IAA Level 1 exam: format, resources and booking
By Syed Husnain Khalid · Published 8 October 2026 · Last checked 8 October 2026 · 7 min read
Drafted with AI. Each claim was checked against the primary sources listed below by AI on 8 October 2026; a person has not reviewed it yet.
Short answer
The UK Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) Level 1 exam is an online, proctored competence assessment. Current guidance describes 20 multiple-choice questions and scenario-based written answers, with a 60% pass mark in both sections. Assessments are paused (announced 23 September 2026); when they resume, an added Code of Standards and ethics section must also be passed.
This page is for advisers and organisations applying for Level 1 registration in the UK. It reports what the Immigration Advice Authority published about the exam on 8 October 2026: format, syllabus, booking, cost, practice material and what happens afterwards. On 23 September 2026 the IAA announced that online assessments are paused while a new contract is put in place, and said they are anticipated to resume from November 2026, with no dates published. Each application carries one attempt, and the result follows within 20 working days. What sits around the exam — the Code of Standards, the levels of registration and the fees — is set out in our IAA Code of Standards 2024 guide.
What is the IAA Level 1 exam?
The IAA Level 1 exam is the online competence assessment the Immigration Advice Authority sets for advisers applying for Level 1 registration, the Advice and Assistance scope of immigration advice in the UK.
It is one of the things the Commissioner weighs before deciding an application. The IAA’s registration guidance (section 6.2, last updated 5 October 2026) says an applicant is invited to sit it once they have completed a Disclosure and Barring Service, Disclosure Scotland or AccessNI application and submitted an adviser application that meets the experience and training criteria.
The experience criterion for Level 1 is normally at least three months full time, or the equivalent part time, of providing UK immigration advice and services, or six months full time, or the equivalent part time, of giving other kinds of advice: welfare, debt, housing, legal or employment. Either way, the adviser also needs up-to-date training in immigration law from a professional training organisation, evidenced by training from the last 12 months.
The assessment is not always needed. An adviser transferring from an IAA-regulated organisation within six months will not normally be required to take it unless they are seeking to raise their level. Advisers who have passed the Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme examinations at Senior Caseworker or Supervisor level are exempt in asylum and protection, on production of the certificate, but not in immigration. There is no Level 1 assessment at all for the asylum and protection category, and Level 2 and Level 3 applicants in the immigration category must pass Level 1 first.
Are Level 1 exams running, and what dates are published?
Online competence assessments are paused, and the IAA published no Level 1 assessment dates on 8 October 2026.
The IAA announced the pause on 23 September 2026, after a tender exercise, while a new contract for the competence assessment service is put in place. It said assessments are anticipated to resume from November 2026, subject to the completion of the necessary arrangements and a number of dependencies outside the IAA’s control, and that dates will be published as soon as they are confirmed.
The 2026 assessment dates pagenow carries only this notice: “The online competence assessments have been temporarily paused while new arrangements are being implemented. Information on upcoming assessment dates will be published on this page once assessments resume.” Its parent, the assessment dates page (published 11 June 2014, last updated 18 September 2026), still gives the assessment-day instructions: registration opens at 9:30am, and you must begin the assessment between 9:30am and 10:00am.
Cadence is changing with the resumption. The guidance describes Level 1 assessments as held monthly. The IAA’s supporting information says Level 1 assessments are expected every two weeks instead of every four weeks under the new arrangements, with Levels 2 and 3 every eight weeks instead of every twelve.
Applications have not stopped. Candidates who have already submitted one will be contacted directly about the options available to them, and applications submitted during this period will be required to take the new assessment based on the new syllabuses.
What is the format of the Level 1 exam?
The Level 1 exam has two sections: 20 multiple-choice questions, then scenario-based questions with written answers. You must pass both.
| Section | What it is | Marks | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | 20 multiple-choice questions | 20 | 60%, which is 12 of 20 |
| Section 2 | Scenario-based questions requiring written answers | 30 to 35, depending on the paper | 60% |
| Overall | Both sections in one attempt, with no break between them (current guidance). When assessments resume, an added ethics section follows a break | Pass both sections | Pass mark is 60% at Level 1 |
The pass mark is fixed at 60% for Level 1 by both the general marking scheme (sections 1.1 and 1.2, last updated 7 November 2022) and the registration guidance. Written English is graded separately from the mark, with grammar and spelling each rated Adequate or Poor.
The guidance (section 6.6) gives the duration as 1 hour and 15 minutesfor the Level 1 immigration paper: two sections, no break, half the time for each. The IAA’s assessment tips page (last updated 9 September 2020) still tells Level 1 candidates to allow 2 hours and 30 minutes, at 1 hour and 15 minutes per section. Both are IAA pages; the guidance is the newer of the two, and the paper sits on a new platform when assessments resume. Treat the duration in your own assessment invitation as the one that applies.
