Exam
IELTS is moving to computer delivery, with paper retired from mid-2026. What changes, and what to practise now.
The IELTS partners have confirmed that IELTS is no longer offered as a paper-based test from mid-2026, with all tests delivered on computer. A Writing on Paper option is being introduced in selected locations, where listening and reading are still on screen and only the writing paper is handwritten.
Nothing changes about the questions, the marking, the band scale or how long your result is valid. What changes is the surface you work on, and that is enough to cost marks if the first time you meet it is on test day.
What changes
Six practical differences, none of them about difficulty.
You type answers straight in as you hear them, then get two minutes at the end to check. The ten minute transfer belonged to the paper test and does not exist here.
Reading never gave you extra time at the end and still does not. The difference is that highlighting and note taking now happen with a mouse.
You no longer estimate length by counting lines. The count is on screen, which removes a real source of anxiety and a common cause of underlength answers.
The writing screen counts words. It does not correct them, and it does not underline anything. Spelling and typing errors are yours to catch.
Moving a sentence, fixing a paragraph or restructuring an argument is far easier than it was on paper. Candidates who plan tend to gain the most from this.
Speaking is still face to face with an examiner at the test centre, with paper and a pencil for your Part 2 notes. It is not affected by the move.
Method
Five things worth doing before you book.
Printed practice tests build the wrong habits. Do your practice in the format you will sit.
Handwriting speed and typing speed are different, and forty minutes for Task 2 is unforgiving if you type slowly. Find out where you are now.
Computer-delivered reading lets you highlight and make notes on the text. It is useful, and it is slower if you meet it for the first time under exam conditions.
Typing three words into a two word gap is just as wrong as writing them. The rule has not changed.
Availability of Writing on Paper varies by market, and so does the timing of the change. The centre you would book with is the only reliable source.
No. Same questions, same marking, same band scale. The difference is the interface, not the difficulty.
No. That belonged to the paper test. On computer you type answers as you go and get two minutes at the end to check.
An option in selected locations that lets you handwrite the writing paper while listening and reading stay on screen. Availability varies by market.
Yes. Results already issued are unaffected and remain valid for the standard two years.
No. Speaking remains a face to face interview with an examiner.
Full membership
Everything on this site is free, and it will take you a long way. What it cannot do is tell you whether your writing and speaking are where they need to be.
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.
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