IELTS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

IELTS is used to measure the Language Proficiency of people who want to study or work where English is used as the communication language. IELTS comprises of two modules called as Academic and General Training.

In addition to this, there are two other IELTS exam variants known as IELTS for UKVI and IELTS for UKVI Life Skills.

IELTS for UKVI (United Kingdom Visa and Immigration) is a UK Government approved Secure English Language Test (SELT). SELT IELTS is used to prove your English Language Abilities in support of a UK Visa and Immigration Application. Similar to regular IELTS, SELT IELTS also has two modules known as Academic and General Training.  For more information visit www.britishcouncil.lk/exam/ielts-uk-visa-immigration or takeielts.britishcouncil.org/ielts-ukvi 

IELTS for UKVI Life Skills is also a UKVI approved Secure English Language Test (SELT). However this is offered only for secondary visa category. There are two SELT IELTS for UKVI Life Skills levels which are A1 and B1. For more information visit www.britishcouncil.lk/exam/ielts-uk-visa-immigration or takeielts.britishcouncil.org/ielts-ukvi

IELTS for UKVI and IELTS for UKVI Life Skills are used to apply for Visa to the UK only. For all other countries, regular IELTS would be sufficient. However to find out what IELTS you have to take when applying to the UK, please contact UK Visas and Immigration (Visa Office) and/or www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration.

They are available every month and the registration details can be found online at www.britishcouncil.lk/exam/ielts-uk-visa-immigration. However, IELTS for UKVI and IELTS for UKVI Life Skills are offered in Colombo only.

Candidates have to check with the receiving organisations and/or UK Visa Office.

These vary according to the category of IELTS Exam and are given below.

• Regular IELTS – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking
• IELTS for UKVI - Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking
• IELTS for UKVI Life Skills A1 and B1 – Listening and Speaking

For regular and IELTS for UKVI, the Listening, Reading and Writing components are held on one day, and the Speaking component will be held on a different date (which will be informed after registration). For IELTS for UKVI Life Skills, full test will be held on the selected test date.

There is no age limit but IELTS is generally recommended for candidates at the age of 16 or more.

Visit www.britishcouncil.lk/exam/ielts/registration and follow the instructions provided to register for the test. IELTS is available 2-3 times a month depending on the module (AC or GT). To check the test date availability visit www.britishcouncil.lk/exam/ielts/dates-fees-locations

In general, IELTS AC is used to support studies and academic related purposes while IELTS GT for skill migration and employment. However, it is important to check the entry requirements of the individual organisations before choosing your test.

IELTS is available at 11 different locations throughout the country which are: 

• Colombo 
• Nugegoda
• Malabe
• Gampaha
• Kandy 
• Jaffna
• Negombo
• Kurunegala
• Matara
• Galle
• Batticaloa

Updated fees can be checked through our website.

Pay online

Please click the 'Pay Online' option where you can use your Credit/Debit Card at the time of registration to make the payment. We accept Visa or Master Cards only.

Pay later (offline)

After the online booking has been made, please come to the British Council with the Reference Number (can be found on the booking confirmation email received after the booking was made) and your original and valid passport and/or copy of the passport with the exam fees. The payment should be made within 5 days from the booking date. You can pay by Cash or Credit/Debit Card (Visa, Master & Amex) only. 

Bank transfer

Alternatively, you could deposit the exam fees to our account and upload the evidence of your payment together with a copy of your valid passport to the online portal within 5 days of completing your online registration. 

Exam confirmation is subject to the bank confirmation of the receipt of the funds. Our account details can be found online on the 'Making the payment' section. 

You only need to possess a valid passport in order to register and sit for the IELTS test. 

The only accepted identity is a valid passport. You can’t use any other form of identity such as NIC, Driving License, etc. 

You must have the passport to register for the test as well. However, we could accept your registration with a copy of the valid passport but it is mandatory for you to take the passport to the examination.

You may register for the test with a copy of the passport but you will not be allowed to take the test if you don’t have the passport on you. Therefore please make sure you will have the passport for the test prior to the registration.

