IELTS Cancellation, Refund and Transfer policy
If your plans change or you face an unexpected situation, you may need to cancel or transfer your IELTS test date. Outlined below is our Cancellation, Refund and Transfer policy.
The information on this page is relevant to standard IELTS tests. If you're taking an IELTS for UKVI test, including IELTS for UKVI Life Skills, please visit our IELTS for UKVI cancellations and transfers policy page. If you're taking IELTS online, please visit our IELTS Online page.
IELTS test cancellation and refunds
You can cancel your IELTS test registration at any time before taking your test via the Test Taker portal. Refund terms depend on when you cancel and whether exceptional circumstances apply:
| Cancellation date | Refund policy |
|---|---|
| 15 or more days before the test date | 75% refund of the total test fee (25% admin fee) |
| Within 14 days of the test date | No refund will be provided |
Your local laws may give you better rights. If consumer protection law where you have registered to take your IELTS test offers you more favourable cancellation and transfer rights, then local laws will apply.
Test taker exceptions
If you are ill or have a personal emergency on your test date, you may need to cancel your test. If this is the case, you can submit a case for special consideration due to exceptional circumstances to your test centre. This will allow you to carry over your test fee to a later test date or, in some cases, apply for a refund.
We define exceptional circumstances as:
- a traumatic experience
- domestic crisis
- unavoidable legal or military obligation
- serious medical conditions which prevent you from attending or performing normally on test day
- bereavement or other forms of significant hardship
- civil unrest or extreme weather.
You can make a case for exceptional circumstances before the test and up to two calendar days after the test date if you did not attend the test. Applications for special consideration will not be accepted after your results have been released.
You need to contact your test centre directly and provide full information as to why you qualify for special consideration with supporting evidence. Your test centre will assess your application and will respond to you within seven working days of receiving your full application in writing, during which time your results will be put on hold until a decision is finalised.
If your test centre approves your application, you will receive a refund or transfer. In some cases, this will be subject to an administrative fee. Please be aware that refunds can take 4–6 weeks to process. Note that there will be no adjustment to band scores.
To apply for special consideration, please submit your request through the Test Taker Portal, including your cancellation request and any relevant supporting evidence.
Test centre exceptions
Under certain circumstances outside of your test centre’s control, we may have to cancel your test and transfer it to a future date. These circumstances include, but are not limited to, extreme weather conditions, natural disaster, civil unrest, industrial action or force majeure.
In these circumstances, your test centre will provide you with as much notice as possible and give you the choice of either:
- a full refund, or
- a transfer to a future test date convenient to you.
If your test is cancelled or postponed due to other circumstances such as technical failure, venue or environmental factors, your test centre will provide you with as much notice as possible and give you the choice of a refund or a transfer to a future test.
IELTS test day transfers
If you have booked an IELTS test and you need to change your test date, you can transfer your booking to a new date. Transfer terms depend on when you apply for you transfer:
| Transfer request date | Transfer policy |
|---|---|
| 15 or more days before the test date | Transfer allowed at no cost. |
| Within 5-14 days of the test date | Transfer allowed. An administrative fee of 25% will be charged. |
| Under 5 days | No transfers allowed. Any transfer requests will be treated as a cancellation, and normal refund rules will apply. |
To request a transfer, visit the Test Taker portal and follow the instructions under 'Manage my booking'.
General guidance for IELTS test takers on paper and computer
The guidance below is a summary of what all IELTS test takers can expect when registering for an IELTS test (on paper or computer) anywhere in the world (except European Union and Americas region - Canada (opens in a new tab), Mexico, USA and South America). Detailed policy terms vary according to test centre location so please contact your local test centre as relevant for further information.
If local consumer protection law in the country in which you have registered to take the IELTS test provides for cancellation and transfer rights which are more favourable than the terms set out in this document or in more detailed local test centre guidance, then local consumer protection law will apply.
Different policy terms apply to IELTS for UKVI and IELTS for UKVI Life Skills. IELTS for UKVI has a standard and globally applicable set of terms and conditions.
You can cancel your IELTS test registration at any time before taking your test by notifying your test centre. Refund policy is dependent upon when you cancel and whether exceptional circumstances apply.
You may change your test date at any time before the test. However, your transfer request may be treated as a cancellation dependent on how near to the test day it is made.
You must select a new test date, where available, within three months of your original test date. If your preferred test date is more than three months after your original test date, your transfer will be treated as a cancellation.
You can only transfer the same booking once.
Exceptional Circumstances and Special Consideration
On rare occasions, there may be instances where you are unable to attend your test or are disadvantaged on the test day owing to illness, injury, or another exceptional event outside your control and you no longer qualify for a standard cancellation, refund or transfer close to the test date. In these cases, including instances such as bereavement, civil unrest or domestic crisis, you may make an application to your test centre for special consideration due to exceptional circumstances.
Exceptional circumstances
Under certain circumstances outside of test centre control, we may have to cancel your test and transfer it to a future date. These circumstances include, but may not be limited to, extreme weather conditions, natural disaster, civil unrest, industrial action, global pandemic or for reasons of force majeure.
We will be in touch
In these circumstances, your test centre in the UK will provide you with as much notice as possible and give you the choice of either a full refund, or a transfer to a future test date – whichever you prefer.
You can transfer to a future test
If your test is cancelled or postponed due to other circumstances such as technical failure, venue or environmental factors, your test centre will provide you with as much notice as possible and give you the choice of a refund or a transfer to a future test.
