Is IELTS computer-delivered in the United States?
According to the ielts.org test centre finder, yes. When this page was written in October 2026 it showed 27 centres in the United States, every one listing IELTS on computer and none listing a fully paper-based test. The IELTS USA page names IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, IELTS for UKVI and IELTS for UKVI Life Skills for the US; the finder's UKVI Approved filter marks one centre and each centre's own ielts.org page lists the tests it offers, so check the page of the centre you plan to use and confirm with the centre. Centres and formats can change, so check the finder for your city.
Its city filter offered 27 city or metro options: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Davenport, Denver, Fort Worth, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Haven, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St Petersburg (Florida) and Washington DC.
ielts.org's About IELTS USA page says IELTS USA oversees the delivery of IELTS tests in the United States, and its IELTS USA page says there are over 20 test centres. The British Council's United States page says US testing is offered through independent testing providers managed by the IELTS USA office in Washington. IDP's test-centre finder listed no US centres when this page was written.
Is paper-based IELTS still available in the US?
The IELTS USA page says IELTS on Paper is available to some test takers who may need access arrangements, and a 5 March 2026 notice from ielts.org says IELTS will no longer be offered as a paper-based test from mid-2026, with timelines varying by market. The two statements do not line up and neither gives a date for the US, so prepare for computer, and if you need access arrangements, ask your centre which format you would sit.
Computer vs paper IELTS: what changes and what stays the same
According to ielts.org's ways to take IELTS page, Listening, Reading and Writing questions are shown on screen and answered on the computer, while Speaking is a face-to-face session with a trained IELTS examiner. The lengths below follow ielts.org's computer and Writing on Paper page; ielts.org's Academic format pages word the Listening length as approximately 30 minutes.
| Section | Length and structure | On computer |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | About 30 minutes, 4 parts | Questions on screen; answers entered on the computer. |
| Reading | 60 minutes, 3 sections | Questions on screen; answers entered on the computer. |
| Writing | 60 minutes, 2 tasks | Questions on screen; answers entered on the computer, so in practice you type. |
| Speaking | 11 to 14 minutes, 3 parts | ielts.org describes a face-to-face session with a trained IELTS examiner, and its IELTS USA page calls IELTS a face-to-face speaking test, but its Guide for Test Takers says face-to-face or via video call. The British Council's global IELTS on computer page says Speaking is with an examiner either face-to-face or by video call, while IDP's global IELTS on computer, Academic and General Training pages describe a face-to-face interview. None of the pages used for this page says that video-call Speaking is used, or excluded, at a US centre, so check with your centre how yours is run. |
Writing on Paper. Eight of the 27 centres also listed Computer (Writing on Paper), in the Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Fort Worth, Manhattan, Seattle and Washington DC areas, and you then handwrite your Writing answers. The computer and Writing on Paper page says the task types, scoring and time allocation are the same either way, that your results form will not say you chose it, and that it is not available for IELTS for UKVI.
Is computer IELTS easier or harder than paper?
The ielts.org pages used for this page do not rank the two. They say the delivery update does not change the skills assessed, the test construct or how institutions interpret results. One difference ielts.org lists is results time: typically about 1 to 2 days on computer against 13 days for IELTS on Paper (details below). Another is how answers are given: entered on the computer, or handwritten if you choose Writing on Paper.
The institution that asks for your result decides which test and score you need, and this page cannot say what a particular institution accepts, so ask it before you book. See Academic or General Training.
Speaking on the computer-delivered test
ielts.org's Academic Speaking format page describes Speaking as 11 to 14 minutes in three parts: Part 1 on familiar topics, Part 2 a cue card with one minute to prepare and then a talk of up to two minutes, and Part 3 a discussion of more abstract questions.
Check your own email for the Speaking time rather than assuming it falls on the same day as the written parts. The British Council's US page says your confirmation email gives separate start times for Speaking and for Listening, Reading and Writing, and that centres may change the Speaking time and date. Its global IELTS on computer page says Speaking may be on a different day.
How long do computer-delivered IELTS results take?
Typically about 1 to 2 days. 5 days is the longest range ielts.org publishes for IELTS Academic and General Training on computer. These are typical timings, not promises, and the pages give several versions:
- The IELTS USA page says that for IELTS on computer taken in the USA, most test takers receive results in as little as 1 day.
- ielts.org's fast results page says most computer results are issued within 2 days and lists IELTS on computer as usually 1 to 2 days. It also says globally 80% of scores are available within 2 days, based on global data from May to June 2024, not US data.
