TOLES Foundation Exam score bands
TOLES Higher Exam score bands
TOLES Advanced Exam score bands
TOLES Foundation Exam score bands
BAND ONE
81 – 100% This candidate is assessed as having EXCELLENT legal English skills at Foundation exam level. This candidate:
- can deal confidently and ably with all of the examination requirements listed in the syllabus;
- is competent to understand written legal English at Foundation exam level and has good strategies for coping with new language;
- has an excellent understanding of key legal English vocabulary within certain authentic legal documents;
- is ready to progress to the TOLES Higher examination.
BAND TWO
61 – 80% This candidate is assessed as having VERY GOOD legal English skills at Foundation exam level. This candidate:
- can deal competently with many of the examination requirements listed in the syllabus and would benefit greatly from more
practice in their legal English studies; - has made some excellent progress at understanding written legal English at this level;
- has a good understanding of key legal English vocabulary within certain authentic legal documents;
- is almost ready to progress to the TOLES Higher examination.
BAND THREE
41 – 60% This candidate is assessed as having SATISFACTORY legal English skills at Foundation exam level. This candidate:
- is quite challenged by the examination requirements listed in the syllabus. They have a basic grasp of the skills tested in the
examination but need to focus on developing a good legal English vocabulary and on achieving better accuracy in use of grammar - has made a start at understanding legal English at Foundation exam level but requires a significant amount of further study;
- has a basic understanding of legal vocabulary at this level but some key terminology is lacking.
- requires significant further study at Foundation exam level before progressing to the TOLES Higher examination.
BAND FOUR
1-40% This candidate is assessed as having LESS THAN SATISFACTORY legal English skills at Foundation exam level. This candidate:
- is seriously challenged by the examination requirements listed in the syllabus. They have a poor grasp of the skills tested in the
examination and need to focus on making a start in acquiring legal vocabulary and being more accurate in their use of grammar - needs to make a better start at understanding legal English at Foundation exam level and requires a significant amount of further study;
- has a poor understanding of legal vocabulary at this level with most key terminology lacking.
- requires significant further study at Foundation exam level before attempting the TOLES Foundation examination again.
TOLES Higher Exam score bands
BAND ONE
81 – 100% This candidate is assessed as having EXCELLENT legal English skills at Higher exam level. This candidate:
- can deal confidently and ably with all of the examination requirements listed in the syllabus;
- is competent to deal with written or spoken legal English at intermediate level, and has good strategies for coping with new language;
- with support, can deal well with certain authentic legal documents, professional emails and carefully conducted conference situations, such as telephone or video conversations;
- is ready to progress to the TOLES Advanced examination.
BAND TWO
61 – 80% This candidate is assessed as having GOOD legal English skills at Higher exam level. This candidate:
- can deal well with many of the examination requirements listed in the syllabus and would benefit a lot from the opportunity for further practice;
- has made very good progress in dealing with written or spoken legal English at an intermediate level;
- is close to being able to deal with certain authentic legal documents and professional emails, and has a strong understanding of the language used in conference situations, such as telephone or video conversations;
- is almost ready to progress to the TOLES Advanced examination.
BAND THREE
41 – 60% This candidate is assessed as having SATISFACTORY legal English skills at Higher exam level. This candidate:
- is challenged by the examination requirements listed in the syllabus but is definitely on the way to reaching intermediate level skills;
- has a fundamental understanding of written and spoken legal English at intermediate level, and will continue to improve with practice;
- has some understanding of certain authentic legal documents and the language used in conference situations, but continues to require a lot of support;
- requires significant further study at intermediate level before progressing to the TOLES Advanced examination.
BAND FOUR
1 – 40% This candidate is assessed as having LESS THAN SATISFACTORY legal English skills at Higher exam level. This candidate:
- can deal with a few of the examination requirements listed in the syllabus but is weak in some, or all, key areas;
- needs to make a better start at understanding and actively using language at Higher exam level; and requires a significant amount of further study;
- requires considerable support when dealing with authentic legal documents and the language used in conference situations;
- requires considerable further study at Higher exam level before progressing to the TOLES Advanced examination.
TOLES Advanced Exam score bands
BAND ONE
81-100% This candidate is assessed as having EXCELLENT legal English skills at Advanced exam level. This candidate:
- has a near-native knowledge of specific, commercial legal vocabulary and is likely to be up to date on ideas for reform and modernisation in the field of legal English;
- has an excellent awareness of the appropriateness of different styles/register, and is able to actively use this knowledge in everyday work situations;
- is likely to be an excellent translator of legal documents from English into their own native language;
- produces excellent written work, which is highly accurate and grammatically correct, even under intensive time pressure.
BAND TWO
61-80% This candidate is assessed as having VERY GOOD legal English skills at Advanced exam level. This candidate:
- has a well-above average knowledge of specific, commercial legal vocabulary and a very good understanding of how to use legal terminology in written documents
- has a strong awareness of different styles/register and is able to recognise essential differences in the appropriateness of style in a variety of legal documents;
- is a very good and reliable translator of legal documents from English into their own native language;
- produces written work of a very high standard under intense pressure of time, with few errors.
BAND THREE
41-60% This candidate is assessed as having SATISFACTORY legal English skills at Advanced exam level. This candidate:
- has a good knowledge of specific, commercial legal vocabulary and has successfully made the challenging jump from intermediate to advanced level legal English;
- has a good awareness of appropriateness of different styles/register and is unlikely to make significant style errors in legal drafting;
- is a promising legal translator, and is often able to self-correct errors in writing and speaking;
- produces good written work under intense pressure of time but needs some support, as there are likely to be some errors.
BAND FOUR
1-40% This candidate is assessed as having LESS THAN SATISFACTORY legal English skills at Advanced exam level. This candidate:
- has some basic knowledge of specific, commercial legal vocabulary and a basic understanding of how to use terminology in written legal documents;
- has an awareness of appropriateness of different styles/register in written and spoken legal English, but needs more experience in order to be able to put this knowledge to active use
- is sensitive to the requirements of translating accurately but does not yet have the skills to be able to do so;
- cannot yet produce accurate written work under intense time pressure and needs more time to learn about the structure, style and accuracy required for legal documents.