The exam is invigilated by proctoring software that records you through your webcam under normal exam conditions. It is open book: you may use hard copy books or notes, kept within the camera’s view. Internet use is prohibited except for the official IAA resource book, which is available digitally inside the exam environment. Answers must be typed into the text box below each question; answers typed elsewhere may score zero for that question.
What does the Level 1 exam cover?
The Level 1 exam covers six syllabus areas: immigration law, nationality, asylum and protection, appeals, ethics, and essential skills and abilities.
The IAA published the 2026 competence assessment syllabuses on 23 September 2026. The Level 1 immigration syllabus states each area as a set of learning objectives at four depths: awareness, knowledge, understanding and detailed knowledge. The guidance summarises what is assessed as knowledge of immigration law and practice, the ability to analyse an immigration situation, and the ability to communicate that understanding in written English.
One area grows under the new arrangements. The supporting information says the technical assessment will remain broadly the same, with an additional component covering the Code of Standards, ethics and professional behaviours, a break expected between the technical and the ethics sections, and every section to be passed for an overall pass. The conduct rules behind that component are what our IAA Code of Standards 2024 guide sets out.
The date of the law matters more than the syllabus heading. Assessments are marked according to the immigration rules, regulations and case law in force on the date the resource book was published, so the syllabus tells you the topics and the resource book tells you the version of the law being tested, until whitelisted websites replace it.
How do you book the Level 1 exam?
You do not pick a date. The IAA confirms your assessment date, then onboards you two weeks before it.
The invitation email covers downloading and testing the required software. Onboarding then runs through three things: validating your ID, reviewing the exam rules, and accessing a sample assessment so you can use the system. The onboarding invitation is sent at 9:00am on the day the window opens and the window stays open for one week; the assessment invitation follows once onboarding is complete. You cannot sit the assessment without a valid onboarding profile. Missing onboarding refuses the application, and failing to attend the scheduled assessment counts as a fail.
On the day, registration opens at 9:30am and you must begin between 9:30am and 10:00am. The exam starts at a set time and is timed. Postponements are granted only in unforeseen, exceptional circumstances such as medical reasons, supported by evidence, because the application declarations confirm that you are ready to proceed.
Identity is checked twice. Onboarding requires an original current passport or current driving licence, and the same document must be presented on camera during the exam to confirm the person sitting it. If you hold neither, the guidance says to contact the IAA as soon as possible.
| To have ready | What the IAA's guidance says |
|---|---|
| Photographic ID | An original current passport or current driving licence, validated at onboarding and shown on camera |
| Computer | A laptop or computer with the required software downloaded and tested before the exam |
| Reference material | Hard copy books or notes within reach and in the camera's view: immigration handbooks, periodicals, law guides, case law references |
| Resource book | Available digitally inside the exam; you may print a hard copy, and using it is optional |
| Time | 1 hour 15 minutes, two sections, no break, half the time for each, per the guidance of 5 October 2026 |
The route itself is being reordered. The IAA says candidates who want to join a regulated organisation will have to pass the assessment before they are added to that organisation’s application, and someone setting up their own organisation must pass it before submitting an application for regulation. Individuals must first identify and engage with a prospective organisation, and will need to apply to sit the assessment or apply for an exemption.
How much does the IAA Level 1 exam cost?
No fee is published for the Level 1 exam. The IAA’s guidance sets out fees for applications and states none for the competence assessment.
What is published is the application fee. The Level 1 registration fee is £733, the amount substituted by the 2022 fees regulations from 24 May 2022, and our IAA fees post sets out every application amount together with the instrument each one comes from.
One further amount sits in the same journey: £39.60for a criminal record check where a new adviser needs one, paid directly to Due Diligence Checking, the umbrella body the IAA uses. Volunteers are exempt from the £18 Disclosure and Barring Service element of it.
Failure costs money on a second attempt. The guidance says a failed Level 1 application is refused, and that a new application may require payment of a new application fee. It also says an application without the required information and documents within the requested timeframes is refused and the application fee is not refunded.
There is a power to charge for the exam, just no charge under it. Section 93A(2)(a) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999allows an order to provide for fees, including fees for the taking of examinations, in respect of a person’s competence assessment.
Are there Level 1 past papers and a resource book?
No past papers are published. The marking scheme says the IAA does not provide copies of answer scripts or question papers following an assessment, and the guidance says it does not provide specific feedback.
