What this page found in Saudi Arabia on 24 October 2026
- IDP's Saudi list carried a “One Skill Retake available” note on 22 of its 27 venue listings, including venues in Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Al Hofuf, Makkah, Madinah and Abha. Five listings did not, among them two hotel listings in Mecca and Medina.
- The British Council and the ielts.org finder disagree on format. The British Council names computer centres in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, while the finder tags British Council centres in many more places, for example Hail, Taif and Yanbu, as Computer with One Skill Retake.
- KAUST says it does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake results as evidence of English proficiency.
Read on 24 October 2026 on the providers' Saudi Arabia pages, IDP's test dates list, the ielts.org test centre finder and KAUST's admissions page. Lists change, so confirm everything on your provider's booking page. This page quotes no exam fee or test date.
IDP's Saudi list: the retake note on most listings, seven examples, and two hotels without it
IDP's Saudi Arabia test dates page marks some venue listings “One Skill Retake available”. On 24 October 2026 it showed 27 test centres, and 22 of them carried that note; listings in Dammam, Dhahran, Taif, Tabuk and Unayzah showed it too. The first seven rows below are examples of listings that show it; the last two do not. Venues that are not universities or hotels are described here by city and street, not by name.
| City | Venue as IDP's list describes it | Retake note in the listing |
|---|---|---|
| Riyadh | Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University | Shown |
| Jeddah | King Abdulaziz University | Shown |
| Al Khobar | King Fahad Bin Abdulaziz Road, Al Qashlah district | Shown |
| Al Hofuf (Al-Ahsa) | King Khalid Road | Shown |
| Makkah | Inside a shopping mall on Abdullah Arif Street (Ar Rusayfah) | Shown |
| Madinah | A school in Ar Ranuna, on Al Abbas Ibn Ubadah | Shown |
| Abha | King Khalid University (Male & Female), College of Languages and Translation Building | Shown |
| Mecca | Four Points by Sheraton hotel, in the district at Al Rajhi Mosque, Third Ring Road, An Naseem | Not shown; the listing links to its test sessions |
| Medina | Frontel Alharithia Hotel, Abi Ubaida Ibn-el-Jarrah Street, Northern Central Area | Not shown; the listing links to its test sessions |
- A missing note is not a statement that a retake is impossible. Two of the five listings without the note are these hotels, and the list does not say a retake can or cannot be sat there. Ask IDP about the exact session.
- Try both spellings. The list writes Makkah for the mall but Mecca for the hotel, and Madinah for the school but Medina for the hotel.
- A note on a venue is not a seat on your date. Check the sessions IDP shows for that venue; IDP's Saudi page says you must book within 60 days of your original test date.
These listings matter if your original test was with IDP, which says a retake for an IDP test is available only at an eligible IDP test centre. If your original test was with the British Council, ask it which of its centres hold retake sessions; this page states no British Council rule on that point.
Our city pages cover each area's venues in more detail: Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Al Khobar, Makkah and Taif, Madinah and Yanbu and Abha, Hail and other cities, with an overview in IELTS test centres in Saudi Arabia. Our page on women's and men's test centres explains labels such as Male & Female in IDP's list and the finder.
British Council: computer centres in three cities, and a wider conflict with the finder
The British Council's dates, fees and locations page says you can take IELTS on computer at its test centres in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, and its One Skill Retake page says the retake is for IELTS on computer. The ielts.org test centre finder tags British Council centres in many more places as Computer with One Skill Retake, some of them places that the British Council page lists only under paper. Three examples:
| Place | What the ielts.org finder shows | What the British Council page shows |
|---|---|---|
| Hail | A British Council centre in the Al Matar area, on Ash Shaikh Abdul Aziz Ibn Baz street, tagged Computer and One Skill Retake | Lists Hail only under paper |
| Taif | A British Council centre in a mall on Shehar Street, tagged Computer and One Skill Retake | Lists Taif only under paper |
| Yanbu | A British Council centre on Al Badr Street, Al Jabriah, tagged Computer and One Skill Retake | Does not name Yanbu on its dates, fees and locations page |
These sources disagree, and this page does not decide between them: we cannot say which is current. ielts.org's test delivery update of 5 March 2026 said it will stop offering IELTS as a paper-based test from mid-2026, with timelines varying by market, so a paper listing may be out of date (this page's inference, not a provider's statement). Because the providers describe the retake for IELTS on computer, the format matters twice, for your original test (IDP describes a full test on computer) and for the retake itself. Before you plan a trip to a centre in one of these places, confirm the format and address on the booking page for your date.
