FAQs | International House Bristol

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about English courses at IH Bristol:

Bristol Location
Bristol is in the South-West of England, only 1 hour 20 mins by train from London, and 15 minutes from Georgian Bath. The airport is situated 20 minutes away by bus, with flights regularly departing across Europe. The city is situated in the South-West of England and is only 2 hours by train from metropolitan city of London, and 15 minutes from the historic town of Bath. The city has great international access with an airport situated 20 minutes away by bus, with flights regularly departing across Europe.
IH Bristol locations
The Oakfield Road school is on a quiet street in Clifton. The Queens Avenue school is a few minutes' walk from the Clifton Triangle and Bristol University. Click here for a map and more about how to find us. Clifton is an elegant and prestigious part of Bristol, that is lined with Georgian townhouses and refined restaurants and cafes. It is very close to some of Bristol’s key landmarks and is within walking distance with College Green and the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Bristol is a vibrant and exciting city with something for everyone. Whether you’re here for the culture, food, nightlife, scenery, music, or anything else for that matter, the city has something in store for you. There are festivals and events all year round, from the festive Christmas market in the winter, to the Bristol Light Festival in spring. However, the city really comes to life in the summer, with events such as the Balloon Fiesta, the Harbour Festival and music festivals like Love Saves the Day and Tokyo World. Bristol has a population of 450,000 and 2 major universities. It balances busy city life with beautiful rural areas, such as Ashton court, which is easily accessible on foot across the stunning Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Visit our About Bristol page to find our more.
The price will depend on which course you want to do, how long you want to study for and whether or not you take an exam. You can see all our prices on our dates & fees page but if you want us to calculate the cost for you, send us your details and we will send you a quote. We need to know:
- your name
- age
- nationality
- English level
- dates of study
- exams (if you want to an exam)
- accommodation type
Email this information to info@ihbristol.com and we will send you a quote for your course.
We are an exam centre for Cambridge, IELTS, OET and Trinity. This means, you can take the following exams:
Cambridge
- B1 Preliminary (PET)
- B2 First (FCE)
- C1 Advanced (CAE)
- C2 Proficiency (CPE)
IELTS
- Academic Training
- General Training
OET
Trinity GESE exams (restricted dates)
This is a difficult question to answer. It depends on what level of English you already have, what level you want to achieve and how much you are willing and able to study. Cambridge ESOL have created a guide to how many hours it takes to achieve their qualifications. Go to this link https://support.cambridgeenglish.org/hc/en-gb/articles/202838506-Guided-learning-hours(Opens in a new tab/window) to see how long they recommend for each level. There is also an interesting article about how long it takes to learn a foreign language https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/How-long-does-it-take-to-learn-a-foreign-language.pdf(Opens in a new tab/window).
For IELTS, the British Council estimate it takes approximately 13 weeks to move up half a band in IELTS, so to go from 4.5 to 5.0, for example. You can find more information about this here https://ielts.org/news-and-insights/how-long-will-it-take-to-get-the-ielts-band-score-i-need(Opens in a new tab/window).
Different people learn at different speeds so this information is for guidance only.
To enrol, go to our online course booking form and fill in all your details and submit the application to us. Once we receive it, we will register you and send you any necessary paperwork, including your invoice.
If you want to take a holiday during your course, you must tell us at the time of application. The holiday period will be added to your course. If you have a visa, for each 10 consecutive weeks of study you are allowed one week of holiday. If you are already attending a course and wish to have a holiday, you must tell us two weeks in advance. In this case, the number of weeks you take as a holiday can be added to the end of your course, depending on availability. Note: additional charges may apply.
Our standard English course (General English mornings) only has classes in the mornings and you do 20 lessons per week; Intensive courses are mornings and afternoon and you do 30 lessons per week.
On Friday afternoons, everybody can attend Conversation Club no matter which course they are doing.
Adult students have a choice of Student Residence or Homestay.
Junior students must go into homestay.
Visit our accommodation page for more details.
If you have friends or family in Bristol, you can stay with them or you can make your own accommodation arrangements.
We will send you a Student Handbook which has lots of information about the course, accommodation and Bristol. Read it carefully so you know what to expect.
Remember to bring an umbrella, to be willing to speak and listen in English -from the first day - and to be ready to have fun while you achieve your language learning goals.
For Cambridge and IELTS exam package courses, the cost of the materials is included. For all other adult courses, the materials cost is added to your invoice/quote. There is no charge for materials for one-week courses.
On junior courses, all materials are included in the cost of the course.
Accepted payment methods:
Preferred international payment method: Flywire transfer
Flywire - how it works(Opens in a new tab/window)
International House Bristol has partnered with Flywire to make your international payments safe and easy. Flywire allows you to pay from almost any country and in almost any currency by bank transfer, credit card and other local payment methods. Flywire is International House Bristol's preferred method of payment.
Avoid unexpected fees Unexpected bank fees can result in a short balance on your account when payment reaches your institution. Flywire ensures your tuition is delivered in full every time.
Pay in your home currrency Avoid unnecessary bank fees and receive favorable foreign exchange rates.
Benefits / How to pay:
Flywire help & FAQs - www.flywire.com/help(Opens in a new tab/window)
Credit/Debit card payment
Credit/Debit card payments - non UK cards - can be made through Flywire, above, with no extra charges. Please have your invoice number(s) and/or student name ready.
Credit/Debit card payments - UK cards, can be made by contacting the school by telephone on +44 (0)117 909 0911 or +44 (0)117 906 7660. If you are in Bristol, you can also come into our school office to pay with your card. Please have your invoice number(s) and/or student name ready.
Cheque - UK Sterling (£) only
Cheques should be made payable to International House Bristol Ltd. Please write the invoice number(s) and student name (if different from the name on the cheque) on the back of the cheque.
Direct bank transfer
Flywire - above - is International House Bristol's preferred method of payment for international payments.
If you still want to pay by direct bank transfer, please add £6.00 to the amount due to cover international bank charges by IH Bristol's bank; please note that your bank may make a separate charge for an international transfer. Please use the invoice number and then the student's name as the reference for your payment. You will find our bank details on our invoices or you can request them by contacting the school directly.
It depends on your nationality and the number of weeks you want to spend in the UK. You can find out if you need a visa on this government website https://www.gov.uk/visa-to-study-english/eligibility(Opens in a new tab/window). Just click on Check if you need a UK visa, on the right-hand side, and follow the instructions.
If you need a visa, we can send you the necessary documents to support your application.

