What IELTS score do teachers need for QTS in England?

You meet the English requirement without a test if you were born in, hold citizenship of, or studied at undergraduate level or higher in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or one of the gov.uk exempt countries or territories.

You also meet it if you were taught in English at undergraduate level or higher and can show the medium of instruction of your degree was wholly English. Otherwise you need a CEFR B2 test from the table.

A plain IELTS Academic result (not the UKVI version) is not on the list. How old the test result may be, and whether results from two sittings or a One Skill Retake can be combined, are not stated by the Department for Education guidance.

On the assessment only route (updated 7 August 2025), your training provider may ask you to sit a test showing your English is the same standard as a grade 4 in GCSE English language. Teachers who qualified outside the UK can also teach in England for up to four years without QTS. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own teacher registration bodies, not covered here. Regulators change these rules, sometimes at short notice. Confirm the current scores on the gov.uk page before you book a test.