People searching for an IELTS test in the north of England usually want three things: a venue near home, the right kind of test for their purpose, and a way to avoid booking something their visa route will not accept. This page gathers what two official pages say, as they stood on 31 October 2026. Lists change, so treat it as a starting point and confirm on the pages linked below.
Two official lists, two purposes
The ielts.org test centre list for the United Kingdom shows 111 results. It marks some venues as UKVI Approved and shows which formats each offers (computer-delivered, computer with Writing on paper, One Skill Retake). The list repeats some venues under different entries and the formats are not always consistent, so one address may appear several times with different flags.
For IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills, the Home Office publishes its own list of approved test centres. It says the list has been assessed as meeting Home Office requirements and that more centres will be added. The IELTS SELT Consortium is shown there as an approved provider. The two lists are published separately and can differ, so check both and follow the current wording on the gov.uk page.
Standard IELTS and IELTS for UKVI are different bookings. ielts.org says UKVI accepts only tests taken in person at an official IELTS for UKVI test centre, so if your visa route needs a secure English language test, book IELTS for UKVI at a centre on the Home Office list. See IELTS for UKVI or standard IELTS.
Venues by city
| City | Address | UKVI Approved on ielts.org | On the Home Office list for IELTS for UKVI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | 301 Alan Turing Way, M11 3BS | Yes | Yes |
| Manchester | Murray House, 85 Piccadilly, M1 2DA | No flag | Yes |
| Manchester | 9 Portland Street, M1 3BE | No flag | Not listed for IELTS |
| Liverpool | Merchants Court, 2-12 Lord Street, L2 1TS | No flag | Not listed for IELTS |
| Liverpool | South Campus Teaching Hub, Chatham Street, L7 7BA | No flag | Not listed for IELTS |
| Leeds | 29 Park Place, LS1 2SP | Yes on some entries | Yes |
| Bradford | Salts Mill, Victoria Road, Saltaire, BD18 3LF | No flag | Not listed for IELTS |
| York | 137 Holgate Road, YO24 4DH | No flag | Not listed for IELTS |
| Hull | Canham Turner Building, HU6 7RX | No flag | Not listed for IELTS |
| Newcastle | 7 Gallowgate, NE1 4SG | No flag | Not listed for IELTS |
| Gateshead (near Newcastle) | Unit 9, Bankside, Metro Riverside Park, The Watermark, NE11 9SY | Yes | Yes |
Addresses are copied from the two pages. "Not listed for IELTS" means no row for the IELTS SELT Consortium; the Home Office list also shows other approved providers' tests in some of these cities, which are not IELTS. Sheffield and Preston do not appear in the ielts.org list as fetched.
Manchester
Manchester has three addresses on ielts.org. The one on Alan Turing Way is flagged UKVI Approved and is also on the Home Office list. The Piccadilly address is on the Home Office list but shows no UKVI flag on ielts.org, which is exactly the kind of mismatch to resolve before paying. The Portland Street address has no IELTS SELT Consortium row on the Home Office list.
Liverpool
Both Liverpool venues offer the computer-delivered test and One Skill Retake on ielts.org, and neither carries a UKVI flag or has an IELTS SELT Consortium row on the Home Office list. If you need IELTS for UKVI, the nearest options on that list are in Manchester.
Leeds, Bradford, York and Hull
Leeds has one address, 29 Park Place, shown under several entries. Some entries are flagged UKVI Approved and the Home Office lists the address. Bradford (Saltaire), York and Hull appear for standard IELTS formats, with no UKVI flag and no IELTS SELT Consortium row on the Home Office list.
Newcastle and Gateshead
The centre near Newcastle that is flagged UKVI Approved and appears on the Home Office list for IELTS is in Gateshead, at Metro Riverside Park. Formats for that address are not shown consistently on ielts.org, so check them on the entry you plan to book. The Gallowgate address in Newcastle city centre is listed without a UKVI flag.
How to check before you book
- Decide which test your purpose needs: standard IELTS, or IELTS for UKVI.
- For UKVI, find the address on the Home Office list, not only on ielts.org.
- Open the venue entry on ielts.org and check the format you want (computer-delivered, Writing on paper, One Skill Retake).
- Read the provider's booking page for the venue, ID rules and cancellation terms.
This page is general information from official pages, not personal advice. Fees and test dates are shown on the booking pages only, so they are not repeated here. Mike and this site are not a test centre and are not partnered with the British Council, IDP or the Home Office.
How lessons with Mike can help with this
Once your test is booked, Mike, who holds a Cambridge CELTA and scored 8.5 in Speaking in his own IELTS, teaches every session himself, one-to-one, live on Google Meet, in English. He marks Writing Task 1 and Task 2 against the public band descriptors and runs Speaking Parts 1 to 3 in the real format. The booking calendar shows each slot in your own time zone; Hanoi is 7 hours ahead of the UK in winter and 6 hours ahead in summer. You can book a lesson and see the exact price before you pay.
