Why take the IELTS test?

IELTS is accepted by educational institutions in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and increasingly in Canada, the USA, and other countries, as evidence of the language skills necessary for entry to university or college courses. Many other organisations around the world use IELTS scores for a range of purposes - for example immigration, recruitment and entry to training courses.

What are the types of IELTS?

There is only one type of IELTS test, but you can choose Academic or General Training Reading and Writing Modules. Academic if you are planing to undertake higher education in the UK, Australia, New Zealand or North America, or General Training if you are considering non-training or work experience or planning to emigrate.

What does the IELTS consist of?

IELTS is made of four parts:

Listening approximately 30 minutes
Reading one hour
Writing one hour
Speaking 11 - 14 minutes

How is the test marked?

IELTS is marked locally by trained examiners. The scores are recorded on a Test Report Form, showing overall ability as well as performance in listening, reading, writing and speaking. There are nine bands ranging from 'Band 1' ('an absolute beginner') to 'Band 9' ('an expert-user').
From 1 July 2007, the scores for each part of the test will still be reported on the scale from 1 to 9, but now the Writing and Speaking tests will be reported in whole or half bands in the same way as the Reading and Listening tests.
IELTS scores are valid for two years.

How will I get the test results?

Your results will be released on the 13th calendar day after the test day. You should collect your Test Report Form (TRF) in person. The TRF can also be sent to up to five institutions free of charge provided that you indicate the contact details of receiving institutions on your application form before or on the test date.

How to obtain additional Test Report Forms?

Candidates can apply for additional IELTS Test Report Forms (TRFs) to be sent direct to Receiving Organizations for the two year period in their results remain valid. This service is provided by Cambridge ESOL Examinations.

Please note that Cambridge ESOL is not able to provide replacement copies of TRFs to candidates, nor will they send TRFs to individuals, residential addresses or agents. If you require your TRF to be sent to support a visa application to another country, Cambridge ESOL will only send direct to the immigration authorities that are registered with the Global Recognition System at www.ielts.org.

Candidates wishing to apply should download and accurately complete all parts of the application form. You will need to scan the completed form and send it by email to Cambridge ESOL Application Support esolitqa@cambridgeesol.org.