Cambridge or IELTS? Which counts for the Romanian bac, how long each is valid and what UK universities ask for. A side-by-side guide, updated 2026.
Choose Cambridge (B2 First or C1 Advanced) if you are a high school student who wants a certificate that replaces the bac English test and does not expire. Choose IELTS if you are applying to a university abroad in the coming months and need a score the course asks for by name. Both exams count for the bac and are accepted by UK universities.
A Cambridge exam (B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency) tests one level, while IELTS is one test for all levels. With Cambridge you choose the level you register for, and the certificate shows whether you reached it. With IELTS you get a score on a scale up to 9, and each university sets the score it wants.
A correction to many older articles: IELTS is not "mainly for immigration". IELTS Academic is built for undergraduate and postgraduate study, while IELTS General Training is the one used for migration and for training below degree level. For university, you take IELTS Academic.
The Cambridge exam names have changed too. The former "Cambridge English: First / Advanced / Proficiency" (FCE, CAE, CPE) are now B2 First, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency.
For a UK university both work, and what decides it is when you apply. Two examples from official pages:
In practice, the rule differs between universities, even for the same certificate. Open the "English language requirements" page for your course before you choose an exam.
In Romania, many universities accept international certificates at admission or graduation, but the lists and thresholds change every year and differ by faculty. Check the admission rules for the year you apply.
A Cambridge certificate does not expire, and an IELTS result is valid for 2 years. For the bac, the equivalence order sets no age limit. For university, the university's rule decides: some want any test from the last two years, Cambridge included.
That changes the timing. A C1 Advanced taken in grade 9 covers the bac, but a university with a two-year rule may not accept it by the time you apply. If the goal is university abroad, sit the exam in grade 11 or 12.
At Pathway English School we prepare students for Cambridge exams online, in small groups of 6–8 students at the same level, with Cambridge-certified lecturers. Parents get a progress report every month. We do not run an IELTS course. To see your child's level today and which Cambridge exam fits, book the free trial lesson.
Most UK universities accept both, but requirements differ from one university to another. If you are applying in the next 12–18 months, either works. If you want one certificate for both the bac and university, Cambridge (B2 First or C1 Advanced) has the advantage that it does not expire.
A Cambridge certificate does not expire. Universities can still ask for recent results: Loughborough, for example, requires tests to be no more than two years old at the start of the course.
IELTS results are officially recognised as valid for 2 years from the test date. Some universities accept slightly longer; Swansea, for example, accepts IELTS Academic for up to two and a half years.
Yes. Order OME 6152/2023, the list in force, includes IELTS: 4–5 for B1, 5.5–6.5 for B2, 7–8 for C1 and 8.5–9 for C2. The Cambridge exams B1 Preliminary, B2 First, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency are on the list too.
It depends on the university and the course. Loughborough asks for IELTS 6.5 (at least 6.0 in each component) or C1 Advanced at grade C/180. Swansea treats a Cambridge score of 176 as equal to IELTS 6.5. Always check the page for the course you apply to.
Updated 22 October 2026.
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