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THE NEW TOLES SERIES

The NEW TOLES exam series consists of 3 levels:

TOLES Advanced
TOLES Higher
TOLES Foundation

Candidates do not have to take all 3 exams. However, they should begin at a realistic point in the exam series according to their general and legal English skills.
We recommend that ALL candidates who want to progress with their legal English studies should be extremely confident at TOLES Foundation level before continuing, as the vocabulary tested is fundamental and provides the building blocks of a candidate’s legal English skills.
Remember, accuracy is as important as fluency to a law firm.

TOLES Foundation

The exam tests knowledge and understanding of essential legal vocabulary.

Time : 90 minutes
Skills: Reading and writing
Focus: Vocabulary in context
Level of general English: Elementary-Advanced

What you need to know :
TOLES Foundation is ideal for candidates of all levels of general English. For candidates who are at a lower level of general English, this exam is appropriate for inclusion in a legal English course that introduces essential legal vocabulary in a controlled way. To encourage accuracy at all levels of the TOLES series, prepositions are tested. As far as possible, the preferred tense is present/past simple, active voice. There is a strong focus upon understanding legal vocabulary in context and success in the exam requires sensitivity to how vocabulary is actually used as opposed to learning words in isolation from authentic text. TOLES Foundation is also a challenging exam for candidates who already possess good general English and are now acquiring legal vocabulary.

No listening or speaking skills are tested, as they can be more than adequately tested by general/business English exams at this level.
Download sample ：TOLES Foundation exam

TOLES Higher

The exam tests knowledge and use of legal vocabulary.
Time : Paper 1 - 90 minutes, Paper 2 - 30 minutes
Skills: Reading and writing; listening
Focus: Using vocabulary appropriately and accurately; the register of legal language
Level of general English: Pre-Intermediate - Upper Intermediate

What you need to know :
TOLES Higher tests a candidate’s ability to use the legal vocabulary that they have learned (from TOLES Foundation level) in an accurate and appropriate way.

Paper 1. Correct use of collocation is emphasised. Prepositions are tested. Letter writing skills are tested in a controlled way, to focus on vocabulary, style and register. Introductory drafting skills are introduced.

Paper 2. Listening for comprehension and listening for specific vocabulary. At this level, general speaking skills are adequately tested by general English exams. However, candidates need to be able to demonstrate that they can listen for technical legal vocabulary and understand how it is used in authentic situations.

TOLES Higher is aimed at candidates who have completed TOLES Foundation and are building their legal English skills at the same time as improving their general English. The exam includes a wider variety of tense and voice. Extracts from authentic legal documents are included and the focus now moves on to practical, accurate use of the legal vocabulary acquired at Foundation level.

TOLES Advanced

The exam tests a candidate’s ability to use the authentic legal English required by international law firms.
Time: 2 hours
Skills: Reading and writing
Focus: Legal language in an authentic context
Level of general English: Upper Intermediate - Advanced

What you need to know :
This prestigious qualification is the highest level TOLES exam. This successful exam remains unchanged. It consists of one paper – two hours of reading and writing. Active, accurate knowledge and use of legal vocabulary is tested, together with the skills that are part of a lawyer’s everyday life – letter writing, understanding and explaining complex legal documents, and appropriate use of drafting as used by a modern commercial lawyer. It is suitable for lawyers, translators, interpreters and law students.
No listening or speaking skills are tested as law firms report that these skills are apparent to them at interview.

How is the TOLES examination graded?

TOLES Foundation
The exam is in two papers and is marked out of a total of 100 points. There is no pass or fail mark for the TOLES Foundation examination. A score in the highest two bands (81-100) is recommended to any candidate who wishes to study towards the TOLES Advanced examination.

TOLES Higher
The TOLES series consists of three specialist examinations designed to measure a candidate’s skill in legal English. There are four grade bands at higher level. Candidates’ results are expressed as a percentage score.
A score that falls with the two top bands of the TOLES Higher examination can indicate stronger legal English skills than a more advanced certificate from a general English examination.
The four grade bands, which are:
81-100: EXCELLENT
61-80:   GOOD
41-60:   SATISFACTORY
0-40:     DOES NOT YET POSSESS

TOLES Advanced
The examination provides a series of six progressively graded results, which are designed to comment exclusively upon legal professionals whose first language is not English. They move from a very low level of proficiency (GREEN 0-100) up to an advanced level of proficiency which approaches native-level ability (GOLD 451-500).

Only the most outstanding of candidates are able to achieve the three highest grades