The Listening, Reading, and Writing parts of the test are completed immediately after each other on the same day. In some test centres, you will sit the Speaking test on the same day, or up to 7 days before or after your test date.

If you take computer-delivered IELTS, the Speaking test will be taken on the same day, either before, or after the other three parts of the test.

If you experience difficulty on a test day, please inform the test centre immediately. The test centre may offer you a test on the next available test date.

You must bring the same passport or national identity card that you used to book your IELTS test. If you do a paper-based IELTS test, you can take pens, pencils and erasers into the examination room. If you do a computer-delivered IELTS test, the centre will provide you with pencils and paper.

You must leave all of your personal belongings outside the examination room in a secure area or locker. Mobile phones, pagers and smart watches must be switched off and left with your personal belongings.

If you keep mobile phones or electronic devices with you, you will be disqualified.

If you take computer-delivered IELTS, you will do the tests in the following order on the same day: Listening, Reading and Writing, with the Speaking test before or after this test session.

If you take paper-based IELTS, you will do the tests in the following order: Writing, Reading and Listening. Depending on the test centre, the Speaking test can be done on the same day, or up to 7 days either before or after the test date.

You must bring the same passport or national identity card that you used to book your IELTS test. Your ID will be checked before you enter the interview room and again during the interview.

As IELTS is an international test, a variety of voices and native-speaker accents are used in both the General Training and Academic tests.

Only pencil is recommended for the IELTS Listening, Reading, and Writing tests. This is because tests are scanned and work best with pencil. It also means that you can easily erase and rewrite words. The test centre will provide one for you.

Yes, you are encouraged to write notes on the question booklets. IELTS examiners do not have access to your question booklets.

Yes. Computer-delivered IELTS provides a note-taking and highlight function. You can try these functions on the familiarisation tests here. You can also write notes on the login details sheet you receive at the beginning of the test.

Yes, you can use all capital letters in the IELTS Reading and Listening sections. If you use capital letters in the Writing section, make sure that your punctuation is correct and the examiner can see where you start and finish sentences.

Read the assessment criteria used for both Academic and General Training Writing tests carefully before your test day. The examiner will assess your writing based on four criteria for Task 1 and Task 2.

Remember that Writing Task 2 is worth twice as many marks as Task 1. You can improve your Writing band score by practising. Our news and articles page has extensive tips and advice to help you prepare and improve your English-language skills.

The Speaking test is a discussion with a highly qualified IELTS examiner who assesses your ability to talk about a range of topics. The Speaking test has three parts and is recorded. A description of the three parts of the interview is found in the Information for Candidates booklet.