Please note: You can find the policy for IELTS (Academic and General Training) here .
The IELTS for UKVI and IELTS for UKVI Life Skills cancellation, transfer and refund policy here.
Please visit our Take IELTS site for the IELTS Online cancellation policy.
IELTS cancellation and refund
In accordance with European Union legislation and applicable local regulations, you have the right to cancel your online booking and receive a full refund of the amount paid within a 14-day cooling-off period from the date you receive your payment confirmation.
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.
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.
To apply for special consideration, please contact your Test Centre and submit a cancellation request, along with your 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.
In cases where your test centre cancels a test under circumstances within its control, you can apply for compensation for travel and accommodation expenses incurred.
How compensation works
Once you’ve made a claim, your test centre will assess whether the cancellation was within its control, and any compensation will be awarded based on the following:
- directly incurred as a result of planning your attendance on test day
- evidence of payment receipt(s)
- evidence that cancelled travel and/or accommodation charges are non-recoverable from vendor
- benchmarked against lowest reasonable market rates for the expenses in question.
If you travelled to a test centre that is not the closest one to your home, you cannot claim compensation.
Your test centre is responsible for decisions related to compensation, including eligibility and any amounts awarded.
IELTS test day transfer
If you have booked an IELTS test and you need to change your test date, you can transfer your booking to a new date. To do this, visit the Test Taker portal and follow the instructions under 'Manage my booking'. If you have booked an IELTS for UKVI test or an IELTS on paper test and want to change your test date, please contact your test centre.
Transfer terms depend on when you apply for you transfer:
| Transfer request date | Transfer Policy |
| 15 or more days before the test date | Up to five transfers at no cost |
| Within 5-14 days of 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 |