The British Council also lists the retake for IELTS for UKVI on computer; whether a visa route accepts a retake result is for the organisation involved to say, and this page gives no visa advice (see IELTS for UKVI in Saudi Arabia). For computer and paper across the Gulf, see computer-delivered IELTS in Saudi Arabia and four other Gulf countries.
KAUST does not accept One Skill Retake results
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) names IELTS One Skill Retake results, alongside TOEFL MyBest superscores, among the results that its admissions page on entry requirements says it does not accept as evidence of English proficiency.
Check this kind of rule before choosing a retake over a full test: a result the receiving institution does not accept does not help that application. The rule is KAUST's own and may change.
This page read KAUST's page only. It did not check other Saudi universities, employers or government bodies, so it cannot say whether they accept a retake: ask each one. For the score figures that four Saudi universities' pages state, see IELTS scores at Saudi universities.
The provider rules, as the providers state them
These are the providers' own rules, with the source named in each row; Band Booster does not set them. The same-provider, passport and Enquiry on Results rules are IDP's, and this page states no British Council rule on those three points.
| Rule | Source | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | British Council, Saudi page | Available for IELTS Academic and General Training on computer, and for IELTS for UKVI on computer. One skill, once per original test. |
| Deadline | British Council and IDP, Saudi page | The British Council says you must sit the retake within 60 days of your original test. IDP's page says you must book it within 60 days of your original test date and, in its FAQ, that you sit it within 60 days of your full test. |
| Eligibility | IDP | After a recent full test on computer, with your result, from an eligible test centre. |
| Same provider | IDP | An IDP test can be retaken only at an eligible IDP test centre. |
| Passport | IDP | Use the same valid passport as for the original booking; a different passport or ID may prevent you from sitting. |
| Re-mark first | IDP | For an Enquiry on Results on Listening, Reading or Writing, apply within two weeks of the original test date and wait for the remark status before registering for a retake against that test. |
| Absent on the day | IDP, reschedule and cancel rules | An absent test taker may be able to rebook within the 60-day period from the original test. |
| Writing on Paper | ielts.org, test delivery update | A retake after Writing on Paper must use the same delivery mode as the original test. |
| Result | British Council | A new Test Report Form shows the retake score and your original scores, valid for two years from the original test date. |
On the British Council's wording the two years run from the original test date, so a retake does not start a new two-year period. The 60-day wording varies between the providers and within IDP's page, some about booking and some about sitting, so plan to sit the retake inside the 60 days and ask your provider if your date is close to the edge.
Before you book a retake: a checklist for Saudi readers
General advice built on the rules above, not guidance from IDP, the British Council or ielts.org.
- Find your provider. An IDP test needs an IDP retake, so check which provider holds your original test first.
- Ask the receiving institution first. KAUST's page says no to retake results; others may differ.
- Check the original test's format. The providers describe the retake for tests on computer, and after Writing on Paper the Writing retake must also be on paper.
- Check the session, not only the listing. The booking page for your date is the reference, especially where the finder and the provider's page differ.
- Count the 60 days from the original test date, including days spent waiting for results or a remark.
- Keep the same passport, and read the fee on the provider's page, because the provider sets it and it can change.
Where lessons with Mike fit
Band Booster IELTS is a private online tutoring service. It is not a test centre, it is independent of IDP, the British Council and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and it does not register you, hold a place, set test fees or dates, or issue results.
Every lesson is one-to-one on Google Meet in English with Mike, who holds the Cambridge CELTA, teaches from Hanoi and scored 8.5 in Speaking in his own IELTS (about Mike). Sessions can focus on the one skill you plan to retake, Speaking, Writing, Listening or Reading, with feedback during the session and written progress notes in your account. Those pages are written for Vietnam, so ignore their prices.
Saudi Arabia is in a higher regional price tier than Vietnam, and the booking page shows your price in your own currency before you pay. A paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on your first booking, and you can reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before a session. No band is guaranteed: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions. For the general rules outside Saudi Arabia, see One Skill Retake or a full retake.