When you book for an IELTS Exam (Normal IELTS, IELTS for UKVI or IELTS for UKVI Life Skills), you will receive a confirmation email with a unique number. This is the Reference Number and is unique to that particular exam session. If you have registered for two exams or two dates for the same exam, you will have two different reference numbers.

There could be a number of reasons for this which are listed below:

• British Council hasn’t received the exam fees within 5 days from the booking date. 
• The bank transfer has been unsuccessful and the 5-day window period has elapsed. 
• There is more than one registration from the same candidate for the same date thus creating a duplicate entry.

In any of the above circumstances, British Council is compelled to cancel your booking and you will receive a mail regarding the cancellation of the exam.

How will I know my speaking test date? 

Please note that your speaking test will be held within five days prior to the written test (As per the IELTS Test details email). You can pick the preferred date and time slot for your speaking test. 

Same day speaking can be arranged on request. However please note that the places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come first-serve basis. To request same day speaking, please send a request via email to info.lk@britishcouncil.org at least seven (7) days prior to your registered test date.

‘IELTS Test details’ email will be sent to you at least 3 days prior to your speaking test window period followed by an SMS reminder. This email will act as the confirmation of your speaking test slot. Please contact the British Council if you do not receive this email.

You are advised to be present at least 20 minutes before the scheduled speaking test time, in order to complete the registration formalities. Please note that your failure to arrive on time will result in your speaking component being marked as absent by the examiner.

If you wish to re-schedule the speaking test date within the speaking test window period, you are advised to contact the British Council on receiving the ‘IELTS Test details’ email at least one working day (Monday to Friday) prior to the speaking test date. Please note that such transfers could be effected based on the availability of speaking slots within the window period. However, a transfer under the terms and conditions of the speaking transfer policy could be offered if you fail to attend the test.

Can I request for a date?

You can send us a request via email with the following information. 

• Your Name.
• Reference Number.
• Passport Number.
• Your request in detail.

* Please note that this request should reach us at least 3 days prior to your written exam date. We will then try to give you a convenient time within the Speaking Test Window Period. 

* If you wish to change your speaking test afterwards, please speak to the exam staff on the written exam date. They will then try to offer a convenient time within the Speaking Test Window Period. 

* However due to the nature of the schedule, we may not always be able to reschedule this as desired.

You are allowed to bring only the following to the exam venue:

• Original valid passport 
• A color copy of the passport
• Pens, pencils, sharpeners and erasers (British Council will provide you a pencil, sharpener and eraser)
• Transparent water bottle with no labels. 

*Please note that anything other than mentioned above are not permitted inside the exam hall. This is including all types of watches, car keys, electronic devices and mobile phones. 

No late arrivals will be admitted under any circumstances. 

There are two options available for you in this case. You can either transfer the exam to a future date or apply for a refund under the terms and conditions of the test day transfer and refund policy. Please check the following link for more details www.britishcouncil.lk/exam/ielts/cancellation-refund-policy

You can transfer your exam under the following circumstances.

1. A candidate may apply for a test date transfer from the registered test date by paying an administrative fee of LKR 8,800.00.
2. Requests submitted within a 5-week period prior to the registered test date will be accepted under the following conditions and submission of the relevant documentary evidence covering the registered test date including the speaking test date 
   - Illness or injury supported by a medical certificate
   - Loss or bereavement of an immediate family member.
   - Victim of emergency exigencies like accidents, crime, trauma & disasters.
3. A candidate must select a test date within a period of 3 months from the initial test date or apply for a refund according to the terms and conditions of the refund policy.
4. In any of these circumstances, you will need to submit an application for a test day transfer to the relevant test centre no more than five working days after the test date.
5. All transfer applications will be processed subject to availability of vacancies, acceptance of reasons and verification of the documentary evidence.

