Online British Sign Language course for beginners
Introducing British Sign Language is a 20-hour self-study course across ten sections. Pay what you can, from £5, and start today.
- One-time payment. No subscription, no auto-renewal, ever.
- Pay What You Can, from £5 (regular price £30)
- Fast enrolment. Card payments usually make your enrolment dashboard available within a few minutes. Organisation orders become available once payment is received.
- Certificate of completion with a unique verification code
Who will be learning?
Enrolling for yourself or for others? Every learner gets their own login and progress record, and can earn a certificate of completion.
Pay What You Can. One-time payment.
The course content and certificate of completion are the same whatever you pay. Paying more, if you can, helps keep the course affordable for everyone.
Pay what the course is worth to you.
- Enrolment available within a few minutes when paying by card.
What every enrolment includes
Identical for every learner, no matter what they pay.
- 10 self-study sections, designed to take around 20 hours in total
- Video clips of each sign and phrase, replayable at half speed
- Introductory vocabulary for education, healthcare, retail, transport and home settings
- End-of-section assessments you can retake for free (85% to pass)
- Certificate of completion, with a unique verification code
- Two years’ access to all ten sections and assessments, from the day you first log in.
Need the optional Windows CD-ROM?A separate physical extra – not included with standard enrolment. The online course works on current desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile browsers without it.
A physical CD-ROM with over 1,700 video clips, fingerspelling practice and a matching game. Usually posted within two working days of payment. The online course is unaffected and works on current desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile browsers, with or without this add-on.
Used by individual learners and teams working in organisations including the NHS, BBC, councils and UK universities.
What learners said
Reviews from people who’ve taken the course.
It was great
I loved how interactive it was and how you could repeat the assignments
BSL
Brilliant course. Easy to do. Easy to navigate too.
basic sign language
I’m going deaf, so needed to learn quickly. This course was fantastic, a lot better than a few I’ve seen. Highly recommend this one.
What happens after you check out
Pay once, receive your dashboard link, then add the learner’s details. Most purchasers can add their learner and get them into the course within a few minutes.
The purchaser manages the enrolment dashboard. Each learner gets their own course login, progress record and certificate.
- 1Pay at checkout
Card payments are processed straight away, and access is usually available within a few minutes. If you choose invoice, your enrolment unlocks as soon as the bank transfer clears with us (usually a day or two).
- 2Get your dashboard email
We’ll email your dashboard link shortly after payment, from
course@learnbritishsignlanguage.co.uk(the address used by our course platform). It links to your enrolment dashboard. If you lose the email, you can request another link. - 3Add your learner
Enter the learner’s name and email on your dashboard. That can be you or someone else – for example, you can buy a course as a gift in another person’s name without paying again.
- 4Log in and start
Once you add a learner’s details, their username and password are emailed to them straight away. The two-year access window starts the day they first log in, so there’s no pressure to start straight away.
What you'll learn
Ten self-study sections, around 20 hours in total. Each section has clear video clips and an end-of-section assessment you can retake for free.
- 01Fingerspelling & Numbers 1–10
- 02Numbers 11–100, Colours & Help
- 03Greetings & Facial Expressions
- 04Animals, Home & Clothing
- 05Family & Descriptions
- 06Hobbies, Likes & Dislikes
- 07Time, Tenses, Days & Months
- 08Food, Drink & Money
- 09Emotions & Conversation
- 10Final Assessment
Before you enrol
Quick answers to the questions everyone asks.
Is this a subscription?
No. It is a single one-time payment. Nothing renews and there are no automatic future charges.
Read the full answer in the help centreIs this really Pay What You Can?
Yes. £5 is the minimum, £30 is the regular price. Pay what the course is worth to you. You get exactly the same course and the same certificate of completion, whatever you pay. Paying more helps us continue offering the course to people who can only afford the minimum.
Read the full answer in the help centreHow long do I have access?
Two full years from the day you first log in. You can come back at any point in those two years to refresh your skills.
Read the full answer in the help centreWhat if I don’t pass an assessment?
You retake it. Assessments are free and unlimited. You can retake each one as many times as needed. The pass mark is 85% for each section and the final assessment.
Read the full answer in the help centreWhat do the assessments test?
The assessments check the learner’s understanding and recognition of the material covered in each section. They do not involve a tutor observing or grading the learner’s own signing, and the certificate is a certificate of course completion rather than a regulated BSL qualification.
Is the certificate genuinely CPD-certified?
Yes. The course has been assessed and certified by The CPD Certification Service. Each certificate carries a unique verification code your employer’s HR team can check online. The course is logged at 20 CPD hours.
Read the full answer in the help centreCan I enrol my team in one go?
Yes. Enter the number of seats you need at the top of this page. Each learner gets their own login, progress and a certificate of completion, and you get a single dashboard to track them. Pay by debit or credit card. Organisations can also choose invoice at checkout, provide a purchase order where required, and pay by bank transfer; a VAT invoice is generated automatically.
Read the full answer in the help centreIs this a Signature BSL Level 1 qualification?
No. This is an introductory self-study course and is not a Signature qualification. It can help you build basic vocabulary and confidence before joining a tutor-led Level 1 course, or provide additional revision, but it does not replace formal Level 1 teaching or assessment.
Read the full answer in the help centreCan I use this towards my Duke of Edinburgh Award?
Yes – the course can count towards the Skills section of a Bronze or Silver DofE (regular study over about three months), subject to approval by your DofE Leader. You don’t need to finish every section; when you’re ready, we prepare and submit your assessor report to eDofE for you.
How to use the course for your DofE AwardCan I gift this to someone?
Yes. You buy the course as normal, then create a printable or emailable gift voucher for the recipient from your enrolments dashboard – nothing separate to order. Good for birthdays, Christmas, retirement, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
See how gift vouchers workWhen will my enrolment be ready, and when does the two-year period begin?
Card payments usually make your enrolment dashboard available within a few minutes. If you pay by invoice and bank transfer, it becomes available once your payment has cleared. The learner’s two-year course access period does not begin until they first log in.
Read the full answer in the help centreHow do I manage my enrolments after I’ve paid?
Everything is in your enrolments dashboard. From there you can see each seat, send or resend learners their login, track who has started and finished, and download certificates. Learners sign in separately through the course login.
Go to your enrolments dashboardWhat payment methods can I use?
Pay by debit or credit card for immediate access. Organisations can choose invoice at checkout and provide a purchase order where required; payment can then be made by bank transfer. A VAT invoice is generated automatically.
Read the full answer in the help centre