- ielts.org's page on getting and sharing results gives 1 to 5 days for IELTS on computer, and says US test takers get an emailed link to view scores in an IELTS USA account.
- The fast results page lists 13 days for IELTS on Paper. IDP's global page gives results within 5 days for Writing on Paper; this page found no US-specific figure for it.
Computer-based IELTS tips: practising for the screen
The practice material below is untimed, and its timer, highlighting and notes work differently from the live test, so use it to learn the screens, not to check your timing.
- ielts.org. The Academic sample questions page has a practice experience with Listening, Academic Reading, Academic Writing and Academic Writing on Paper tests. The ielts.org sample test questions hub also links General Training sample questions.
- IDP. The familiarisation tests page lists Listening, Academic Reading and Academic Writing sample tests as available, with Writing shown as Sample Task 1 and Sample Task 2. IDP's site lists no US test centres on its test-centre finder, and the page does not say whether the familiarisation tests are meant for US bookings.
Computer-based IELTS tips from a teacher
This is general teaching advice, not guidance from ielts.org or any test provider, and no band is promised.
- Try the screens first, then time yourself. Use the untimed tests to try the notes and highlighting, then do full sections against your own timer.
- Type complete Writing answers against the clock. Writing is 60 minutes for two tasks and Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1, so practise planning, typing and re-reading, with roughly 20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 for Task 2. This page quotes no required typing speed.
- Read some passages on screen. If you choose Writing on Paper, handwrite your practice answers.
- Keep Speaking live. Practise aloud with another person, using the Speaking Part 2 timer for the long turn.
Other formats: IELTS Online, One Skill Retake and UKVI in the US
One Skill Retake. The ielts.org page says it needs a full computer test at a centre that offers it, with the retake sat within 60 days. In October 2026 ielts.org's centre search with the One Skill Retake box ticked showed no US centres, so confirm with your centre before booking the full test. A British Council blog post, last updated 10 October 2025, says One Skill Retake is not available for tests taken in the USA, which ielts.org's pages do not say (they say to check with your test centre), so this page cannot say whether it is open to you. See One Skill Retake or a full retake.
IELTS Online. ielts.org says it is offered in some countries, for Academic only. The IELTS USA page and the US centre listings do not mention it, but IDP's global article on IELTS for the USA (IDP has no US country site) says its test centres offer IELTS Online or IELTS on Computer and that you may also be able to take IELTS Online from home, so the providers' pages differ and this page cannot say whether it is open to you.
IELTS for UKVI. The IELTS USA page says one test centre offers the only UKVI testing in the US, and ielts.org's finder lists that centre in the Washington DC metro area (in Arlington, Virginia). ielts.org says the UKVI test is available in the fully digital format only. The online IELTS tutor page for the USA covers all three in more detail.
Where one-to-one lessons with Mike fit
Band Booster IELTS is a private tutoring service, not an IELTS test centre: it does not register candidates, set exam fees or issue results. Mike is a Cambridge CELTA-certified teacher based in Hanoi who teaches every session himself, one-to-one and live on Google Meet in English. In his own IELTS test he scored 7.5 overall and 8.5 in Speaking; see About Mike.
- Writing timing. A session can concentrate on Writing: you work on Task 1 or Task 2, including how you spend your 60 minutes, and have your answers marked against the public band descriptors, with feedback during the session. See Writing feedback.
- Speaking. Parts 1, 2 and 3 are practised in the real test format, with feedback in the moment. See Speaking coaching.
Lessons cannot replace typing practice between sessions, and no band is promised. The booking page shows your price in your own currency before you pay, with payment options, and a paid 30-minute trial is available once per student, on a first booking.
Time zones for lessons from the US
Hanoi is on UTC+7 all year: the IANA time zone database lists Vietnam with no daylight saving. NIST lists Eastern at UTC-5 on standard time and Pacific at UTC-8, and says Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe daylight saving time. Federal rules (49 CFR 71.2) move the clocks of states that observe daylight saving time forward one hour from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. So Hanoi is 12 hours ahead of Eastern time on standard time and 11 on daylight saving time; for Pacific, 15 and 14. The booking calendar shows each slot in your own time zone.
Registration, fees and dates
Look up centres with the ielts.org finder. The British Council's US page points to IELTS USA registration through its Book now links, and says to check fees with your test centre. Fees and dates change and Band Booster does not set them, so this page quotes none; check them with your centre. It also lists no test-day rules for US centres, such as ID, arrival time or what you may bring, so check your confirmation email and the IELTS USA page before you travel. In Vietnam instead? See computer-delivered IELTS in Hanoi.