There are 8 levels at IH Bristol:

IH Bristol	CEFR	Cambridge ESOL	IELTS bands	Trinity levels	Summary of abilities
Level 1 Beginner	A1		1.0 ‒ 2.0	Grade 2	Learners can communicate at a basic level and can deal with some situations necessary to survive in an English-speaking environment. Their comprehension of English is limited but a foundation has been laid for further learning.
Level 2 Elementary	A2	KET	2.5 ‒ 3.0	Grade 3	Learners can communicate at a basic level. They can survive in an English-speaking environment. Their comprehension of English is limited but a foundation has been laid for further learning.
Level 3 Pre-Intermediate	A2	KET	3 ‒ 3.5	Grade 4	Learners are able to communicate in English adequately in simple everyday situations. Their range of vocabulary and ability to manipulate grammatical structure is developing, as is their ability to comprehend oral and written English.
Level 4 Lower Intermediate	B1	PET	4.0	Grade 5	Although their English vocabulary and grammar are limited in range, learners are able to communicate in most basic everyday situations. They are beginning to deal confidently with authentic reading and listening material.
Level 5 Mid-Intermediate	B1	PET	4.5	Grade 6	Learners are developing their English language skills and can speak quite fluently in most everyday situations. Their ability to express more complex ideas is beginning to develop, although their language is not always accurate.
Level 6 Upper Intermediate	B2	FCE	6.0	Grades 7‒ 9	Learners are of approximately Cambridge First Certificate in English standard with a range of vocabulary and a command of all basic grammatical structures. They can use English in a variety of contexts and are beginning to appreciate many of the complexities of the language.
Level 7 Lower Advanced	C1	CAE	7.0	Grades 10 ‒ 11	Learners are able to use a wide range of language effectively in a variety of contexts and can easily comprehend natural spoken and written English.
Level 8 Upper Advanced	C2	CAE	8.0 ‒ 9.0	Grade 12	Learners are developing an understanding of and an ability to produce subtleties and complexities of the language, although they may still require some work on accuracy. At the end of this level, students should be close to native English speaker competence.

