Whose rules these are
The rules on this page are IDP Thailand's. They come from IDP's Thailand test day page, its what to bring page and its test dates page, plus three IDP pages about particular venues or products that are named in the Speaking section below. They were read in October 2026, and your confirmation email is what applies to you.
The British Council also runs IELTS in Thailand, and its rules may differ from IDP's. This page states none of them. If you are booked with the British Council, read its Thailand IELTS test day page instead.
You register for the test with IDP or the British Council, not with Band Booster IELTS, and this page quotes no exam fee and no test date. IDP and the British Council in Thailand both state that from 22 March 2026 all IELTS tests are delivered on computer; computer-delivered IELTS in Thailand covers what that changes, so this page sticks to test-day rules.
Which ID to bring
IDP Thailand's test dates page names a Thai ID card or, for non-Thai nationals, a passport as acceptable identification. The what-to-bring page words it a little differently: it tells you to bring your original passport or your original Thai National ID Card, and the document has to be valid. IDP's pages do not say that a Thai national must use the ID card or cannot use a passport, so this page does not either.
The rule that matters most is also on the what-to-bring page: you must bring the exact same original document you used to register for your test. Whichever document you registered with is the one to have in your hand on the day.
| Point | What IDP Thailand's pages say |
|---|---|
| Acceptable ID | A Thai ID card, or a passport for non-Thai nationals (test dates page). |
| Which document | The original passport or the original Thai National ID Card, and it must be valid (what-to-bring page). |
| Same as registration | The exact same original document you used to register (what-to-bring page). |
| Not accepted | Photocopies, digital copies on your phone and expired documents (what-to-bring page). |
This is about identification on test day only. It is not visa or immigration advice, and this page gives none. If you are unsure whether your document is acceptable, ask the provider you booked with before test day.
Phones, water and lockers
Phones and other electronic devices
IDP's what-to-bring page bans electronic devices from the test room and says any device found there results in immediate disqualification. IDP's test day page says the same thing in other words: mobile phones must be switched off and left with your personal belongings, and keeping a device with you means disqualification.
IDP's what-to-bring page words the phone rule more than one way. Its at-a-glance list says to leave electronic devices behind, its detailed section says to power them off (not just put them on silent) and store them in your locker, and an FAQ says you can bring a mobile phone if it is switched off and stored. All of these agree that nothing electronic belongs in the test room. Follow what you are told at your venue on the day, and if you are unsure, ask IDP Thailand beforehand or leave the device at home.
Water
IDP says you may bring water in a transparent bottle. One line on the what-to-bring page says the bottle should have no labels, and an FAQ says to remove the label. Taking the label off before you leave home fits both.
Lockers
IDP provides lockers for bags, but says it is not responsible for any lost or damaged items. Treat a locker as storage, not as a safe. IDP's page also asks you to leave valuable items at home, naming large sums of money, laptops, wallets or purses, keys and any non-essential items.
Check-in on the day
IDP Thailand's test day page names these steps and requirements:
- Arrival for Speaking. Arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled Speaking test time. Check your confirmation for your own times.
- Arrival for the first part. The same page also describes registration before the Listening, Reading and Writing session. Its example is a morning session starting at 9:00 AM, with registration at the test centre no later than 8:30 AM, and it says that arriving late may mean you are marked as absent. For an afternoon session it says you will likely sit Speaking first, with the same 30-minute rule. Your confirmation gives your own times.
- Photograph and fingerprint. You need to register your fingerprint (biometric registration) at check-in, and the page says your photograph is taken for identification.
- Under 18. If you are under 18, you must also present your signed consent form.
- ID at Speaking. Your ID is checked before you enter the interview room and again during the interview.
These are IDP Thailand's check-in steps. This page does not say that the British Council uses the same ones, so check its page if you are booked there.
