IELTS takes

you places

takeielts.org
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 What is
IELTS?
IELTS is an English test that assesses
your listening, reading, writing and
speaking skills.
IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council,
IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge
Assessment English.
It helps you develop the kind of English you will
need in everyday life whether you are at college,
at work or talking to friends.
There are two test types:
IELTS Academic is for higher education
or professional training.
IELTS General Training is for secondary
education, migration, work or training.
The test is made up of:

If you are thinking of Listening

studying, working or living in

an English-speaking country, Academic General Training
IELTS is the test for you – Reading Reading

it is the world’s most popular

English language test
for higher education and Academic
Writing
General Training
Writing
global migration.

Speaking
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 Who accepts
IELTS? +10,000
organisations globally
accept IELTS

Over 10,000 organisations globally accept See the full list

IELTS. As the most popular test for higher For a full list of universities and
education and working abroad, it gives you organisations that will accept your
a huge number of options. IELTS score, visit takeielts.org

United Kingdom Australia

IELTS is accepted by UK Over 1,000 organisations
Visas and Immigration. in Australia accept IELTS,
including the Department
of Immigration and
Border Protection.

United States Canada

Over 3,400 institutions in IELTS is accepted by
the USA accept IELTS. Immigration, Refugee and
Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
and by over 350 institutions.

New Zealand Globally recognised

“The worldwide
Immigration New Zealand
accepts IELTS along with
IELTS is recognised in Germany,
Malaysia, Netherlands and many
availability of
several other organisations. other countries around the globe.
IELTS makes it an
attractive option.”
London School of Economics, UK

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 “The people and the Who are we?
officials of the British
Council were very
friendly and supportive
throughout the session The British Council is the UK’s international
organisation for cultural relations and
Top five reasons for taking IELTS with the British Council:

and they made sure that educational opportunities.

1
We build connections, understanding and trust
no candidate faces any between people in the UK and other countries through
arts and culture, education and the English language.
Road to IELTS
Register to take IELTS with the

problem during the test.”

British Council and get free access
We help young people to gain the skills, confidence to our online preparation course.
and connections they are looking for to realise their
potential and to participate in strong and inclusive
Salman Rafique, Glasgow communities. We support them to learn English, to get
a high-quality education and to gain internationally
recognised qualifications. Our work in arts and culture Preparation materials

2
stimulates creative expression and exchange and Access free practice tests and
nurtures creative enterprise. preparation materials online at
takeielts.org/prepare or order a copy
of the IELTS Practice book – a printed
book containing sample tests for IELTS
Academic and General Training.

3
Dates and locations
Choose from more than 800 test
centres globally, so the date and
location are convenient for you.

4
Test Report Form
Get five Test Report Forms
free of charge to send to the
institutions you are applying to.

5
Booking your test is easy
Book online by going to takeielts.org
or by visiting a British Council test
centre. Our friendly staff will help
you every step of the way.

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 Applying to study,
work or live in the UK?
If you are planning to study, work or live Applying for Student Route Visa (Tier 4)? Which IELTS test do you need to study in the UK?
in the UK, you may need to take a specific If you are applying to a university that is a Tier 4
kind of IELTS test to prove your English Sponsor to study for a bachelor or postgraduate
language ability. degree, you must meet the English language
level set by that institution. Almost all British
For visa applications, the UK Home Office has
an approved list of Secure English Language
universities and colleges accept IELTS results. Life Study Work
Tests – this includes IELTS, IELTS for UKVI and To see the list of universities that Student Route
IELTS Life Skills. Visa (Tier 4) applicants can apply to, visit
gov.uk/student-visa Visa application Direct entry to Non-higher Professional
To find out whether you need to take an
approved test, what level you need to achieve (only when required) an Undergraduate of education institution registration
and which test you must use, you can use the Postgraduate course or or Pre-sessional or
chart below and also go to the UK Visas and at HEI/Tier 4 Sponsor foundation course
Immigration site at gov.uk/check-uk-visa (Student Route Visa) (below degree level)

UK Non-UK Non-UK UK

For a family of a
settled person’s visa,
for indefinite leave to
remain or citizenship

