You can still apply to sit the IELTS test in Australia if you don’t have a passport, however only for three specific scenarios given below. The following options will have to go through our Verification of Identity process before being accepted.

Australian citizen by birth – birth certificate, drivers’ licence, and Medicare.

Not born in Australia, but acquired Australian citizenship – Australia citizen certificate, driver licence or photo ID and Medicare.

Refugee – A travel document – a certificate with a serial number able to be verified by the Australian government or an Immi Card – issued by the Australian government. We also ask that you provide us with a driving licence and Medicare card.

In exceptional circumstances, and where a test taker does not have a valid passport or national identity card, please contact us ielts@ail.vic.edu.au or ielts.boxhill@ail.vic.edu.au for approval.

The IELTS test is offered in two modules – IELTS Academic and General Training.

The Academic module is designed for those who want to study or train in a university that teaches in English at undergraduate or postgraduate level or institutions of higher and further education. Many professions (e.g. medical, nursing, accounting, engineering) also require an Academic test result for registration purposes.

The General Training module is for those who are going to English-speaking countries to do secondary education, work experience or training programs. This version of the test may be a visa requirement if you are planning to migrate to English speaking countries.

IELTS is accepted globally by more than 10,000 organisations including universities, professional bodies, employers and Australian student visa and migration applications. Find out who accepts IELTS in Australia here. The IELTS General Training test is the only non-academic test of English accepted for migration to Australia.

For computer-delivered IELTS test, you can ONLY request an update of the module (AC/GT) for the same test session upto 4 days before your test date.
Unfortunately, once a session booking is closed (4 days before your test date), no changes can be made - no cancellation/refund or transfer request is accepted in this case.
Please contact us for more details at ielts@ail.vic.edu.au or ielts.boxhill@ail.vic.edu.au.

No. The test fee must be paid in full at the time of booking.

Requests submitted less than 5 days prior to your test date will not be accepted, except if due to the following reasons:

A traumatic experience

Domestic crisis

Unavoidable legal or military obligation

Serious medical conditions which prevent you from attending or performing normally on test day

Bereavement, or other forms of significant hardship

Civil unrest, extreme weather

In case of medical reasons, an original medical certificate/hospital admission certificate issued by a professional medical practitioner is required. The medical certificate must include the nature of the illness and other relevant information (with reference to your capacity to sit an exam) which will assist in any assessment of this application for special consideration.

For other reasons, you must provide relevant documentation/evidence, i.e. police report, military service notice, or death notice. Statutory declarations or certificates signed by family members are not acceptable. The completed request form and supporting documentation must be received no later than five (5) days after the test date. Please note all requests submitted less than 5 days prior to your test date are subjected to administration approval.

* For any approved cancellation/refund request made less than 5 days prior to your test date, a 25% administration fee applies from your original test fee.
* For any approved test date transfer/reschedule request made less than 5 days prior to your test date, a non-refundable $75 transfer fee applies.

Australian Institute of Language IELTS Centre reserves the right not to accept cancellation and/or transfer request due to work or study arrangement within 5 days prior to your test date, or any test taker who has started the test, and exits during the test; or cannot attend either the Listening/Reading/Writing test or the Speaking test.

On the day of the test, you must bring your valid ID, i.e. current passport (only original and current passports are accepted). Your passport must have an expiry date of at least 7 days after the test date to be considered valid. Photocopies or certified copies will not be accepted.

Clear bottle of water – remove all labels and bottle must be see-through. All test takers are provided with pencils and erasers. Please do not bring your own stationery as it will not be allowed into the test room.

If you are taking computer-delivered IELTS, you can write down any notes on the logon sheets provided; however, they will not be looked at by examiners.

· Paper-based IELTS Test – Writing, Listening, Reading – Up to 3 hours

· Computer-delivered IELTS Test – Listening, Reading, Writing – Up to 2 hours 45 mins

· Speaking Test (Both) – 11 - 14 mins

While it is up to each organisation to set a validity period that works for their purposes, the IELTS partners recommend a 2-year validity period for IELTS test results.

At any time within two years of sitting the test at Australian Institute of Language, you may apply for up to additional two copies of your TRF if your TRF is lost or damaged. A non-refundable $10/copy fee will be charged to replace lost/damaged or additional TRF. Please contact us for more details at ielts@ail.vic.edu.au or ielts.boxhill@ail.vic.edu.au.

You do not need any special computer skills. Please note that a QWERTY keyboard is used for the computer-delivered test. If you are unfamiliar with this type of keyboard, it may help to practice with one before you take the test. Don’t worry if you can’t type fast enough, the computer test is designed for people with normal typing skills.

To get yourself familiar with the computer-delivered IELTS test, please click the following links:
· Listening
· Reading
· Writing

No, you must do all four parts if you need to repeat the test. 

For paper-based test - The Listening test is played via a central sound system and we will conduct a sound-check to ensure that all candidates can hear the audio. You will not need to use headphones.

For computer-delivered test – You will be provided with noise-cancelling headphones. You will be able to adjust the volume before and during the Listening test.

No, caps and hats are not allowed in the test room for both Listening/Reading/Writing and Speaking test.

However, religious headwear, i.e. turbans, hijabs, is accepted. No substitute hats/caps or beanies, etc, other than actual religious headwear is accepted for religious purposes.

No. If you choose to take computer-delivered IELTS, you will need to take your Listening, Reading and Writing tests at the centre on a computer.

The Speaking test is not on computer. You will complete it face-to-face, in a quiet room, with an experienced and friendly IELTS examiner.

In order to ensure that the language ability of all test takers is assessed fairly and objectively, IELTS provides a comprehensive service for test takers who have special requirements, including specific learning difficulties, hearing difficulties and visual difficulties, medical conditions or infant feeding.

If you require a modified version of IELTS, or if your circumstances require special arrangements to be made, e.g. extra time, you must give us at least six weeks’ notice.

Please note there are limited seats available for special needs test takers who require a separate room during the test. For more information, please visit the IELTS special requirements here.

Please email us at ielts@ail.vic.edu.au or ielts.boxhill@ail.vic.edu.au, if you have any special requirements before you book your test. One of our team members will contact you as soon as possible.