Six things to settle with your IELTS test centre before you pay

The centre knows the answers. The expensive mistake is not asking before the money leaves your account.

Why one message

Your test centre handles bookings, transfers, cancellations and special consideration. A question sent to the general IELTS website, or to the wrong office, can cost you days. A single message to the centre, kept in one thread, gives you a record of what you were told.

The six items below are the ones that decide whether a booking holds up.

1. The version and the mode on your date

Confirm that your centre offers your version, in the delivery mode you want, on your preferred date. Paper testing is being retired, Writing on Paper exists in selected markets, IELTS for UKVI is fully digital and IELTS Online is for some versions where the centre offers it.

2. When Speaking takes place

On computer, Speaking may fall on the same day as the other three skills or on another day the centre arranges. Ask for the time, and put both appointments in your calendar.

3. Transfer and cancellation terms

IELTS states that you can change your date at any time before the test, with three limits:

• A transfer close to test day may be treated as a cancellation.
• The new date must fall within three months of the original.
• You can transfer the same booking only once.

Refunds for cancellation depend on when you cancel and on exceptional circumstances, and the detail comes from your centre. If illness or bereavement stops you, apply to the centre for special consideration. If the centre cancels, IELTS states that you can choose a full refund or a transfer.

4. Four prices

There is no single IELTS fee. Fees are set locally by country, centre and version, and any figure in a forum or book is wrong for many readers. Ask the centre for:

IELTS states that you can send your result by post to up to five organisations free of charge, while electronic delivery is unlimited. Keep a reserve for a One Skill Retake, so a single weak skill does not become a financial problem.

5. Your identity document

Your centre tells you which document to use, and you must bring the same one on test day. For international candidates, that is usually a passport. It must still be valid on the test date, and your name must match it exactly. If you renew a passport between booking and test day, tell the centre in time to update your booking.

6. Any support you need

If you need arrangements such as large print or extra time because of a disability or medical condition, request them at the same stage. They take time to confirm.

Writing the message

Give a subject line with your issue and booking or candidate number, your full name as on your identity document and your test date. State the problem in two sentences, say what you need and by when, and attach any evidence. Keep every reply in one thread.

On the day

Bring the document you booked with, arrive early because centres check identity and take a photograph, and report any fault such as a frozen screen to the invigilator at once. Email the centre that evening with your candidate number and the time.