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TOLES Test of Legal English Skills

TOLES Legal English Exam Tips


Legal English UK has been preparing lawyers and law students for the TOLES Test of Legal English Skills for over 15 years. We know how to teach it and we know how to take it. Here are some of our favourite hints and tips.


Why take the TOLES exam?


The TOLES Test of Legal English Skills is a useful examination to take when you would like to determine your level in English for Law. Legal English UK has taught hundreds of lawyers and law students to prepare for the test and these are some tips that our expert teachers found useful.


Legal English UK's Guide to The TOLES Foundation Paper


1. Start to engage with Business English

The exam is about Legal English but it oes also contain questions relating to business and finance so having knowledge in those subjects is going to help. If you have not studied Business English yet, take a look at The Financial Times or The Wall Street Journal as you approach the exam. Search for articles about businesses - anything about corporate earnings, the law and policy changes will be worth reading.


Take a TOLES Preparation Skills Course


2. Take some lessons

The best way to improve at anything is to spend time with an expert coach who can point out those areas that you need to improve on. You can research and read up as much as you like but an expert can answer your questions and provide you with the tools to succeed.


Contact us to start learning TOLES today.


3. Take your register

If you work for an international law firm, you will have to write emails and letters in a relatively formal style. The TOLES exam tests students on this so you should seek out formal and informal letters. Learn from the formal style and copy it out so that you understand how these letters are composed. Look at the informal letters and see what language and grammar you could add to make them more formal. Look at changing the active voice to passive voice, for example.


Take a TOLES Course in London with Legal English UK


4. Learn to understand idioms

Idioms will crop up (appear) in the TOLES Advanced exam so it is vital that you understand how they are used and try and learn a few that relate to the legal and business world. There are several articles available on this subject and you should also try and watch some English language TV to understand how this language is used in every day conversation.


The TOLES Grammar Guide from Amazon


5. Get a friend (who knows nothing about the law)

One exercise may require you to explain contract clauses to a layperson (someone who doesn't know the law). Find a contract on Google and pick out a few clauses from it and then try and explain them to your friend. You can also try writing the explanations down on a piece of paper and have your friend read over them.


Legal English UK runs a range of world-class courses for lawyers, law students and law professionals around the world. To find out more, contact us today

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