Students who need to take the IELTS exam are often confused about the requirements and procedures related to registering or booking their test. The internet is full of false information about the registration process and the cost involved for the IELTS English exam. In this article, I aim to dispel some of the confusion regarding IELTS exam registration. The information that follows is useful for both the IDP and British IELTS test-takers in Singapore and other parts of the world
Should I Book My IELTS Test With The British Council or IDP?
The test is the same and irrelevant of whether you book with IDP or the British Council as the level of test difficulty and marking methods are identical. The examiners from both of these organizations are trained in exactly the same way.
How Do I Book An IELTS Test?
You can either book your test online or visit an IELTS official centre in your country. If you are booking your test online you will need to pick your country, location, test date and a time slot and you will have to fill in your personal information. Make sure you also provide a scanned copy of your passport and national ID along with your personal details. The registration procedure is the same, regardless of whether you book the IELTS Academic or General Training Test.
When Is The Best Time To Book Your IELTS Test?
There are many factors to consider when booking your test. Firstly, it’s important to take into consideration your application dates and deadlines. keep in mind that it takes up to two weeks to receive your results, but it can also take up to two weeks for universities and other organizations to actually receive those results. If you do not obtain the required band scores on your first attempt of the IELTS test, then you would need sufficient time to prepare and take a second test.
Do not book your test before you start preparing for the test. Students often book their exam under false assumptions about the test’s difficulty and their actual levels of English Language proficiency and realize, all too late, that they have made a great error in judgement about the time they need to prepare. It’s much better to prepare first and then book your test. Use the time between your preparation and booked test date to continually improve your skills through practice with official IELTS Tests.
How Much Does The IELTS Exam Cost?
There is not that much variation between IELTS Exam costs between centres and at the moment the standard price is around $225. However, prices vary depending on the type of IELTS exam you wish to take and the country in which you take the test.
How Do I Pay For The IELTS Exam?
There are a number of convenient payment methods that you can use to pay for the IELTS Exam. You can easily pay online using a debit or credit card on the official IELTS website or you can pay in person at any Official IDP or British Council IELTS Test centre.
If you are using the online registration facilities, it’s important to make sure you receive a confirmation email, that gives you a booking payment update and provides information about your test date and test location. If you do not receive such confirmation or have any other exam enquiries then you can visit your IELTS test centre in person or call them to confirm.
