This is WSET's Coronavirus updates page. As the situation with COVID-19 is constantly evolving we will be updating this page regularly with information regarding the impact of Coronavirus on the delivery of WSET courses and qualifications. Please keep visiting to find guidance for students and course providers.
Update: 15 March 2021
We are excited to announce that WSET School London will be making a phased return to in-person courses from April 2021.
If you've been waiting to sign up, WSET courses at all levels across wines, spirits and sake are available to book now, with weekday, evening, Saturday and online study options to choose from. WSET School London's events programme will be staying online for now. Click here to see what's coming up.
Update: 5 January 2021
Last night the UK was placed into national lockdown for the third time. We have had to close our WSET School London from today but our London head office will remain open to allow for essential exam processing. Our first priority is to continue to support our course providers and students while adhering to government guidance and ensuring the wellbeing and safety of the WSET team. We are currently looking at ways to minimise the impact of the latest restrictions on our service to course providers and students. We will keep you updated.
Students should contact their local WSET course provider for updates as local circumstances vary greatly. If you're new to WSET, visit our Where to Study page to find your course provider.
Update: 5 November 2020
Starting from today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a second lockdown for England. Although the majority of WSET staff based in our UK offices are working from home, those members of our team essential in the delivery of our examinations and results will still be going into the office, but we will be managing the total numbers of staff present in the office at any one time and taking all steps possible to ensure their safety
In line with government guidelines, we have made the decision that WSET School London will remain open, to see all of the measures we have introduced for the health and wellbeing for students, click here - COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan. WSET School London will work with any students presently booked onto a course to make sure they feel safe and will try to accommodate any requests to cancel or amend bookings.
Update 28 September 2020
Over recent weeks the UK government has introduced further restrictions relating to social gatherings. WSET School London is not affected by these new restrictions as it is seen as a centre for adult education. Please be assured that, unless further restrictions are put in place, WSET School London's upcoming courses will go ahead as planned with social distancing in place and under careful health and safety protocols.
Update: 14 July 2020
We are delighted to announce that, as the next step on our digital journey, we will be making all our textbooks and study guides available in an eBook format over the course of the 2020-21 academic year. The first eBooks in English for Levels 1 - 4 in Wines, Spirits and Sake will be launched on Monday 20th July.
You can read more about our eBooks here. Please contact your preferred course provider to find out about local availability.
Update: 2 July 2020
We are pleased to confirm that WSET School London will be reopening for classroom courses from Monday 6 July. More details about the school's reopening plans are available here.
Update: 9 June 2020
For all Level 4 Diploma in Wines students
We are pleased to announce that we will be offering an extra D3 (Wines of the World) exam in January 2021. This will be scheduled for Thursday 21st (theory) and Friday 22nd (tasting) January 2021. Please note that the timeframes involved for results issue and registration mean that students taking the D3 exam in October 2020 will not be able to resit in January 2021, and students taking the D3 exam in January 2021 will not be able to resit in May 2021. Please contact your course provider for more details.
A list of all current scheduled Level 4 Diploma in Wines exams is available here.
Update: 28 May 2020
We are pleased to announce that the Level 4 Diploma in Wines Unit D2 exam (wine business) will now take place on June 9th 2020 in markets where local government guidance allows. Please contact your local course provider to check if they are able to run this exam.
Update: 22 May 2020
We are excited to announce that we are introducing remotely invigilated online exams in English, for our online Level 1 Awards in Wines, Spirits and Sake and Level 2 Awards in Wines and Spirits, from 1st June. You can read more about our online exams here. Please contact your preferred course provider to find out about local availability.
Update: 4 May 2020
We hope that you are staying safe and strong.
Here at WSET, we have been working hard to ensure that as many of you as possible have the opportunity to begin - or continue - your WSET journey online. More and more of our course providers are now offering WSET courses online.
We will have more updates for you soon!
Update: 20 April 2020
The health and well-being of our WSET family of students and educators across the world is of the utmost importance to us, and our sympathies are with everyone affected by and worried about COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
We are working closely with our course providers to ensure that students are not disadvantaged in any way by the current crisis. Due to restrictions in place to prevent the spread of the virus, many of our course providers around the world have taken the decision to close for a period of time. Our WSET School London is now closed until 1st June and all of its classroom courses, tastings, events and exams scheduled to take place until this time will be rescheduled/postponed.
We are working with our global course providers to increase the availability and accessibility of our online educational programmes during this time. Please contact your local course provider for more information.
If you are a WSET Level 1-3 student (in wines, spirits or sake) and you cannot sit an exam as a result of COVID-19 (either because of travel restrictions, illness or because your course provider has cancelled the exam), then it can be rescheduled.
If you are a WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines student:
- We are sorry to announce that the decision has been made not to run the May D3 examinations in any locations. Our sincere apologies go to all candidates affected. If you are unable to take your D3 exams in May as planned then the next scheduled dates are in October 2020.
- WSET has also just taken the decision not to run any scheduled Diploma in Wines examinations in June 2020. This extends to Units D2, D4 and D5, all scheduled German-language examinations, and all scheduled/proposed Unit 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits examinations.
We ask you to contact your local WSET course provider for updates about what is happening in your market, as local circumstances vary greatly. Our sincere apologies go to all those candidates affected.
Please be assured that we will be as flexible as possible in order to help you during this challenging period. Our WSET teams across the world are still working, albeit remotely, and can be contacted as usual. We are grateful for your patience and understanding at this time, and we apologise for any inconvenience to you.
WSET is one very big family and we are here to support you through this crisis every step of the way. If you have any queries or concerns that your course provider cannot answer, we are here to help!
Helpful links:
If you do need to get in touch with WSET:
WSET Global student enquiries: customerservice@WSETglobal.com
APP enquiries: please contact your usual Business Development Manager
WSET School London queries: Please fill in the online form here wset-school-london/contact