What the IAA publishes instead are sample papers. The sample assessment page(last updated 1 May 2025) lists eight Level 1 documents, the newest being “Level 1 immigration assessment: January 2024” (PDF, 12 pages), added that day, followed by sample papers from March 2021, February 2021, November 2018, January 2018, November 2016, November 2015 and August 2013. Onboarding also opens a sample assessment so you can learn the system.
The Level 1 exam resource book is the other half of preparation. The May 2026 edition was published on 2 June 2026 as a PDF of 332 pages, and it contains the statutory material, rules and regulations needed during the assessment. Using it is optional and candidates can pass without it; the IAA notes it will not necessarily provide specific answers to the questions asked.
The tips page adds the habit worth copying: sit the appropriate sample paper at least once under timed exam conditions before you allow yourself to see the answers, and get familiar with the content and structure of the resource book rather than reading it cold on the day.
The resource book will not carry on in its present form. The IAA is replacing it with access to approved whitelisted websites during the assessment from the resumption, so check which arrangement applies to your sitting before you prepare.
What happens after the Level 1 exam?
You get the result by email within 20 working days, and it is pass or fail.
Section 2 is moderated when the score falls in an 8% bandwidth around the pass mark: any result between 55% and 63% is re-assessed by a second independent marker, and scores outside that range are not remarked. Section 1 is marked automatically by the online system and cannot be remarked even if it is failed. A paper that still falls short of the minimum for written communication after moderation is likely to fail overall.
Passing is not authorisation. The IAA continues to review the application and the competence test is only one of the factors considered; you must wait for formal authorisation before providing immigration advice or services, and doing so without approval is a criminal offence.
Failing refuses the application for registration on competence grounds. Each candidate has one attempt per application and cannot re-sit on the same application. The IAA will not begin a new assessment process within four weeks of the decision, and a new application must carry documented evidence of all further training and any additional relevant experience; one simply re-submitted to retake the test will be refused.
After the decision comes the rest of the regulated life. The IAA selects organisations for audit each year, and one of its stated selection reasons is newly regulated organisations requiring additional support; that is what our IAA audit checklist covers, and recording who did and approved what on each case, as the work is done, is what our software for immigration firms is built for.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass mark for the IAA Level 1 exam?
60% in each of the two sections, and you must pass both. Section 1 is 20 multiple-choice questions, so the marking scheme puts it at 12 of 20; Section 2 carries 30 to 35 marks depending on the paper. When assessments resume, an added Code of Standards and ethics section must also be passed; its pass mark is not yet published.
Are there IAA Level 1 past papers?
No. The IAA's marking scheme says it does not provide copies of answer scripts or question papers after an assessment. It publishes eight sample Level 1 papers instead, the newest the January 2024 paper added on 1 May 2025, each with model answers.
How long is the IAA Level 1 exam?
The registration guidance of 5 October 2026 gives 1 hour and 15 minutes: two sections, no break, half the time for each. The IAA's tips page of 9 September 2020 still says 2 hours and 30 minutes at 1 hour and 15 minutes per section. Follow the duration in your own assessment invitation.
How much does the IAA Level 1 exam cost?
No exam fee is published. The Level 1 application fee is £733, applying from 24 May 2022, and the criminal record check costs £39.60 through Due Diligence Checking. A new application after a failed attempt may require a new application fee.
Can you re-sit the IAA Level 1 exam?
Not on the same application. One attempt is allowed per application and a failure refuses it on competence grounds. The IAA will not start a new assessment within four weeks of the decision, and the new application needs documented evidence of further training.
Sources
- Immigration Advice Authority, IAA registration explained (last updated 5 October 2026)
- Immigration Advice Authority, IAA announces changes to the competence assessment process (23 September 2026)
- Immigration Advice Authority, Supporting information (23 September 2026)
- Immigration Advice Authority, 2026 assessment dates (last updated 18 September 2026)
- Immigration Advice Authority, Competence assessment centres (last updated 18 September 2026)
- Immigration Advice Authority, General marking scheme for OISC assessments (last updated 7 November 2022)
- Immigration Advice Authority, Level 1 exam resource book (last updated 2 June 2026)
- Immigration Advice Authority, Immigration sample assessment: level 1 (last updated 1 May 2025)
- Immigration Advice Authority, Competence assessment tips (last updated 9 September 2020)
- Immigration Advice Authority, 2026 competence assessment syllabuses (23 September 2026)
- Immigration Advice Authority, Level 1 immigration syllabus 2026 (PDF)
- Immigration Advice Authority, Code of Standards 2024 (PDF)
- Immigration and Nationality and Immigration Services Commissioner (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (SI 2022/296), regulation 2
- Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, section 93A (Fees)