Read on IDP Malaysia's pages and on ielts.org on 24 October 2026. Rules change, and one provider's pages do not always agree with each other, so confirm the details with the provider you booked with. This page is general information, not visa or immigration advice, and it quotes no exam fee or test date.
Short answer: bring the ID you booked with, and leave devices with your belongings
IDP Malaysia's test-day page says you must bring the same passport or national identity card that you used to book your IELTS test, and the on-test-day page on ielts.org says you will not be able to take your test if you bring the wrong ID or forget to bring it. IDP Malaysia also says that mobile phones, pagers and smartwatches must be switched off and left with your personal belongings.
The rules on this page are IDP Malaysia's and ielts.org's. If you book with the British Council, read the ID rules on your booking confirmation and on its own pages, and do not assume that IDP Malaysia's rules apply to your booking.
Which ID? What IDP Malaysia's pages say
Three IDP Malaysia pages mention ID. They agree on the main point: the ID you show on the day is the ID you booked with.
| IDP Malaysia page | What it says about ID |
|---|---|
| Test day | Bring the same passport or national identity card that you used to book your test. |
| FAQ | Bring the same valid passport or identity document you used during registration. |
| IELTS on computer | During registration for the computer test you provide a clear, scanned colour copy of your valid identity document or passport. It is mandatory for foreign nationals and Permanent Residents. |
The pages word the document slightly differently ("passport or national identity card" on the test-day page, "passport or identity document" in the FAQ), and neither line names a specific card, so this page does not either.
Our suggestion, which is not a rule from IDP: if the ID you booked with is anything other than a passport, ask IDP before test day whether it will be accepted. The FAQ says "valid", so check the expiry date. If the ID is lost, expires or is replaced between booking and test day, ask your provider what to do; the pages used here do not cover that case.
The scanned colour copy when you book the computer test
IDP Malaysia's page on IELTS on computer says that during registration for the computer test you provide a clear, scanned colour copy of your valid identity document or passport, and marks it as mandatory for foreign nationals and Permanent Residents. The scan belongs to the booking; on test day, the test-day page says to bring the same passport or national identity card you booked with. The points below are our reading of that wording, not IDP rules:
- Scan the document you intend to bring on test day, so that the ID you booked with is the ID you carry.
- If you are a foreign national or a Permanent Resident, treat the scan as required, not as an extra.
- If you are unsure which document to scan, or which one applies to your status, ask IDP before you book. This page does not say which document either group should use.
ID checks at Speaking, and when Speaking is held
IDP Malaysia's test-day page says your ID will be checked before you enter the interview room and again during the interview. So the check is not a one-off: have your ID with you for the Speaking test as well.
The same page says that in some test centres you sit the Speaking test on the same day, or up to 7 days before or after your test date. If your centre is one of them, you may have to show your ID on two different days. This page cannot tell you which centres work this way, so ask your test centre, or check your booking confirmation, for your Speaking date.
Face to face or video call: ask your centre
IDP Malaysia's pages describe Speaking in two ways. Its computer-based page describes a face-to-face test in a private room, while its FAQ says Speaking is conducted through Video Call Speaking (VCS) over a secure video link. Both are IDP statements and they differ, so ask your centre how your own Speaking will be held. The Speaking tutor page for Malaysia and the guide to computer-delivered IELTS in Malaysia set out the same difference in more detail.
What to bring and what to leave outside
These points come from IDP Malaysia's test-day page and from ielts.org's on-test-day page. This page does not claim to be a full list, so follow the instructions your centre sends you if they differ.
| Item | What the pages say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Passport or national identity card | Bring the same one you used to book. Without the right ID you cannot take the test. | IDP Malaysia; ielts.org |
| Pens and paper | On a computer test the centre provides them. Notes can go on the login details sheet. | IDP Malaysia |
| Mobile phone, pager, smartwatch | Switch them off and leave them with your personal belongings, which are kept in a secure area. Keeping a phone or electronic device with you means disqualification. | IDP Malaysia |
| Water | Allowed in the test room only in a clear (transparent) bottle. | ielts.org |
| Food | Not allowed. | ielts.org |
| Watch | Not allowed. There is a clock on the wall. | ielts.org |
IELTS for UKVI: what the gov.uk guidance says about ID
If you are sitting IELTS for UKVI, the guidance on secure English language tests, published on gov.uk by UK Visas and Immigration, sets its own ID rule. It says your ID must be an original, not a photocopy, include a photo of you, and match the information you gave when you booked the test. Its list of accepted documents includes passports and some other travel documents. For tests taken outside the UK it also lists valid photographic government-issued identity cards, but only in the country where the card was issued. It says emergency travel documents will not be accepted as proof of identity. The list has further entries and conditions, so read the page itself.
That is the wording of the gov.uk guidance for UKVI tests, separate from the IDP Malaysia lines above, and this page cannot say how it applies to your own case. For where UKVI sessions are listed in Malaysia and what else differs, see IELTS for UKVI in Malaysia. This page gives no immigration advice: for your own visa route, read the gov.uk guidance and ask your provider.
A short checklist, in order
- When you book: note which provider and which ID you used. For a computer test with IDP Malaysia, have the scanned colour copy ready.
- Before test day: check the expiry date of that ID, and check your booking confirmation, or ask your test centre, for your test date and Speaking date. If you sit IELTS for UKVI, read the gov.uk wording and ask your provider about your own ID.
- On the day: bring the same ID you booked with, and bring it again if Speaking is on another day. Leave your phone and smartwatch switched off with your belongings, and take water only in a clear bottle.
Where one-to-one lessons fit
Band Booster IELTS is a private, one-to-one online tutoring service, not a test centre or the exam board. It does not register you for the test, set exam fees or dates, check or approve your ID, or decide what a centre allows: those belong to IDP or the British Council. Mike, a CELTA-certified teacher based in Hanoi who scored 8.5 in IELTS Speaking, teaches every lesson live in English on Google Meet.
What a lesson can help with is the content of the test: Speaking Parts 1, 2 and 3 in the real format with feedback in the moment, Writing Task 1 and Task 2 marked against the public band descriptors, and Listening and Reading. If your centre holds Speaking over a video link, practising on Google Meet is one way to get used to speaking to a screen; it does not copy a test centre's equipment. Progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions, and no band is promised. Read more on the online IELTS tutor page for Malaysia (or the pages for Kuala Lumpur and Penang) and About Mike. The booking page shows each slot in your own timezone and your price, in your own currency, before you pay; Malaysia is in the middle regional price tier.
More on IELTS in Malaysia
For where to sit the test, see IELTS test centres in Malaysia. For the format and how the providers' pages differ, read computer-delivered IELTS in Malaysia. If you plan to retake one skill, One Skill Retake or a full retake compares the two routes.