Essential English Online

Yes. Essential English Online covers the full CEFR range, A1 to C2, so complete beginners join the A1 class and advanced learners continue right up to C2. Learners are grouped by level after a free online level test (advanced C1 and C2 groups open on request). Every lesson is live with a CELTA-qualified teacher, so you practise speaking, everyday vocabulary and grammar in context from your very first class, in a group of no more than 15 students.

Take our free online level test — it takes under 10 minutes and gives you an instant CEFR level estimate with a course recommendation. Based on your result we place you in the right Essential English class, anywhere from A1 to C2 (advanced C1/C2 groups open on request). There is no obligation to enrol, and the level test is a placement guide rather than a certificate.

Essential English Online is suitable for complete beginners (A1) through to proficiency (C2). Before your course starts we ask you to take our free online level test (under 10 minutes). Based on your result, we place you in the correct class — anywhere from A1 to C2, with advanced C1 and C2 groups opening on request — so you are always studying at exactly the right level. If you are unsure, take the test here — it only takes 10 minutes and there is no obligation to enrol.

All classes are live on the Kensington English Portal with a teacher — nothing is pre-recorded. You join one live 2-hour group class each week, where you speak, ask questions and get real-time feedback in a group of no more than 15 students. After each class you receive a lesson summary, vocabulary lists and practice exercises digitally, and if you miss a class your teacher emails you the notes and materials covered.

All classes are held live on the Kensington English Portal. You will need a computer, tablet, or smartphone with a camera and microphone, and a stable internet connection. The Kensington English Portal is free to use and opens right in your browser. Once enrolled, you will receive your class link and schedule by email within 24 hours. We recommend using a laptop or desktop for the best learning experience, but mobile devices work well too.

Class times are set in London (UK) time — GMT in winter and BST (GMT+1) in summer — and the London time never moves: A1–A2 on Mondays, 12:00–14:00 or 17:00–19:00; B1–C1 on Tuesdays, 12:00–14:00 or 17:00–19:00. Because the UK changes its clocks and most other countries change theirs on different dates, your own local time can shift by an hour twice a year. The class times table on this page shows the time in the main countries we teach, and it works out your own time zone automatically as soon as you open the page, so you always see the correct local time for today. If you would like us to confirm which class suits your time zone before you enrol, email admin@kensingtonenglish.co.uk.

You can book 2–50 weeks — any whole number, not just fixed packages. One week means one live 2-hour class, so 8 weeks is 8 classes and 16 hours of live teaching. You can start any week: there are no term dates to wait for.

You pay a weekly rate that depends on how many weeks you book, and that rate applies to every week of your booking: 2–5 weeks £45 per week · 6–11 weeks £38 per week · 12–23 weeks £33 per week · 24–50 weeks £29 per week. Add the £25 registration fee and that is your total — for example, 12 weeks × £33 = £396, plus £25 = £421. Because longer bookings have a lower weekly rate, a slightly longer booking can cost less in total: 12 weeks costs £396, which is £22 less than 11 weeks (£418). The enrolment panel tells you when this applies — it never changes your choice for you. The price shown in the enrolment panel is the price you pay.

The £25 registration fee is charged on every new enrolment. It is never charged again when you add weeks to your booking.

Yes. Email admin@kensingtonenglish.co.uk before your last class and we will send you a secure payment link. The weeks you add are priced at the band of your total weeks, not the length of the extension on its own. For example, if you booked 10 weeks and add 4 more, your total is 14 weeks, so the 4 new weeks are charged at the 12–23 weeks rate (£33 per week). The smallest number of weeks you can add is 2. Weeks you have already paid for are never re-priced, and there is no second registration fee.

It depends on when you cancel. To cancel, email admin@kensingtonenglish.co.uk. If we receive your email more than 14 days before your course start date, we refund all of your tuition fee. If it is 14 days or fewer before your start date, we keep 50% of the tuition fee as a cancellation fee and refund the other 50%. On or after your course start date, we do not give a refund. The registration fee is never refunded. If you are a UK consumer, you may also have a 14-day cooling-off right from the day you buy. Nothing in our terms limits that right, and where it gives you more, it applies. If you cancel under this right after your classes have started, we charge for the classes you have taken. You can read the full rules in section 4 of our terms.

If we ever have to cancel a class, it does not use up one of your paid weeks. Your end date moves on by a week automatically, so you always receive the full number of live classes you booked.

Your place in the live class ends after your last paid class. If you want to keep going, add more weeks before then and you simply carry on in the same class. Every student receives a Kensington English Certificate of Attendance showing their level and the weeks studied. Students who study 12 weeks or more and pass the final test also receive the Certificate of Completion.

We understand that life sometimes gets in the way. If you miss a class, your teacher will email you the lesson notes and any materials covered. We record a summary of key points for absent students where possible. We do not offer make-up classes, and a class you miss still counts as one of your booked weeks, so we encourage consistent attendance for the best results.

Yes. Every student receives a Kensington English Certificate of Attendance showing their level and the weeks studied. Students who study 12 weeks or more and pass the final test also receive the Certificate of Completion. Both are awarded by the school and are not external exam qualifications such as IELTS or Cambridge. During the course, progress tests about every four weeks, with written teacher feedback, show you how you are improving.

Both certificates are awarded by Kensington English, a UK-based English language school. The Certificate of Attendance confirms your CEFR level and the weeks and hours you studied; the Certificate of Completion also confirms that you passed the final test. Many employers and schools accept them as evidence of English language study. They are not the same as an internationally standardised qualification such as IELTS or Cambridge.