Level 3 or Level 6? Your MoJ interpreting checklist
From 5 October 2026, the Ministry of Justice's new language services contracts set 2 qualification standards for spoken-language Interpreters: Level 3 (Community Standard) and Level 6 (Professional Standard). The standard you hold decides which assignments you can take.
Use the checklists below to see where you stand. Each one shows the type of work at that standard, the skills it tests, and the qualification route to reach it. Tick off what you already have; anything left unticked is what you need to work on. The final section covers the other conditions that apply, whichever standard you're aiming for.
LEVEL 3: COMMUNITY STANDARD
Work: predictable, non-specialist assignments across the MoJ and other public services.
Skills tested (oral skills only):
Basic consecutive interpreting
Sight translation out of English
A compulsory introduction to legal interpreting before you're deployed
Qualification route:
The Certificate in Community Interpreting (CCI), Level 3, coming soon from linguisttraining.com with Gatehouse Awards Ltd.
LEVEL 6: PROFESSIONAL STANDARD
Work: courts, complex hearings, the better-paid assignments.
Skills tested (oral and written):
Specialist legal terminology
Consecutive and simultaneous interpreting
Sight translation in both directions
Written translation in both directions
Qualification route:
The DPSI Law, a Degree-level recognised qualification awarded by CIOL. linguisttraining.com/dpsilaw.
ALSO CHECK
Experience: newly qualified, or under 200 hours? Expect pre-professional assignments until you've built the hours.
Qualified outside the UK? You'll need proven equivalence.
No formal qualification exists for your language? CIOL notes that alternative arrangements apply.
Your language level: take our free language-level (CEFR) test at linguisttraining.com/whichcourse.
The full contract specifications aren't public; treat this as the direction of travel and check MoJ and supplier communications.
We provide the course and the exam preparation; CIOL sets and awards the qualification.
START YOUR DPSI LAW COURSE > Compare your enrolment options at linguisttraining.com/dpsilaw.
