IELTS

IELTS General Information
IELTS, the International English Language Testing System,  is designed to measure the language ability of candidates who want to work or study where English is the language of communication. IELTS is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL), British Council and IDP:IELTS Australia. IELTS conforms to the highest international standards of language assessment. It covers the four language skills – listening, reading, writing, and speaking. IELTS is recognized by universities and employers in many countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA. It is also recognized by professional organizations, immigration authorities and other government agencies.

Atlanta, GA (Marietta, GA)
Boston, MA
Charlotte, NC
Chicago, IL
Cleveland, OH
Houston, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Manhattan, NY
Nashville, TN
Oklahoma City, OK
Pittsburgh, PA
Portland, OR
San Francisco, CA
Santa Barbara, CA
St. Louis, MO
St. Paul, MN
St. Petersburg, FL
Thousand Oaks, CA - Test site Santa Monica, CA

Application Deadline and Fees
Please refer to links to the test Centers to find out available test dates. Many Centers fill up early so send your application form as soon as you can. The complete IELTS Application form including photos, copy of identity page of your passport, and payment of fees (US$160) must be received at the test center no later than 1 week before the test date. Please note that registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and does not guarantee a first choice of test date If no seats are available for the first and second dates you have chosen, you will automatically be registered for the next test date. Payment of the US$160 Application Fee must be in the form of a money order, cashiers check, credit/debit card authorization or cash. No personal checks are accepted.

Confirmation of Registration
We will confirm your test registration by e-mail using the e-mail address you provide on the IELTS Application form. Please check your e-mail regularly. If no e-mail is provided, confirmation will be made by fax or mail. The confirmation will include information about registration time, test location, and test module booked.

Test Prep Materials and Classes
Most IELTS Test Centers have IELTS Official Practice Materials for sale. This is comprehensive sample test material produced by the test partners. The book contains an audio CD with Listening exam questions and sample Speaking exam interviews in addition to full length Reading and Writing samples for both the Academic and General Training modules. The cost is $25.00 including shipping.

A new DVD, IELTS Scores Explained, is now available. This DVD provides information on what the IELTS band scores actually mean. The cost of the DVD is $35.00 including shipping. Send your order and payment directly to your ELS test center.

Additional information on this DVD can be viewed at:   http://www.ielts.org/pdf/Scores_Explained_DVD_Order_Feb08.pdf

To order the IELTS Official Practice Materials, please send your payment by money order or credit card authorization form to your test Center or call and supply a credit/debit card number. Please include the Practice Material item name, your mailing address and telephone number with your payment. The Center will then mail the materials to you. Other IELTS Test Prep materials can be purchased online. Most IELTS Test Centers offer special Preparation courses ranging from a 4-hour workshop to hourly tutorial sessions to more intensive study. Please contact your local test center for more information regarding test prep classes that will fit your needs.

Test Day Information
Passports are required on test day. Be sure it is valid and it is the one you used when you applied for the test. You should also bring another form of ID with your picture on it. Your passport is the only official proof of identity that is accepted in the United States. Driver's licenses, student IDs and other picture IDs are used as secondary proof of identification only. You will only be allowed to bring water in a transparent bottle and your passport and reading glasses if required into the test room. No bags, cases, glasses cases, books, papers, cell phones, MP3 players, any other electronic item, pens, pencils, will be allowed in the testing room and will need to be put into secured storage during the test so it is best not to bring them with you at all. Pencils will be provided for you. Please dress comfortably. Once the morning exams have begun, you will not be allowed to leave the testing rooms unattended. There are no breaks included in the testing times outlined below:

• 8:00 am – 8:15 am Report to the test location
• 8:15 am – 8:50 am Registration
• 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Listening, Reading and Writing Modules

Speaking Exams are 15 – 20 minutes long, are scheduled in the same order that the applications were received, and are held during the afternoon of the test day. Some Centers will schedule Speaking exams on the afternoon just before the test day. Information about this will be included in your confirmation e-mail if this option is provided at your test center. Please list your availability for scheduling the Speaking Tests if it cannot administered on the test Saturday.

Late Arrivals
Candidates who arrive late at the test Center after the testing session has begun will not be allowed to take the test that day and will need to reapply for another test date and pay another test fee..

Cancellations, Transfer of Test Date, Refunds
Requests for Cancellations or change of test date must be made in writing and received at the Test Center 5 weeks before the scheduled test date. Cancellations made before the 5 week cut-off date will receive a partial refund of test fee (a $40 administration fee is retained for processing.) Cancellations or request for a different date made after the 5 week cut-off date are normally not be eligible for refunds.

Candidates seeking cancellation or transfer within the five-week period prior to the test date can receive a refund or transfer without charge if they can provide evidence that their ability to take the test has been affected by serious illness or cause. A Test Day Refund/Transfer form must be completed and returned not more than five working days after the test date, with full supporting documentation, before refunds or transfers can be considered.

IELTS Test Results
The Test Report Form (TRF) will be mailed to the candidate and the receiving organizations they have nominated on their application form 13 calendar days after the test date. Test Report Forms are valid for two years.

NOTE: TEST CENTERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GIVE TEST RESULTS OVER THE PHONE, FAX OR E-MAIL TO EITHER THE CANDIDATES OR THE RECEIVING INSTITUTIONS.

Each candidate will automatically receive only one Test Report Form. A candidate may request up to five (5) additional Test Report Forms within one month of taking the IELTS Exam. More than five TRFs are available for a charge of $15.00 per TRF. These are mailed directly by the IELTS Test center to the receiving institution(s) of your choice.

To request additional TRFs one month or more after taking the test, please send a written request to the test center. You must include your candidate number, test center and test date. The fee for these later additional TRFs is $15.00 each.

Additional TRFs: Special Arrangements
Candidates wishing to make request(s) for additional Test Report Form(s) to be sent to Receiving Organization(s) from tests held at either:

US085 Santa Monica, CA, on or prior to August 11, 2007, or
US083 River Forest, IL, on or prior to March 31, 2007

within the two-year period for which the results remain valid, need to apply directly to Cambridge ESOL. Please download and accurately complete all parts of the application form, scan the completed form as a PDF document and send it by email to Cambridge ESOL Application Support at esolitqa@cambridgeesol.org.

For identification your application must be accompanied by a scan of your passport which clearly shows your photograph. Providing inaccurate or incomplete information may delay your application as this is used for checking candidate identity. Applications that are not accompanied by a scanned copy of a passport will be rejected.

Your application will take up to 10 working days to process once all of the required information has been received, and does not include delivery time which varies according to distance and country. All TRFs to be sent outside the UK will be sent by courier (DHL or FEDEX) and within the UK by Royal Mail Special Delivery. There is currently no charge for this service.

Cambridge ESOL is unable to provide replacement copies of TRFs to candidates, nor will TRFs be sent to individuals, residential addresses or agents. If you require your TRF to be sent to support a Visa application to another country, Cambridge ESOL will only send direct to the immigration authorities that are registered with the Global Recognition System at www.ielts.org and click on the Global Recognition Button.

Enquiry on Results
Candidates who are not satisfied with their results may request to apply for a rescoring of the test (called Enquiry on Results) at the center where they took the test. This application must be made within six weeks of the test date. The candidate can choose which modules to be re-marked (one, two, three or all of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking). There is a fee for this service of $150.00 (including shipping). If the score on any module that is re-marked is increased, there is a full refund. If there is no change in test scores, no refund is received. The Enquiry on Results process takes up to six weeks from the point that test material is sent from the test center to the UK to be rescored.