When you register with us, we send you a link to our level test so we can see which class you need to be in. We also test your listening and speaking on your first day, to double check your level.
If you want to test your level before you apply, you can do the free level test on our website https://portal.ihbristol.com/open_level_test.
Before you start, we measure your initial English language level through a link to an online test. On your first day, we check your speaking & listening skills. This means we know your exact English level when you start your course.
During your course:
- There is a Friday morning end-of-week quiz each week. Students complete a small quiz/test individually, prepared by your teachers (one for each of your two morning classes). You check the answers with your teacher, then give them your percentage score for each test. This helps you and your teacher see how much new language you can remember from each week’s classes.
- If you study for more than 4 weeks, you have a 1-to-1 tutorial with your teacher once every month. You discuss how you feel you about your language progress and agree learning goals together. Your teacher will also give you feedback and advice on your learning.
- When you are ready to move to the next level, you can take a 45-minute end-of-level test. If you pass this test, we will move you to the next level the following week. If you do not pass the test, we give you to a 1:1 feedback session with a teacher, who will advise you on what you need to focus on to improve further.
- IH Bristol teachers have a fortnightly Teachers’ Meeting. We discuss all our students and take actions on students who need more support or learning advice to help them progress faster.
- We have small class sizes (12 maximum for adults; 16 maximum for juniors) so your teachers will monitor your progress in each lesson and give you feedback on your errors and how you can improve.
- At the end of your course, you can take a final 1-hour ‘progress check’ test to see how much you have improved. It is your choice if you would like to take this final test.
You can find further advice on your progress from one of the teachers in the daily Study Room time (supervised 3.30-4.30pm, Monday-Thursday), and from the school’s Director of Studies.
Yes, of course. On adult courses, there is homework every day and you can ask for extra homework as well. Or you can go to the supervised study room after classes to work on English with the help of a teacher.
We strongly advise you to take out personal insurance to cover you for loss of possessions, including laptops and mobile phones, medical expenses and the loss of tuition and other fees if you have to cancel your course or return home earlier than planned. IH Bristol is working in partnership with guard.me, to provide our students with a policy which has been specifically designed to meet your requirements whilst you are studying in the UK - you can find more information on insurance here.
IH Client Promise
Realise your aspirations and open new horizons by learning with International House in a positive and enjoyable environment.
- We will help you learn and progress by designing wellstructured courses and educational support services.
- Before enrolling we will listen to your needs and give you guidance on choosing the right course. This may involve a language level test and an interview.
- You will be given clear and accurate information about all aspects of your course, examination or other service.
- You will be taught by qualified teachers or trainers, who regularly receive up to date professional development. Younger learners will be taught by teachers trained to meet their specific needs.
- Your course will be supervised by skilled educational managers who will make sure the content is up to date, the school has the right resources, and whose goal is to help you have a positive experience.
- Your learning will be regularly assessed during your course to help you progress. You will have opportunities to discuss how to improve.
- You will be encouraged to give us feedback so we can continue to improve while you are still studying with us.
- Diversity is celebrated at International House and we are committed to treating everybody fairly and equally.