This page covers how IDP Thailand says IELTS for UKVI differs from standard IELTS, which Thailand venues ielts.org's directory tags UKVI Approved, and what gov.uk says about English levels for a UK Student visa. It was read in October 2026; lists, tags and rules change, so confirm before you book. It gives no visa advice, recommends no score and quotes no exam fee or test date.
Band Booster IELTS is not the exam board or a test centre. It does not register candidates, set exam fees or dates, or arrange test adjustments, and it is not affiliated with IDP, the British Council or Cambridge. Mike's CELTA is a teaching qualification.
What IELTS for UKVI is, and how IDP says it differs
IDP Thailand's IELTS for UKVI page describes a version of IELTS taken at UKVI test centres, which it says are the only locations where IELTS for UKVI is accepted for visa purposes. UKVI stands for UK Visas and Immigration.
| Point | What IDP Thailand's page says |
|---|---|
| Where it counts for visa purposes | Only when it is taken at a UKVI test centre. |
| Content, scoring and difficulty | The same as standard IELTS. |
| The main difference IDP names | A stricter invigilation (test supervision) system, as UK Visas and Immigration requires. |
| Speaking (IELTS for UKVI) | Always conducted face to face. |
| IELTS Life Skills | Tests only two skills, Listening and Speaking. IDP says some UKVI test centres now offer the Life Skills test by video call. |
On IDP's description, then, the content, scoring and difficulty do not change; what its page stresses is stricter invigilation, which venues count for visa purposes, and face-to-face Speaking. For the choice between the two versions of the test, see Academic versus General Training.
Speaking and video calls: keep the statements apart
IDP's UKVI page says the Speaking test for IELTS for UKVI will always be conducted face to face. The same page adds that some UKVI test centres now offer the IELTS for UKVI Life Skills test, a separate two-skill test, by video call. Provider pages about the standard test describe Speaking at some Thailand centres as possibly held by video call, as computer-delivered IELTS in Thailand sets out. Keep the three apart: none says how the others are held. Confirm the arrangement for your own booking with the provider.
Which Thailand venues does ielts.org's directory tag UKVI Approved?
The ielts.org test centre directory for Thailand shows, for each listing, a provider, a venue and tags such as Computer and One Skill Retake. When it was read in October 2026, these entries carried a UKVI Approved tag.
| City | Provider | Venue as named in the directory |
|---|---|---|
| Bangkok | IDP IELTS Thailand | Silom - IDP Education |
| Bangkok | IDP IELTS Thailand | Asoke - International House |
| Bangkok | British Council | Westminster IELTS Test Centre Silom Edge |
| Bangkok | British Council | Westminster International Ladprao |
| Bangkok | British Council | British Council Bangkok; address: Wittayakit Building, Siam Square |
| Bangkok | British Council | The Landmark Bangkok Hotel |
| Bangkok | IDP | IDP Thailand (Life Skills Only); address: Liberty Square Building, 9th Floor, Silom Road |
| Chiang Mai | IDP IELTS Thailand | Chiang Mai - i-Genius Language Institute |
| Pathum Thani | IDP IELTS Thailand | Rangsit - New Education World |
| Khon Kaen | British Council | Khon Kaen University International College (KKUIC) |
Names are as the directory gives them; addresses are shortened. For every venue each provider lists, by city, see IELTS test centres in Thailand by city.
How to read this list
- It is a snapshot, not a ranking. It lists the entries that carried the UKVI Approved tag when the directory was read in October 2026. Tags change, and a venue missing here is not proof that it offers nothing. This page recommends no venue.
- Duplicate listings can disagree. Some venues appear in the directory more than once, and the UKVI Approved tag can be on one listing of a venue and missing from another; the British Council's Silom Edge, Ladprao, Bangkok (Siam Square) and Khon Kaen University International College entries are examples. Re-check the directory and confirm with the provider before you book.
- The Life Skills Only entry is for a different test. The IDP Thailand (Life Skills Only) entry carries the UKVI Approved tag. The directory describes UKVI Approved tests as IELTS and IELTS Life Skills tests approved by UK Visas and Immigration for visa applications to the UK, and IDP says Life Skills tests only Listening and Speaking. Do not read that tag as meaning that an IELTS for UKVI test covering all four skills is sat there.
- Other tags on the same card. A One Skill Retake tag next to UKVI Approved does not tell you that a retake is offered for the UKVI test; ask the provider, and see One Skill Retake or a full retake. The Silom - IDP Education entry also carries a Computer (Writing on Paper) tag, but IDP's Writing on Paper page says that option is not available for UKVI (details on the Bangkok page).
