Book your IELTS test

Book your exam online and access our free preparation materials today

When you book an IELTS test with the British Council, you also get included in your test fee: 

• Exclusively available to all British Council IELTS test takers, IELTS Ready: Premium (powered by GEL IELTS Prep) is your pathway to success
• Five extra Test Report Forms for free that we send free of charge to institutions you’re applying to (e.g. immigration offices, universities etc.)

Important update: Due to operational constraints we offer only IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Academic Online in Slovenia. 

We apologise for any inconvenience and would like to invite you to contact one of our neighbouring countries that offers IELTS tests in line with the British Council's high standards.

British Council Croatia website 

British Council Italy website

British Council Austria website 

British Council Hungary website

Note that you can still take a UKVI for IELTS tests in Ljubljana for immigration purposes. Find more details here. 

*Please note that from 1 May 2025, the fee for the IELTS Academic Online exam will be 278 EUR.

What you will need before booking IELTS:

1. Make sure you have a form of valid ID (passport or national ID card) at hand, as you will need to upload a clear photocopy of it when you book your test. Please note that candidates under 18 years of age have to supply written consent by a parent or guardian in order to apply for a test place.
2. Download and read our Information for Candidates, which contains important information about the test format, the question types and the test results. Please note that IELTS is not recommended for test takers under the age of 16. 
3. For IELTS for UKVI, you can apply online (above) or or you can download this booking form and apply at your test centre.
4. Pay for your test. You can only pay for your test through our online registration system. Details are provided in the registration process.

IELTS test date confirmation

Once you have completed the booking process, you will receive a confirmation of your booking. You will receive an email with the start time of your test and venue details a week before the test at the latest.

Your Speaking test may be scheduled on the same day as the other sections, or on a different day within a 7 day window before your main test day or 2 days after. The test centre will send you a confirmation for the Speaking Test date.

If you take IELTS Online, the Speaking test will usually be before your Listening, Reading and Writing. It could be on the same or a different day.

After booking your test, you will also receive an automatic email with your access code to IELTS Ready Premium.

You will also receive your IELTS Reference Number to access the Test Taker Portal . Please make sure that you have included your email address correctly when you book your test.