For more information visit www.britishcouncil.lk/exam/ielts/cancellation-refund-policy

You can refund your exam under the following circumstances

1. A candidate may apply for a refund of the test fee from the registered test date. If the application is approved the centre will refund the test fee minus an administrative fee of LKR 8,800.00.
2. Requests submitted within a 5-week period prior to the registered test date will be accepted under the following conditions and submission of the relevant documentary evidence covering the registered test date including the speaking test date 
   - Illness or injury supported by a medical certificate
   - Loss or bereavement of an immediate family member.
   - Victim of emergency exigencies like accidents, crime, trauma & disasters.
3. In any of these circumstances, you will need to submit an application for a test day refund to the relevant test centre no more than five working days after the test date.
4. All refund applications will be processed subject to acceptance of reasons and verification of the documentary evidence.

For more information visit www.britishcouncil.lk/exam/ielts/cancellation-refund-policy

The document checklist is given below.

Refunds

Transfers

You can re-take the exam at any time and a candidate can take the exam as many times as they wish.

Generally, your results are valid for 2 years from the test date. However this may depend on the receiving organizations’/institutions’/universities’/employers’/etc. requirements. Therefore you’re advised to check with the respective organisation regarding this.

It takes 13 days to release the results. Unfortunately, you cannot request for early results. 13 day period is the standard time frame and it can’t be fast-tracked. 

No. The exam board is issuing only one copy of the certificate to the candidate. Therefore it’s advisable to retain your original Test Report Form (TRF) with you. However, we can send an extra TRF (Test Report Form) to an institute, organisation or university on your behalf at a nominal cost. The different services and rates are listed below follows:

• Courier to any international location  – Rs. 4,800/- (takes approximately 4-5 working days)
• Air mail to any international location - Rs. 600
• Courier to any location within SL – Rs. 500/- (takes approximately 3 weeks)
• STEDRO*  (per institution) – Rs. 400/-

*STEDRO (Subscription To Electronic Download Receiving Organisations). Please check with the respective organisation(s) if they have subscribed to this service before applying for it. 

Please note that we can only send Extra TRFs for the exams which had taken place within the last two years from the request date.

You have to submit the original TRF to your test center along with a completed Data Change Form and a copy of the passport. It will take approximately 2-3 working days for this to be corrected.

If you register with the British Council, you will receive the following support and materials. 

• Free practice book with Listening audio files delivered to your inbox.
• Discounted IELTS Library Membership.
• Free pass to the IELTS Top Tips Seminar* (online)
• Free access to a writing skills workshop conducted online*
• Free Online IELTS Preparation Course - “Road to IELTS”.
• Visit our courses and resources section for more preparation materials.

- All of the above are available for the British Council registered IELTS Candidates only. 

- You can also take an IELTS Preparation Course with us. Please find more about our IELTS courses.  

- *Please note that we generally have one free Top Tips Seminar and a writing skills workshop a month with a limited capacity. Therefore it is subject to availability

The appeals process focuses on whether, in the course of reaching decisions, the IELTS Test Partners used procedures which were consistent with the regulatory authorities’ code of practice and applied the procedures properly and fairly. The appeals process is not concerned with making judgements about Test Takers’ work in the test, and an appeal will not normally involve re-marking or re-assessment of a Test Takers’ work.

The appeals process allows for reviews in three consecutive stages. A fee of £250 is charged for each stage, payable in the local currency subject to the prevailing conversion rate at the time of making the payment. 

The outcome at each stage may be confirmation or overturning of the original decision. Where an appeal leads to the overturning of the decision, the appeal fee will be refunded in full, including fees from any previous appeal stages.

Before submitting an application for an appeal, Test Takers are advised to read the full description of the appeals process here: www.cambridgeenglish.org/help/enquiries-and-appeals

If you require further information please get in touch with the British Council Customer Service team.

British Council Examination Services staff is trained to provide the best possible service to the public and to ensure that examinations are administered to the highest standards. However, if you are dissatisfied with the service provided please write to our Customer Services team, 

Email: info.lk@britishcouncil.org
Tel: 070 7521521

British Council 
49, Alfred House Gardens
Colombo 03

•Please give full written details of the problem, stating your name, candidate number, address and contact telephone number.
•Complaints / suggestions will normally be answered within five working days

Thank you.
We welcome your suggestions so we can improve our service to you.