IELTS is a test. It assesses the English skills of those who want to study or work in English-speaking countries. It is widely accepted by universities, employers, and immigration authorities in the UK.

There are two versions of the test:

1. IELTS Academic. This is for those who plan to study at the undergraduate or postgraduate level. It is also for those seeking professional registration in an English-speaking country.

2. IELTS General Training. This is used for immigration purposes or for people who plan to complete non-academic training.

IELTS assesses four language skills:

• Listening

• Reading

• Writing

• Speaking

An easy-to-use 9 band scale clearly identifies proficiency, from non-user (1) to expert (9).

Visit IELTS to find out more.

Taking your test at Leicester College

We are the only IELTS test centre in Leicester and Leicestershire. We have been partnered with the British Council since 2013.

We run three courses a year, one per term. Each course takes 4 hours per week, and you can choose to attend on Monday or Wednesdays, time may vary. All courses are held at our Abbey Park Campus.

The British Council also run an IELTS Practice course online. You need to apply to take your course with us before you can enrol on the British Council course, as you will need your unique IELTS reference number.

We hold regular tests each month for both Academic and General Training.

2024 dates

• October 26 2024

• November 23 2024

• December 7 2024

2025 dates

• January 25 2025

• February 22 2025

• March 22 2025

• April 12 2025

• May 17 2025

• June 21 2025

• July 5 2025

• August 7 2025

• August 9 2025

• September 13 2025

• October 4 2025

• November 1 2025

• December 6 2025

Applying for and taking your IELTS test

You must apply for your test through the British Council. You will be asked which test you wish to take, to choose a test centre, and then given an option to choose the date of your test.

You will then need to register for an account the British Council or sign-in to an existing account.

Then, you can book your test date and pay online. Or, pay the college directly within two days of booking the test at one of the information centres at Abbey Park, Freemen’s Park, or St Margaret’s Campuses.

You will need your IELTS reference number to complete the payment. The test fee for 2024/25 is £200.

On the day of your test, you will need to bring the ID with you that you used when applying for the test.

You can only take your ID, water in a clear bottle, glasses, stationery, and the under 18s consent form (if needed) into the test.

We accept passports, BRP cards, EU identity cards or ARC as proof of ID.

Special requirements

We make every effort to cater for people who have a disability or special requirements. We will need a copy of your medical certificate, which must be dated within the last two years.

You must give us at least 6 weeks notice to put special arrangements in place. If you require things such as modified papers you must give us at least 3 months notices.

Test results

Results are released 13 days after the test date. You can see these on the British Council portal. You will also receive an email with a link to view your IELTS scores.

You will also be sent a copy of the results in the post, via first class mail. If you do not want your results posting to the address we hold you must tell us in writing before they are issues.

If you think your test result is incorrect you can ask for it to be re-marked within 6 weeks of your test date. You can ask for one or more parts of the test to be re-marked. The cost for this is £110.

Results are returned to the test centre between 24 hours to 21 days.

You can request a remark using the registration portal or you can can us by emailing ielts@leicestercollege.ac.uk

Additional reports and recognising organisations

You will only receive one test report. If you need to send a copy to a Recognising Organisation you can be request additional copies up to two years from the test date. After that we no longer have access to the Test Report Form

Contact the IELTS team

If you have queries about IELTS you can contact our team by emailing ielts@leicestercollege.ac.uk or calling 0116 224220 extension 4333.