About IELTS Explore the advantages of IELTS, a leading English proficiency test Book your IELTS today
Every year, IELTS helps millions of people realise their dreams of working, studying or living abroad, or improving their opportunities at home.
The test has been developed by experts to evaluate your English skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking – and it’s trusted by organisations all over the world, from universities and immigration bodies to companies.
So the IELTS journey you start here at International House Trust Assessment could take you almost anywhere.
There are two main types of IELTS:
IELTS Academic
Tests the English skills you’ll need in a learning environment like a university or college.
IELTS General Training
Tests the everyday language skills that you use at work or while socialising.
Find more information about the IELTS Test Types (e.g. IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, etc.) here.
For more information about the IELTS test, please click here.
Thinking about working or studying in the UK?
Book your test with a British Council Test centre.
You might need to take a Secure English Language Test (SELT), such as IELTS for UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) (Academic and General Training) or IELTS Life Skills. Find out which test is right for you.
IELTS is accepted globally
No. 1
World’s most popular English Language Test
140
Countries offer the test
10,000
Organisations accept IELTS
3,400
Organisations in the USA alone
How the test is structured
There are four sections to the test:
Listening
Reading
Writing
Speaking
Take IELTS with IHTA
If you prefer typing your answers instead of writing them, you can take IELTS on Computer at our exam centres in:
London (Covent Garden), London (Wimbledon), Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Canterbury, Cardiff, Chelmsford, Oxford, Southampton, Liverpool, Portsmouth and Manchester. Find out more about our IELTS on Computer locations and fees here.
When you take IELTS on Computer, you will complete the Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking sections on the same day. The Speaking exam is conducted face-to-face with an IELTS examiner – not on a computer – and you’ll receive your results within 1-5 days (typically 1 – 2 days).
If you prefer writing your answers by hand, you can take IELTS on Paper at our exam centres in:
London (Covent Garden), London (Stratford), London (Wimbledon), Bath, Brighton, Cambridge, Canterbury, Chelmsford, Peterborough, Southampton, Bedford, Hull, Liverpool, and Manchester. Learn more about our IELTS on Paper locations and fees here.
When you take IELTS on Paper, you will also complete the Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking sections on the same day. The Speaking exam is conducted face-to-face with an IELTS examiner, and you’ll receive your results within 13 days.
Everything else remains the same, whether you write or type your answers – from the questions and exam timings to the results format.
Update on IELTS on Paper:
The British Council and IDP* will no longer offer IELTS on paper in the United Kingdom after 27 June 2026. You can still take your IELTS test, the world’s most trusted English Language test, on computer. IELTS on computers offers results typically within 1-2 days and is available throughout the week, offering you more flexibility.
*The IELTS test is jointly owned by British Council, IELTS Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 84 008 664 766), which is wholly owned by IDP Education Ltd (‘IDP: IELTS Australia’) and Cambridge Assessment English (part of the University of Cambridge), collectively referred to as the IELTS TEST PARTNERS or IELTS PARTNER.