What IELTS score do doctors need for the GMC?

You cannot mix scores from different sittings. The GMC requires the minimum scores in the same test and in your most recent sitting, for IELTS and OET alike. So if a later attempt drops below 7.0 in one skill, an earlier passing certificate no longer counts.

The exception is IELTS One Skill Retake: if you miss the minimum in one section of a full test, the GMC accepts a retake of that section that reaches the required score. The GMC notes you can use it once, within 60 days of the full test, and only after an IELTS on computer test at a centre that offers it (GMC). Our One Skill Retake guide explains how the new TRF works.

Two years. For PLAB, the certificate must be valid on the day you sit PLAB 1. For registration, it must still be valid when the GMC approves your application (GMC).

If your certificate is older than two years, the GMC may extend it for registration when both apply: the IELTS or OET certificate is less than three years old on the date your application is received, and you passed PLAB 2 less than three months before that date. Otherwise it may consider references from a postgraduate tutor or an employer in a country where English is the first and native language, covering at least three months of full-time study or work in the last two years.

If you apply through the sponsorship route, the GMC cannot extend validity: you need an acceptable IELTS or OET certificate awarded within the last two years, unless you are a national of a country where English is the first and native language and your primary medical degree is from such a country.

To book PLAB you can only use IELTS, OET or your primary medical qualification (GMC). A primary medical qualification may count if it is less than two years old when you apply for registration and was taught and examined solely in English, with at least 75% of clinical interaction in English; the GMC publishes a list of universities whose degrees it does not accept as English evidence (GMC).

For registration, the GMC guide also has chapters on a reference from your employer and a UK job offer. The GMC adds that IELTS may not be acceptable for a UK visa, so check UK Visas and Immigration separately. For general UK test rules see IELTS for the UK.