IELTS is one of the world’s most widely recognised English language proficiency tests. IELTS results are accepted by more than 12,500 organisations in over 140 countries, including universities and other educational institutions, employers, professional bodies and government organisations.
IELTS is used for study and employment abroad, as well as for visa and immigration purposes in countries such as the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
The certificate is valid up to 2 years after taking the exam.
You can look for a recognising institution by using the IELTS Global Recognition System, an interactive tool designed to help you find universities, professional organisations, employers and government agencies around the world that accept IELTS.
IELTS is available in two test formats:
Each recognising organisation sets its own entry requirements. In some cases both modules may be accepted. If you are in doubt as to which module to take, you should contact the organisation you are applying to in order to check their requirements.
Candidates are tested in four areas:
| SECTIONS | DURATION: |
|---|---|
| Listening | 4 sections, 40 items, 30 minutes |
| Reading | 3 sections, 40 items, 60 minutes |
| Writing | 2 tasks (150 and 250 words), 60 minutes |
| Speaking | 11-14 minutes |
Everyone takes the same Listening and Speaking tests. There are different Reading and Writing tests for the Academic and General Training modules. The Listening, Reading and Writing tests must be completed on the same day. There are no breaks between the three written tests.
The Speaking test is a face-to-face interview with a certified Examiner. It is interactive and as close to a real-life situation as a test can get. Depending on your test centre, the Speaking test may be offered on the same day or up to a week before or after the other parts.
You receive individual band scores for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking and an Overall Band Score on a band scale from one to nine: 1 (the lowest) to 9 (the highest). There is no pass or fail in IELTS.
Many universities require a score of between 6 – 7 points on IELTS for undergraduate programs. Please check directly with your chosen university for exact entry requirements.
| Score | Competence levels: |
|---|---|
| 9 | Expert user |
| 8 | Very good user |
| 7 | Good user |
| 6 | Competent user |
| 5 | Modest user |
| 4 | Limited user |
| 3 | Extremely limited user |
| 2 | Intermittent user |
| 1 | Non user |
Results become available 13 calendar days after the test date. They are sent by mail to the institutions you have chosen. You can check your exam results online.
If you cancel your IELTS test up to five weeks before the test date, you will receive a refund minus an administration fee of 25% of the test fee.
Please note that refunds can take four to six weeks to process.
No refunds will be allowed for IELTS within five weeks of the test date.
To cancel your IELTS (Academic and General Training) test, please log in to the Test Taker Portal and submit a cancellation request, along with an upload of supporting documentation/evidence or contact English Academy Varna exam center, if you are registered with us.
If a medical certificate confirming illness on the date of the test is provided within two calendar days of the test date, together with the submitted cancellation request on the Test Taker Portal, the fee is refundable, minus an administration fee of 25% of the test fee.
Only original medical certificates in Bulgarian or English are accepted. If we have not received your submitted cancellation request along with an upload of supporting documentation/evidence on the Test Taker Portal by the second calendar day after the test, you will be marked as absent and forfeit all claims.
Please note that we do not accept sick notes issued by family members.
Copies sent by fax or email are not accepted.
If you need to change the date of your test from the date you originally booked, you can request a test day transfer up to five weeks before the test date, free of charge.
Please note that the new test date must be within three months of the original date. In cases of illness, transfer is possible within five weeks of the test if an original medical certificate is provided within five working days of the test date, together with the Request for Refund or Test Date Transfer Form.
If you receive a transfer to a new test date (either before the test or due to illness) and are ill on the second test date, then you are not entitled to a refund of the test fee nor to any further transfer to a new test date.
To request a test day transfer, please complete and return to email address: ielts@britishcouncil.bg, the 'Request for IELTS Test Date Transfer Form', or contact English Academy Varna exam center, if you are registered with us.
Requested transfers are charged 25% of IELTS exam fee.
On rare occasions, there may be instances where you are unable to attend your test or are disadvantaged on the test day owing to illness, injury, or another exceptional event outside your control and you no longer qualify for a standard cancellation, refund or transfer close to the test date. In these cases, including instances such as bereavement, civil unrest or domestic crisis, you may make an application to your test centre for special consideration due to exceptional circumstances.
Under certain circumstances outside of test centre control, we may have to cancel your test and transfer it to a future date. These circumstances include, but may not be limited to, extreme weather conditions, natural disaster, civil unrest, industrial action, global pandemic or for reasons of 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 – whichever you prefer.
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.
If you would like your exam materials to be reviewed, you can submit a request for this. The fee is 136 Euro.
Full information about the exam: IELTS webpage or Cambridge ESOL website.