Chiang Mai, Phuket and other cities
For Chiang Mai, IDP's own page says IELTS for UKVI is available at selected IDP test centres in the city, and the directory tags the Chiang Mai - i-Genius Language Institute entry, so confirm the centre and not just the city. The Chiang Mai page sets out what the two providers say for the city.
The directory's Phuket entry, IDP's Phuket - Billion Brilliant Education, shows Computer and One Skill Retake tags and no UKVI Approved tag. The British Council's UK visas page, linked below, does list Phuket, so the directory and the British Council differ for Phuket. Ask both providers; the same goes for any city this guide does not name.
The British Council may differ. The UKVI information above comes from IDP Thailand's pages and the tags from ielts.org's directory. The British Council's own policy may differ from IDP's on any point here, so read it on its own page: British Council Thailand's UK visas page. That page says the British Council offers IELTS for UKVI in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Phuket.
IDP's transfer and cancellation rules for UKVI
IDP's cancellation and transfer page sets separate rules for IELTS for UKVI, with their own time bands built around a 14-day cut-off, and says policies, deadlines and fees differ between the two tests. Read it before you pay. For booking and rescheduling in Thailand, see booking IELTS in Thailand; for ID, ID and test-day rules.
What gov.uk says about English levels for a UK Student visa
This summarises two gov.uk pages read in October 2026: the Student visa knowledge of English page and the guidance on proving your English with a secure English language test (SELT). It is not advice on your own application.
| Level of study | English level the Student visa page gives |
|---|---|
| Degree level or above | Equivalent to CEFR level B2 |
| Below degree level | CEFR level B1 |
That is not the whole rule. For degree level or above, the same page says your higher education provider can assess your English itself and may ask you to take a different test, which must still be equivalent to CEFR level B2. So a secure English language test is not always the proof you are asked for.
The SELT guidance adds that a result is valid for 2 years from the date the test is awarded, and that the test must have been sat at an approved test location. IDP says IELTS for UKVI counts for visa purposes only at UKVI test centres, so the venue matters if you are asked for a UKVI test; this page cannot tell you whether you are.
It does not convert CEFR levels into IELTS bands or suggest a score. A visa minimum and a university's admission requirement are separate, both vary and both change: see IELTS scores for study abroad.
Applying to a university in Thailand instead?
IDP Thailand's UKVI page says most universities in Thailand accept IELTS Regular Academic scores, and that it depends on the specific university and faculty requirements. That is IDP's wording, not a promise for any university, and this page names none; ask the university and faculty what they accept.
Before you book: a short checklist
- Find out what proof your application asks for. Read gov.uk's guidance for your route and ask your university or college whether it wants a secure English language test or will assess your English itself.
- Get the exact test name in writing. IELTS for UKVI, IELTS Life Skills and standard IELTS are different bookings.
- Check the venue in two places. Open the ielts.org directory, then confirm on the provider's own booking page that the session is IELTS for UKVI at that venue.
- Read both providers' rules, including ID, test-day and transfer rules (the British Council's may differ from IDP's), and check your timing against the 2-year validity of a SELT result.
General practice tips (not from the providers; no band is promised)
- Speaking: practise aloud with another person, in order: Part 1, Part 2 with one minute to prepare, then Part 3. The Speaking Part 2 timer helps with the long turn.
- Writing: practise Task 1 (at least 150 words) and Task 2 (at least 250 words, counting twice as much) in one 60-minute sitting, typing, since IDP's Writing on Paper page says IELTS for UKVI is available exclusively on computer (computer-delivered IELTS in Thailand covers the wider picture).
Where one-to-one lessons with Mike fit in
Band Booster IELTS is a private online tutoring service, and a lesson is practice with a teacher, not an IELTS for UKVI test.
Mike holds the Cambridge CELTA, is based in Hanoi and teaches every session himself, one-to-one and live on Google Meet, in English, not in Thai. He scored 8.5 in Speaking in his own IELTS (about Mike), and he is a teacher, not an examiner. In a Writing session you work on Task 1 or Task 2, marked against the public band descriptors; Speaking sessions follow Parts 1, 2 and 3 in the real test format, with feedback during the session. Both of those pages use Vietnam as their example, so their prices are Vietnam's.
Thailand and Hanoi are both on UTC+7 all year, and the booking calendar shows each slot in your own time. The booking page shows your price in your own currency, with the payment options, before you pay. A paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on a first booking, and a lesson can be rescheduled at no charge up to 12 hours before it. No band is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions.
More for Thailand: online IELTS tutoring for Thailand, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. A Thai version of this page is also available.