IELTS
Choosing the module, the format and the date, and what to take with you. Plus when not to book yet.
Knowing how to book your IELTS test is straightforward. Deciding when to book is the part worth thinking about, because the commonest expensive mistake is booking before you are ready and paying twice.
You book directly with a test centre or through the official websites of the organisations that run IELTS. There is no separate application, and the fee is paid at the time of booking.
Before you book
Four decisions, and two of them cost money if you get them wrong.
Academic for university and professional registration, General Training for migration and work. Ask the organisation you are applying to, because they decide, not the test centre.
Paper or computer. The questions and marking are identical. Computer gives results in three to five days rather than thirteen, and has far more available dates.
For a UK visa you need IELTS for UKVI, taken at an approved centre. A standard result cannot be used, whatever the score, so check this before you pay.
Leave enough time to resit if you need to. Results take up to thirteen days on paper, and many applications have deadlines that do not move.
Find the exact requirement first, including whether there is a minimum in each skill. Preparing for 6.0 and 7.5 are different jobs with different timescales.
Sit a full practice test under time. If you are more than about a band below your target, more preparation is cheaper than a second test fee.
Method
Six practical points.
Search for an official test centre in your country. There is no advantage to a third-party booking service and some charge more.
The name you book under must match your identity document exactly. Getting this wrong causes real problems on the day and afterwards.
Normally your passport, and it must be the same document, not a different one with the same name. No ID means no test and no refund.
A pen, pencil and eraser, and a clear bottle of water with the label removed. Phones, watches and bags go outside the room.
Registration includes a photograph and identity check, and centres are strict about late arrival. Latecomers are usually refused entry.
It may be on a different day from the other three papers, sometimes a week either side. Confirm it when you book rather than assuming.
Practice
Five decisions about booking.
Which module, which version, which format, which date.
Get the first two from the organisation you are applying to, before you look at any dates.
1You are applying for a UK student visa. Which version do you book?
IELTS for UKVI Academic. The Home Office requires a Secure English Language Test, so a standard result cannot be used however high the score.
2What identification do you take on the day?
The same document you booked with, normally your passport. A different document with the same name is not accepted, and there is no refund.
3Which format gives results faster?
Computer. Three to five days against thirteen for paper. The questions and marking are identical in both.
4Your practice tests suggest 5.5 and you need 7.0. Should you book?
Prepare first. That is a gap of a band and a half, which takes months rather than weeks. A second test fee costs more than the delay.
5What can you take into the exam room?
Pen, pencil, eraser and water. Phones and watches must be left outside, and having one on you can invalidate your result.
Sit a full practice test under time first. It will not give you a band for writing or speaking, but it will tell you whether you are close to your target or a long way from it.
The complete IELTS course on IELTStestONLINE has video lessons on every question type, many more exercises like this one, and your own support tutor you can ask when an answer does not make sense. Take a look at the complete course
Booking is administration. Knowing whether you are ready is the decision that actually costs money.
IELTStestONLINE keeps every score you get in one place, gives you an estimated band as you work, and assesses your writing and speaking against the four criteria so you can see where you stand before test day. See what full membership includes
Book directly with an official test centre in your country, choosing the module, the format and the date. The fee is paid at the time of booking.
Normally a passport, and it must be the same document you booked with. A different document, even with the same name, is not accepted on the day.
Far enough ahead to resit if you need to. Paper results take up to thirteen days, and computer results three to five, so allow for that against your deadline.
Usually, for a fee and within a set period before the test. Rules vary by centre, so check the terms before you book rather than afterwards.
A pen, pencil, eraser and a clear bottle of water with the label removed. Phones and watches must be left outside, and carrying one can invalidate your result.
Full membership
A second test fee costs more than a month of preparation. Knowing what band your writing and speaking would currently receive is what tells you which of those you need.
IELTStestONLINE assesses your writing and speaking against the four IELTS criteria, instantly and as often as you like, using a system built by a former IELTS examiner and examiner trainer. It keeps every score in one place with an estimated band, and it carries no advertising.
See what membership includes