IELTS IELTS IELTS

Life IELTS for or Life
Skills UKVI Skills

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 About IELTS for Answering your
UKVI and IELTS questions about IELTS
Life Skills and your UK Visas and
Immigration application
IELTS for UKVI IELTS Life Skills Q Where and when can I take my test for my Q If I take an IELTS test for UK visa
IELTS for UKVI is a government-approved English IELTS Life Skills is used for specific types of UK Visas and Immigration application? purposes, can I use my result in other
language test that can be used in support of a UK applications – a ‘family of a settled person’ countries/for other purposes?
visa, an ‘indefinite leave to remain’ visa and
A Tests are available throughout the world,
Visa and Immigration application. A Yes, IELTS test results are accepted by
for citizenship. in locations specified by UK Visas and
As with IELTS, there are two types of Immigration (UKVI). See the list of dates and more than 10,000 organisations worldwide,
IELTS for UKVI – UKVI Academic and UKVI It is a test of Speaking and Listening available locations at takeielts.britishcouncil.org/ including colleges, universities, governments
General Training. at CEFR Levels A1, A2 and B1. take-ielts/book or ielts.org/testcentres and employers.

You must confirm at the time of registration

that you wish to use your test result for a UK Q When will I get my results?
The purpose of each test
visa application. You must sit the test in an A Test results for computer-delivered
IELTS Life Skills A1 ‘IELTS for UKVI’ test session, as UKVI will IELTS are available within 3-5 days
For those applying to UK Visas and Immigration not accept results from all IELTS tests offered of your test.
for a ‘family of a settled person’ visa. at these locations.
Test results for paper-based IELTS are
IELTS Life Skills A2
available within 13 days of your test.
For those applying to UK Visas and Immigration for Q How often are the IELTS for UKVI and
an extension to a family, spouse or partner visa. IELTS Life Skills tests available? Test results for IELTS for UKVI are
available within 13 days of your test.
IELTS Life Skills B1 A Test dates will be available within 28 days
For those applying to UK Visas and Immigration at permanent locations and quarterly at Test results for IELTS Life Skills are
for indefinite leave to remain or citizenship. pop-up locations. available within 7 days of your test.
For more information visit takeielts.
britishcouncil.org/take-ielts/which-ielts- Q How is my IELTS test different if I am Q How often can I retake my test?
test/ukvi/life-skills taking it for UK visa purposes? A For IELTS and IELTS for UKVI, there are
A Separate sessions will be held for UKVI no restrictions on re-taking your test.
applicants. You must ensure you register for For IELTS Life Skills, if you pass the test you
an ‘IELTS for UKVI’ test date at the locations cannot retake it at the same level for a period
listed at takeielts.britishcouncil.org/take- of two years. If you do not pass it, there are no
ielts/book or ielts.org/testcentres restrictions on retaking the test.
The IELTS test for UK visa purposes is
“IELTS for UKVI designed to meet certain administrative
got me back to requirements that are specific to UK Visas
and Immigration. Test Report Forms will be
really focussing slightly different, to show that test takers have
on the essential taken the test at an IELTS UK visa session.
skills – Listening, There are no differences in the test format or
Reading, Writing questions. The actual test taken is the same
and Speaking.” – same content, examiners, format, level of
difficulty, scoring and so on.

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 Ready to book
your IELTS test?

What is the format of the IELTS How is IELTS Life Skills assessed?
Book Book in
Q Q
Life Skills test? A A certified IELTS Examiner will assess your
A You take the test with another test taker and
one Examiner. Your own performance on
performance throughout the Speaking and
Listening test based on the following criteria:
online person
both Speaking and Listening will be assessed
• Obtaining information
during this one session. Go to takeielts.org to At your nearest
• Conveying information
find your nearest test test centre. Go to
Q Why does IELTS Life Skills only cover • Speaking to communicate
Speaking and Listening? centre and choose a takeielts.org to
• Engaging in discussion
A The new test has been designed to meet convenient date. find your nearest
The performance of the other test taker
specific immigration requirements where
paired with you in the IELTS Life Skills test centre.
applicants only need to demonstrate
test does not affect the assessment of
Speaking and Listening skills.
your own performance.

Q How long does the IELTS Life Skills Q How many copies of the Test Report
test take?
Form will I get?
A IELTS Life Skills A1 takes 16-18 minutes, A You will receive one copy of the IELTS
A2 20 minutes and B1 22 minutes.
Life Skills Test Report Form.

Q Is there any break between the Speaking

and Listening sections?
A No, you will be assessed on your Speaking
and Listening skills at the same time.

Remember there are two IELTS tests – Checking which test is right for you
IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training If you are applying to an organisation or institution,
– so make sure you check which one is right go to their website or search for them in the
for you before booking. ‘Organisations that recognise IELTS’ section
of takeielts.org to check their requirements.
If you are emigrating to another country, contact
its immigration authority to find out which IELTS
test and score you need.

