Booking IELTS: protect your date, your fee and your place on test day

Many IELTS candidates book the first available date, then try to move it close to test day. Depending on timing, the change may be treated as a cancellation, and part or all of the fee may be lost. Others arrive with a different identity document from the one they booked with and risk being turned away.

This page takes you from choosing a test centre to the moment you sit down, with the costs in between. The rules below were checked against the official IELTS website in October 2026. Your test centre's terms decide the local detail.

How do you book IELTS, step by step?

Do the checks before you pay, not after. Confirm the version with every organisation that will receive your result, and confirm that your centre offers it in the delivery mode you want. Then book in five steps.

1. Find a test centre through the "Book a test" page on ielts.org, which lists British Council and IDP centres.
2. Choose your version, your delivery mode and a date that fits the end of your study plan.
3. Enter your details exactly as they appear on your identity document, and pay.
4. Save the confirmation and add the test time, and your Speaking time, to your calendar.
5. Note your centre's transfer and cancellation terms in the same place.

Delivery mode needs a moment of care in 2026. IELTS announced in March 2026 that paper-based testing is being retired from mid-2026, with all tests moving to computer. Some markets offer Writing on Paper, IELTS for UKVI is fully digital, and some versions can be taken online where your centre offers it. What changed in IELTS in 2026 explains what to do if your plans assumed paper.

Choose the date with care, because changing it has rules.

What if you need to move or cancel your test?

IELTS states that you can change your test date at any time before the test. Three conditions limit that freedom.

• 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 cancellations depend on when you cancel and whether exceptional circumstances apply. The detailed rules come from your test centre, so read them before you pay. If illness, bereavement or another exceptional event stops you from attending, apply to your centre for special consideration. If the centre itself cancels the test, IELTS states that you can choose a full refund or a transfer.

Contact your test centre, not the general IELTS website, about anything to do with your booking. The centre handles bookings, transfers, cancellations and special consideration. A message sent to the wrong place can cost you days you do not have.

Why is there no single IELTS fee?

IELTS fees are set locally. They differ by country, by test centre and by version, so any single figure on a forum or in a book would be wrong for many readers. IELTS also states that One Skill Retake prices vary by centre.

Your test centre shows the fee when you book. Check it on the day you decide. Ask the same centre for three other prices: the One Skill Retake fee, the Enquiry on Results fee and the extra report fee.

The test fee is also only one line of your budget. These are the cost categories to plan for.

IELTS states that you can send your result by post to up to five organisations free of charge. Electronic delivery is unlimited, so use it wherever your organisations accept it.

The categories tell you what to budget for. The level you choose decides how much.

Which budget level fits you?

The three budgets differ in feedback and support, not in the test fee.

• Economy: official practice tests and occasional marked essays.
• Standard: adds regular Writing feedback and speaking practice with a person.
• Intensive: adds a structured course.

Whatever the level, keep a One Skill Retake reserve, so a single weak skill does not become a financial setback. A profile such as L 7.5 R 7.0 W 6.0 S 7.0, against a target of 6.5 in every skill, is exactly where that reserve earns its place.

To cut costs without cutting your chances, use the free official practice tests before buying any book. Pay for Writing feedback rather than more reading material. Book only when two practice tests in a row meet your target, which is the cheapest way to avoid a retake.

With the budget set, the remaining risks are your documents and the day itself.

Which identity document should you bring?

Your test centre tells you which identity document to use, and you must bring the same one on test day. For international candidates, this is usually a passport.

Check two things before you book. The document must still be valid on your test date, and your name must match it exactly. If you renew your passport between booking and test day, contact your centre in time to update your booking. Do not simply bring the new one.

If you need support for a disability or a medical condition, request it at the same stage. Arrangements such as large print or extra time take time to confirm.

What happens on test day?

Bring the identity document you used to book. Arrive early, because centres check identity and take a photograph before you start.

On computer, you take Listening, Reading and Writing in one sitting. Speaking may be on the same day or another day your centre arranges, so treat it as a separate appointment. Rest the night before it as you would for the main test. In the computer test, read each section's instructions before you begin.

A short checklist covers the rest:

• Booking confirmation with both test times
• Route and travel time checked, with an early arrival planned
• For online tests, room cleared and equipment checked in advance
• Water and a light meal before the test

If something goes wrong during the test, such as a frozen screen, report it to the invigilator at once. Then email your centre that evening with your candidate number and the time.

What to do before you pay

Find two test centres, compare their dates, delivery modes and transfer terms, and ask each for its current fees. Confirm your identity document and its expiry date. Then choose your budget level and set aside a retake reserve.

Chapter 9 of the book lays out the costs, and the budget template in Appendix C puts all three levels on one page. Chapter 10 and Appendix D give six message templates for your test centre, from a pre-booking check to a test-day incident. If you have not yet set a date, How long to prepare for IELTS turns your weekly hours into one you can keep.