Key Facts
| Results timing, IELTS on computer | Results for IELTS on computer are available 1–5 days after test completion |
|---|---|
| Results timing, IELTS Online | Test results are available 6–8 days after taking the test |
| Results timing, IELTS for UKVI Life Skills | Results within 9 days |
| IELTS score validity for visa applications | Awarded in the two years before the date of application |
| IELTS Online minimum age | 18 and above |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, is an English language proficiency test that assesses Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking and reports results on a nine-band scale. It is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and is used to support applications for university study, professional registration, work, migration and UK visas.
A candidate chooses between two versions before booking: IELTS Academic, usually required for university entry and professional registration, and IELTS General Training, usually required for work, training below degree level or migration. Separate UKVI versions exist specifically for UK visa and immigration applications, including a Life Skills test that covers only speaking and listening.
What does IELTS stand for and who runs it?
IELTS stands for the International English Language Testing System. The test is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, three organisations that between them write the test materials, train and monitor examiners, and deliver the test through test centres worldwide. A candidate books and sits the test through a British Council or IDP test centre depending on location, while Cambridge University Press & Assessment develops the content and marking standards applied across all centres.
What is the difference between IELTS Academic and General Training?
IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training share the same Listening and Speaking papers but differ in Reading and Writing, and the choice between them depends on why the candidate needs the result. IELTS Academic suits a candidate applying to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, or seeking professional registration, for example as a doctor or nurse; its Reading paper uses academic-style texts and its Writing Task 1 asks for a description of a chart, graph, table or diagram.
General Training suits a candidate planning to migrate to an English-speaking country such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the UK, or to train or study below degree level; its Reading paper draws on everyday texts such as notices and workplace documents, and its Writing Task 1 is a letter. Because the organisation receiving the result sets the requirement, a candidate should always confirm with the university, employer or authority concerned which version it expects before booking a test date.
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Enquire about this tutorWhat is IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills?
IELTS for UKVI is a Secure English Language Test accepted by UK Visas and Immigration as proof of English for living, working or studying in the UK, and it must be taken at a test centre approved for UKVI purposes because of the extra security checks the Home Office requires. It has the same content, format and difficulty as the standard Academic or General Training test, with differences confined to the test centre and administration.
IELTS Life Skills is a separate test for a candidate who only needs to prove speaking and listening ability for a UK visa application, since it does not test Reading or Writing. It is taken with an examiner and one other candidate and is offered at three levels on the Common European Framework of Reference: A1, for a person applying as the family member of someone settled in the UK; A2, for an extension of that family visa; and B1, for indefinite leave to remain or British citizenship. A candidate must confirm at the time of booking that the result is for a UK visa application and sit the test in a session designated IELTS for UKVI, since UKVI will not accept results from an ordinary session.
How is the IELTS test structured?
IELTS is structured as four papers, Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, taken in that order with Listening, Reading and Writing completed back to back with no break; the whole test takes 2 hours and 45 minutes. Speaking may be scheduled for the same day or for a date up to seven days before or after the other three papers, depending on the test centre.
Listening lasts approximately 30 minutes and has four recorded sections of 40 questions in total, moving from everyday conversations to monologues on academic or training topics; recordings are played once only. Reading lasts 60 minutes, including time to transfer answers, and also carries 40 questions, drawn from three sections of academic texts in the Academic version or from a wider set of everyday and workplace texts in General Training. Writing lasts 60 minutes and has two tasks: Task 1 asks for a description of visual information (Academic) or a letter (General Training) in at least 150 words, and Task 2 asks for an essay of at least 250 words responding to an argument, problem or opinion, carrying more weight in the mark than Task 1. Speaking lasts 11 to 14 minutes and is a face-to-face interview with an examiner in three parts: short questions on familiar topics, a two-minute talk from a task card after one minute of preparation, and a discussion of more abstract questions linked to that topic.
- Listening: about 30 minutes, 40 questions, four recorded parts
- Reading: 60 minutes, 40 questions, three sections
- Writing: 60 minutes, two tasks
- Speaking: 11 to 14 minutes, three parts, face to face with an examiner
| Paper | Time allowed | Number of questions or tasks | What it tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | Approximately 30 minutes | 40 questions | Understanding of recorded conversations and monologues across four parts, covering everyday and academic or training situations |
| Reading | 60 minutes | 40 questions | Understanding of written texts across three sections; academic texts for IELTS Academic, everyday and workplace texts for General Training |
| Writing | 60 minutes | 2 tasks | Task 1: description of visual information or a letter, at least 150 words; Task 2: an essay responding to an argument, problem or opinion, at least 250 words |
| Speaking | 11 to 14 minutes | 3 parts | Spoken English in a face-to-face interview, covering familiar topics, a short talk from a task card, and a discussion of related, more abstract questions |
How is IELTS scored?
