How much is the IELTS exam fee in the UK in 2026?

For a visa, extension, settlement or citizenship application you need a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider, sat at an approved location and awarded in the two years before you apply (gov.uk SELT guidance). For IELTS that means IELTS for UKVI (four skills, for Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Student and similar routes) or IELTS Life Skills (speaking and listening, for partner, parent, settlement and citizenship applications).

On the Home Office's list, IELTS for UKVI needs 4.0 in each skill for B1, 5.5 for B2 and 7.0 for C1; Life Skills is pass or fail. Standard IELTS Academic is not a SELT, though universities and regulators such as the NMC set their own rules. See IELTS for UKVI vs IELTS Academic, English for ILR and citizenship, IELTS for the Skilled Worker visa and IELTS for nurses in the UK.

For standard IELTS the British Council lets you transfer once, to a date within three months, with at least 14 days' notice; the centre may charge up to 25% of the fee, and a request within 14 days is treated as a cancellation (British Council). If you are sick, a medical certificate within two calendar days of the test gets a refund minus a local administration fee; a no-show without notice loses the fee.

IELTS for UKVI and Life Skills have their own policy (UKVI refund policy). Exceptional-circumstances cases go to the centre no later than five working days after the test; if approved, you get a full refund minus at most 25%.

For a SELT taken in the UK the Home Office accepts a passport, a convention or stateless travel document, or your eVisa: sign in to your UKVI account and get a share code. If you cannot access your eVisa you may be able to use an expired BRP or BRC, up to 24 months after its expiry date or until 31 December 2026, whichever is sooner. Book in exactly the name on that document.

Compare before you pay: PTE Academic UKVI costs GBP 230 and PTE Home GBP 170 in the UK, cheaper than IELTS for UKVI (GBP 257) and Life Skills (GBP 182); see PTE vs IELTS for a UK visa. Whatever you book, take a free IELTS mock test first.