A communications system communicating data to/from a communications terminal includes infrastructure equipment forming a mobile communications network to transmit/receive data to/from the communications terminal via a wireless access interface, the communications terminal configured to transmit/receive data to/from the infrastructure equipment. The communications terminal can receive transmission data to the infrastructure equipment at a buffer, transmit a resource request message requesting resources of the wireless access interface to the infrastructure equipment in response to receiving the data for transmission to the infrastructure equipment, and receive a resource allocation message from the infrastructure equipment. The resource allocation message allocates resources of the wireless access interface to the communications terminal. A characteristic of the resource request message transmitted by the communications terminal to the infrastructure equipment provides an indication of one of a predetermined set of transmission priority levels for transmitting the buffered data to the infrastructure equipment.