IELTS reports results on a nine-band scale, from Band 1 to Band 9, with a separate band given for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking and an overall band score covering all four. Band 9 describes a user with full operational command of the language, accurate and fluent, with complete understanding; Band 6 describes a competent user who can understand and use reasonably complex language, particularly in familiar situations, generally with some inaccuracies.
The overall band score is the average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band; where the average ends exactly at.25 it is rounded up to the next half band, and where it ends at.75 it is rounded up to the next whole band. A candidate preparing for the test benefits from checking practice answers against the same descriptors examiners use, since each band is a description of what a user of English can do, distinct from a percentage or a pass mark, and two candidates with the same overall band can have quite different profiles across the four skills.
What are the ways to take IELTS?
A candidate can take IELTS on computer at an official test centre, where the Listening, Reading and Writing questions appear on screen and answers are typed, while Speaking is still conducted face to face with a trained examiner. At many centres a candidate who prefers to handwrite answers can choose the Writing on Paper option, in which Listening and Reading are completed on computer but the Writing task is shown on screen and answered by hand on an IELTS Writing Answer Sheet using a pen supplied by the centre.
IELTS Online lets a candidate sit the Academic test remotely, at home or in another private location with a stable internet connection, with the same content, timing and scoring as the test taken on computer in a centre; Speaking is still conducted by a human examiner, over a video call instead of in person. IELTS Online is available only for the Academic version, is restricted to candidates aged 18 and over, and is not accepted for immigration purposes, so a candidate applying for a UK visa needs to book a UKVI-recognised test at an approved test centre instead.
How are IELTS results reported?
IELTS results are issued as an official Test Report Form, giving the overall band score alongside the separate band for each of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, together with the test type, test date and centre. A candidate who tested on computer or online receives an electronic Test Report Form through the test taker portal, while a receiving organisation can check a result directly through the IELTS Results Service using the Test Report Form number.
A score shown online shortly after the test is provisional until the official Test Report Form is issued, and an IELTS result remains valid for two years from the date of the test.
How to choose the right version before booking
A candidate decides between versions by matching the test to the requirement of the receiving organisation, since Listening and Speaking are identical across Academic and General Training but Reading and Writing differ; the choice follows purpose. A candidate applying to a university or for professional registration needs IELTS Academic; a candidate applying for work, training below degree level or general migration needs IELTS General Training; and a candidate applying for a UK visa needs IELTS for UKVI or, where only speaking and listening are required, IELTS Life Skills at the level specified for that visa route.
Before booking, a candidate should check directly with the university, employer, professional body or, for a UK visa, the relevant Home Office guidance for the exact version, test centre type and CEFR level required, since booking the wrong version means the result may not be accepted. Preparation then follows the same order as the test itself: work through Listening and Speaking material first, since both are identical between versions, then focus Reading and Writing practice on the specific version booked, checking Writing answers against the published task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar criteria, since a word count alone says nothing about these.
Guides in this series
- IELTS Academic or General Training?
- IELTS band scores explained
- IELTS Listening and Reading raw scores to bands
- IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic)
- IELTS Writing Task 2 essays
- IELTS Speaking test format
- What is IELTS? Format, versions and scoring
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Frequently asked questions
- What does IELTS stand for?
- IELTS stands for the International English Language Testing System, a test of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking jointly owned by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. The name covers several versions of the same underlying test, including Academic, General Training, UKVI and Life Skills, which share a scoring scale but differ in content and purpose.
- Is IELTS one test or several?
- IELTS operates as one coherent testing system delivered as several versions, each suited to a different purpose. Academic and General Training share Listening and Speaking but differ in Reading and Writing, while UKVI versions use the same content as the standard test but run through centres approved for UK visa purposes, and Life Skills tests only speaking and listening at a stated CEFR level.
- Can IELTS be taken without going to a test centre?
- A candidate can take the Academic version remotely through IELTS Online, sitting Listening, Reading and Writing on a computer at home or another private location with a stable internet connection, while Speaking is still conducted by a live examiner over video call. IELTS Online is not accepted for immigration purposes, so a UK visa application still requires an in-person test at an approved centre.
- Does everyone sit the same Speaking test?
- Listening and Speaking are the same for IELTS Academic and General Training, so the content a candidate prepares for those two papers does not change with the version booked. Reading and Writing differ between the versions, which is why choosing the right version before booking matters more for those two papers than for Listening or Speaking.
- How soon is an IELTS band score returned after the test?
- Timing depends on how the test was taken: results for IELTS on computer are typically available within a few days, IELTS Online results take slightly longer, and IELTS on paper results take longest. The exact figures for each mode are published on the official results page and should be checked at the time of booking, since a score shown online shortly after the test is provisional until the official Test Report Form is issued.
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