Statement of Results, and their date of birth.
   

4. View the results and confirm scores
   Check the date that the exam was taken, and that the score matches DIBP requirements.
   

5. Check the photo
   Confirm the test day photo shown in the DIBP Verification Service is that of the applicant.
   

6. If no result is shown
   Contact Cambridge English:
   DIBPHelpdesk@cambridgeenglish.org
   

A full, illustrated instruction for this can be found in the Information for DIBP officers guide.

Please see below for how to verify results taken before 2015.

If no result is shown, we may still be able to verify the results. Please complete and send this form.

Candidates who want their results to be viewed by DIBP need to provide DIBP with their Unique Reference Number. It can be found at the top right hand corner of their Statement of Results, which they receive after taking the exam.

From January 2015, C1 Advanced will report on the Cambridge English Scale. Candidates receive a score from the scale for each of the four skills (Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking) and for Use of English. Their overall score is an average of the five individual scores.

For exams taken from January 2015 onwards, DIBP accepts all C1 Advanced scale scores of 147 and higher for exams taken up to two years before a candidate’s application. Exact scores for different visa categories and assessment levels will be published by DIBP.

Below is a table showing the scale scores accepted, in comparison to IELTS band scores:

DIBP accepts all C1 Advanced scores of 32 and higher for exams taken up to two years before a candidate’s application. Exact scores for different visa categories and assessment levels will be published by DIBP.

The following comparison table has been approved by DIBP.

C1 Advanced and IELTS scores comparison table

1. You must first register as a user of the verification service at www.cambridgeenglish.org/verifiers
2. Choose your username and password.
3. When you want to check a result, log in using your username and password.

DIBP officers should regard the Results Verification Service as the only wholly authoritative source of information for verifying results for immigration purposes since it is completely secure and cannot under any circumstances be tampered with.

1. Log in to the Results Verification Service at www.cambridgeenglish.org/verifiers using your username and password.

2. Enter the applicant’s ID Number and Secret Number (which needs to be sent to DIBP by the applicant).

3. Check that their score meets with the DIBP requirement.

4. Check the candidate’s photo.

5. Check to see if the exam was taken within two years of the application being made. The session code on the top right corner of the candidate’s Statement of Results will tell you the year and month that the candidate took their exam. If you are not sure that this falls within two years of the application, make a note of the Session code, then find it in Information for DIBP Officers to see the exact date when the applicant took their exam.

6. A PDF version of the applicant’s Statement of Results can be downloaded from the site for your records.

A full, illustrated instruction for this can be found in C1 Advanced Information for DIBP Officers

Applicants who want DIBP to view their results must provide two pieces of information.

• Their ID Number (a sequence of 9 letters and numbers)
• Their Secret Number (a four digit number)

Both of these pieces of information can be found on the Confirmation of Entry which every candidate receives upon registering for their exam. If the candidate has lost their Confirmation of Entry, they must contact their exam centre.

The session code on the top right corner of the candidate’s Statement of Results will tell you the year and month that the candidate took their exam. You can see the Statement of Results by logging in to the Results Verification Service (see 'How Do I Sign on to the Results Verification Service' above). To check the exam date for exams taken before 2015 please refer to Information for DIBP Officers.

If no result is shown, we may still be able to verify the results. Please complete and send this form.

Our test day photos are delivered by Aware, a leading international supplier of biometric services which provides solutions to many immigration services, border agencies and high-security organisations such as the FBI. It is a highly robust solution proven through extensive use. The software is able to take photos to the geometric requirements of ISO/IEC 19794-5 face image data interchange format standards. It has been developed to work in highly sensitive situations such as border control and is highly secure.

The photo is available to be seen only on the online Results Verification Service and not on the Statement of Results or certificate.

Test day photos were globally introduced for C1 Advanced on 1 November 2011.

You should refer to DIBP policy for guidance on dealing with applicants who took C1 Advanced before that date and who have no photo.