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 Getting ready
for your test
There are lots of ways to prepare for your
test and understand how it works – from
online courses and apps to face-to-face
classes at British Council.

Online Other Face-to-face

Apps
Learning resources learning
IELTS Prep App Road to IELTS Online practice tests Our IELTS preparation courses are carefully
This app gives you instant access to free When you book with us, you get free unlimited Get to know the IELTS test format and types structured and specifically designed to help
practice tests, grammar tips, exercises, access to Road to IELTS Last Minute course. of tasks you will be asked to undertake with you prepare for IELTS.
and quizzes. You’ll also find sample questions This includes nine videos giving advice and these free practice tests.
Contact your nearest British Council centre
for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, tutorials, 75 interactive activities and six practice
Visit takeielts.org/prepare for more details.
as well as vocabulary practice. test papers.
Practice book For more advice on taking your IELTS test,
Word Power App Visit takeielts.org/prepare
This printed book includes sample tests for visit takeielts.org/prepare
Build your vocabulary with over 100 questions
LearnEnglish website the Academic and General Training tests
to test your word skills.
High-quality videos and podcasts, along as well as test tips.
LearnEnglish Audio & Video with interactive exercises to help you improve
Contact your test centre to order.
Watch the most popular British Council your English.
content and follow the script to improve
Get started by testing your skill level at
your listening skills.
learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/content
Download from App Store or Google Play.
The MOOCs ‘Understanding IELTS’
These are free online three-week courses
covering the four sections of the test and
featuring videos, test samples and quizzes.
Visit takeielts.org/mooc
IELTS WordReady
Personalised vocabulary learning to help
you prepare for IELTS Academic.
Visit takeielts.org/prepare
Facebook
Follow the Take IELTS Official page
on Facebook to take part in our weekly “IELTS gave me
‘Ask the IELTS Expert’ sessions.
more confidence
Visit facebook.com/TakeIELTSOfficial when applying for
university.”
Tang Shaonan, Shanghai, China

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 Choose how you
take your IELTS test
You can choose either computer-delivered
or paper-based IELTS for your Academic or
General Training test. The only difference
is for the Listening, Reading and Writing
sections of your test, you can either type or
write your answers. The choice is yours.
The Speaking test is the same for both tests
and is done face-to-face with a qualified
IELTS Examiner.

More choice, same trusted test

Whichever route you choose, everything else Timings will be slightly different for the Listening
is exactly the same – from the test content, test. For paper-based IELTS you will need to
scoring system and Report Form to the security transfer your answers to an answer sheet. With
measures that make IELTS the world’s trusted computer-delivered IELTS you will answer direct
English language test. There is also an extensive on to the computer.
range of preparation materials available to help
you prepare for your test.

Computer-delivered IELTS Paper-based IELTS

Your preparation The same

The test content The same

How your test is scored The same

Our security measures The same

Your Test Report Form The same

You’ll type your answers on a You’ll write your answers

The Listening, Reading & Writing sections
computer in a dedicated lab on paper in a test room

The Speaking section The same

Your results Within 3-5 days 13 days after your test

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 Your test
results
When do I receive my test score?
• Between 3-5 days if taking
computer-delivered IELTS
• Within 13 days if taking paper-based IELTS
• Within 7 days if taking IELTS Life Skills
How do the IELTS Academic and
IELTS General Training scores work?
You will be given a score from 1 to 9 for each
section of the test – Listening, Reading, Writing
and Speaking. The average of those scores
gives you your ‘band score’. A sample Test
Report Form is to the right.
Find out more at takeielts.britishcouncil.org/
teach-ielts/test-information/scores-explained
Send your results to up to five
universities for free
Visit takeielts.britishcouncil.org/teach-ielts/
test-information/results for more details.
How does the IELTS Life Skills score work?
You will be awarded either a pass or a fail.
If you fail, your test cannot be used for your
visa application.
Can I apply for a re-mark?
If you are unhappy with your test results, you can
apply for your test to be remarked. This is called
an Enquiry on Results.
You have up to six weeks after the test to make
the request and can choose which section
of the test you would like to be marked again.
The re-mark fee will be refunded if your score
is increased. Contact your test centre to apply.

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 youtube.com/BCIELTS

facebook.com/takeieltsofficial

twitter.com/takeielts

opportunitiesabroad.org

linkedin.com/showcase/british-council-ielts

instagram.com/takeieltsofficial

Useful links:
takeielts.org
ielts.org
britishcouncil.org
learnenglish.britishcouncil.org

takeielts.org British Council is a proud co-owner of IELTS.

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