Band Booster IELTS does not register students for the test, set exam fees or set test dates. This guide sets out what British Council Hong Kong and IDP say, on the pages of their Hong Kong websites, about the ID you need to book, consent for candidates under 18, booking time limits and check-in on test day. The pages were read on 24 October 2026. Providers change their rules, so read the current page of the provider you book with before you pay. This page quotes no exam fee or test date.
British Council Hong Kong and IDP at a glance
The British Council Hong Kong statements come from its booking, test-day and dates, fees and locations pages. The IDP statements come from a booking checklist (a general article on its Hong Kong site that names no Hong Kong test centre) and a registration page written in Chinese.
| Question | British Council Hong Kong says | IDP says (Hong Kong site) |
|---|---|---|
| ID to book | Have a valid passport or HKID at hand (a Macao ID card is also listed); you enter the ID number when you book. | Upload a clear copy of your identification document (checklist); a valid passport is its example. |
| Name | No name rule in the pages read for this guide. | Details in English; the name must match the identity card or passport (registration page). |
| Under 18 | Written consent from a parent or guardian. | Written consent from a parent or guardian (checklist). |
| Time limits | Computer-delivered tests can be booked up to 48 hours before test day. | The whole registration and payment process must be completed within 24 hours; the page does not say when the 24 hours start. |
| Email before the test | At least three days before, with your start time (test-centre information). | 7 days before, with your admit card, test time and venue. |
| On test day | At a test centre: the same valid ID you booked with; a photograph is taken; no watches in the test room. | Admit card and original ID; you arrive early to register and store belongings; fingerprints are taken. |
The ID you use to book IELTS in Hong Kong
British Council Hong Kong
The British Council Hong Kong booking page says to have a valid ID at hand, a passport or an HKID, and it also lists a Macao ID card. The reason it gives is that you enter your ID number when you book your test.
IDP
IDP's booking checklist, which sits on its Hong Kong site and is written in English, says you upload a clear copy of your identification document to book, and bring this documentation on test day too. It gives a valid passport as its example, and it says that if you are not sure your document is valid, you should contact your local test centre to check.
IDP's registration page, also on its Hong Kong site and written in Chinese, adds that personal details must be filled in English and that the name must be the same as on the identity card or passport.
That name rule is IDP's. The British Council Hong Kong pages read for this guide give no name rule, so if you book with it and are unsure how to type your name, ask before you pay. Also check that your ID has not expired: British Council Hong Kong says invalid or expired ID is not accepted on test day (see below).
Under 18: written consent from a parent or guardian
British Council Hong Kong's booking page says candidates under 18 years of age have to supply written consent by a parent or guardian in order to apply for a test place. IDP's booking checklist says that if you want to book and are under 18, you need to supply written consent by a parent or guardian.
The lines read for this guide do not say what the consent has to contain or how it is sent, so ask the provider you book with before you choose a test date. If you are under 18, treat this as the first step of booking.
Booking time limits: 48 hours, 24 hours and the emails
The numbers below come from different providers and measure different things, so do not compare them with each other.
- British Council Hong Kong, 48 hours. Its booking page lists, among the benefits of IELTS on computer, that you can book your test up to 48 hours before test day. So 48 hours before test day is the latest booking time it describes. This page cannot tell you whether a seat is open on a given day; the provider's booking page is the place to look.
- IDP, 24 hours. Its registration page says the whole registration and payment process must be completed within 24 hours. The page does not say when the 24 hours start, so ask IDP before you begin; this page does not read it as a deadline before the test date.
- IDP, 7 days. The registration page says the admit card, test time and venue are sent to you by email 7 days before the test.
- British Council Hong Kong, three days. Its test-day page says you will receive an email at least three days before the test, so that you know what time your test starts.
Test day with IDP: admit card, original ID and fingerprints
IDP's registration page says to print your admit card (the page calls it 准考證) and show it on test day, and that showing it on a phone is also accepted.
It also says candidates must arrive early at the venue to register and store their personal belongings. To confirm your identity you show the admit card and the original identification document, and your fingerprints are taken for verification.
Test day at a British Council Hong Kong test centre: same ID, photograph, watches and start time
British Council Hong Kong's test-day page says the information on it applies only if you take your IELTS test at one of its test centres; for IELTS Online it points to a separate section of its site. The points below are the test-centre rules.
- ID. The page says to bring the same valid ID you used when you booked your test, and it names a national identity card or passport. Invalid or expired ID is not accepted, and if you cannot provide valid ID you will not be able to sit the test. The rule it states is to bring the ID you booked with; if you are unsure whether your document fits, ask British Council Hong Kong before test day.
- Photograph. A photograph is taken on test day as an additional security measure and appears on your Test Report Form.
- Watches. All watches, whatever their style or age, are not allowed in the test room. You leave your watch with your belongings in the secure baggage area, and there is a clock at the test venue.
- Start time and lateness. If you arrive late, you may not be allowed to take the test. The email sent at least three days before tells you what time your test starts.
- Session times. The dates, fees and locations page says morning sessions are usually between 9.00 am and 12.00 pm and afternoon sessions usually between 1.00 pm and 4.00 pm. These are usual ranges: the time in your own email is the one that applies to you.
A short checklist
- Decide which provider you will book with and read its current pages: the rules above are not the same for both.
- Check that your passport or HKID has not expired and have it at hand before you open the booking form. If you are under 18, arrange the written consent with the provider before you pick a date.
- When the email arrives (IDP: 7 days before; British Council Hong Kong: at least three days before), check the start time and, with IDP, the venue. With IDP, also print the admit card or keep it on your phone.
- Plan to arrive early: IDP asks candidates to arrive early to register and store belongings, and British Council Hong Kong says late arrival may mean you cannot take the test.
IELTS UKVI: the passport step at IDP
IDP's registration steps for IELTS UKVI ask you to fill in your passport number and upload a passport photo, and they say the photo must show the passport number in its top right corner. That is all this page takes from that step.
Whether IELTS UKVI is what you need is not something this page can say: check the requirements of the organisation that asks for your score. For general information see IELTS for UKVI and Life Skills in Hong Kong. This page gives no visa or immigration advice.
What this page leaves out
- Test centres: addresses and buildings are on IELTS test centres in Hong Kong.
- Moving or cancelling: see changing or cancelling IELTS in Hong Kong.
- Extra time or other support: see IELTS special arrangements in Hong Kong.
- Test format: the test format and how Speaking is delivered are on computer-delivered IELTS in Hong Kong.
Where lessons with Mike fit
Band Booster IELTS is a private tutoring service, not a test centre. It does not register candidates or set exam fees or test dates, so you book the test with British Council Hong Kong or IDP, not with Band Booster. Mike, a Cambridge CELTA-certified teacher based in Hanoi, teaches every session himself, one-to-one, live on Google Meet and in English only. His own IELTS Speaking result is 8.5 (about Mike).
Sessions cover Listening, Reading, Writing (Task 1 and Task 2, marked against the public band descriptors) and Speaking in the real three-part format, with feedback during the session rather than days later. See Speaking coaching and Writing feedback. No band is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions.
The booking page shows each time in your own time zone and your price in your own currency before you pay. Hong Kong is one hour ahead of Hanoi all year (the sources are on the online IELTS tutor for Hong Kong page). You can reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before a slot; a cancellation inside 12 hours is not refunded. A paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on your first booking.