How Speaking is arranged: it differs by venue
Speaking is the part of test day that IDP's Thailand pages describe in several different ways. Face to face or by video call, it is an interview with an examiner in three parts lasting 11 to 14 minutes. Each row below is that page's own wording about that venue or product. The rows should not be merged into one rule, and none of them tells you what your venue does: your confirmation does.
| IDP page | What it says about Speaking |
|---|---|
| Test day page | At some test centres you sit Speaking on the same day, or up to 7 days before or after your test date. The same page also says Speaking is on the same day for computer tests, and another line says that, depending on the test centre, it can be on the same day or a day after. |
| Chonburi (Pattaya) page | A one-on-one interview with an examiner by secure video call, on the same day as your other test parts. |
| Pathum Thani (Rangsit) page | A one-on-one test with an examiner, either in person or via video call. |
| IELTS for UKVI page | Speaking for IELTS for UKVI is always conducted face to face. |
What to take from this
- Do not assume the day. The test day page allows for Speaking up to 7 days either side of your test date at some centres, and says elsewhere that, depending on the centre, it can be the same day or a day after, while the Chonburi (Pattaya) page says same day. The test day page also says same day for computer tests. These statements do not all say the same thing, so read your confirmation for the date and time of your own Speaking test.
- Do not assume the format. Depending on the page, Speaking is described as a secure video call, as in person or by video call, or, for IELTS for UKVI, as always face to face.
- Do not carry one venue's wording over to another. A statement on one venue's page is not a statement about the other cities IDP lists. IELTS test centres in Thailand by city shows where IDP and the British Council are listed.
If you are taking IELTS for UKVI, see IELTS for UKVI in Thailand. For how the providers describe Speaking alongside the computer test, see computer-delivered IELTS in Thailand.
A test-day checklist
This list is the page's own, built from the IDP rules above. It is not IDP's list, and your confirmation email comes first.
- Check that your ID is the original document you registered with, that it is valid, and that it is not a photocopy or a copy on your phone.
- Read your confirmation for the date, time and arrangement of every part, Speaking included, and for the time you must arrive for your first part.
- Plan to be at the centre at least 30 minutes before your scheduled Speaking time, as IDP asks. That is the Speaking arrival rule: IDP's page also describes registration, including the photograph and fingerprint, before the Listening, Reading and Writing session, so check your confirmation for the time to arrive for your first part.
- IDP's checklist says to leave electronic devices behind. If you bring a phone, power it off (not just silent), store it in your locker and follow your venue's instruction.
- Take the label off a transparent water bottle.
- Leave valuables and non-essential items at home, as IDP asks; IDP says it is not responsible for lost or damaged items.
- If you are under 18, have your signed consent form ready.
Other test-day topics have their own pages. To move or cancel a date, see booking, paying and rescheduling IELTS in Thailand. If you think you may need adjustments to the test, see IELTS special arrangements in Thailand.
Where lessons with Mike fit
Band Booster IELTS is a private tutoring service, not a test centre or the exam board. It does not register candidates, set exam fees or arrange test adjustments, and it cannot tell you what your venue will do on the day: only your confirmation can.
Mike holds the Cambridge CELTA and is based in Hanoi. He teaches every lesson himself, one-to-one over Google Meet and in English, not Thai, and his own IELTS result in Speaking is 8.5 (more about Mike).
A Speaking lesson follows the real three-part format, with feedback in the moment, and can be recorded on request. That page uses Vietnam as its example, so any price on it is Vietnam's; your own price is on the booking page. A lesson is practice, not an IELTS test: it gives no IELTS result, and no band is promised. Progress depends on your starting point and the work between lessons.
If your venue holds Speaking by video call, talking to someone on a screen is something you can rehearse in a lesson. A lesson on Google Meet does not reproduce the video system a test centre uses, though. For the Speaking format itself, see IELTS Speaking tutor in Thailand.
For how the service works in Thailand, see online IELTS tutoring for Thailand. The booking page shows times in your own timezone and your price in your own currency 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 the slot. A Thai version of this page is also available.