This page is general information taken from the terms ielts.org publishes for IELTS for UKVI cancellations and transfers. We do not run the test, take bookings for it or decide refunds. Your test centre does, so treat what follows as a map of the rules and check your own booking terms before you act.
Which terms apply to you
The UKVI page says its terms cover IELTS for UKVI testing, including IELTS for UKVI Life Skills. The general ielts.org page on cancellations, refunds, remarks and transfers tells UKVI test takers to refer to the UKVI terms, which are specific to these tests. That matters because the general page is looser on one point: it says you may change your test date at any time before the test, while the UKVI page sets a 14-day cut-off. Looser does not mean unlimited: the general page also says a booking can be transferred only once and that, depending on timing, a transfer can count as a cancellation. If you hold a UKVI booking, follow the UKVI page. If you hold a standard IELTS booking, the general page is a summary of what all test takers can expect, and detailed terms vary by test centre, so check your own centre's terms.
Cancelling: what you get back
You can cancel at any time before the test by notifying your test centre. The share of the test fee returned depends on how close the test is.
| When you cancel | Refund of the total test fee |
|---|---|
| More than 14 days before the test | 75% |
| Within 14 days, but more than two days before | 50% |
| Within two days of the test | 25% |
| On the test day or after | None, unless exceptional circumstances are approved |
These are percentages of what you paid. The amount itself is shown on your booking, so check it there.
Moving your test date
A transfer means keeping the same booking and choosing a new date. The published rules are:
- You must ask more than 14 days before the test. Inside 14 days, a transfer request is treated as a cancellation.
- The new date must be within three months of your original test date. A later date is treated as a cancellation.
- You can transfer the same booking only once.
- The test centre may charge an administration fee of up to 25% of the total test fee.
The UKVI page does not describe how to submit a transfer beyond choosing the new date, so use the booking channel your centre gave you or contact the centre directly.
Exceptional circumstances
If something outside your control stops you attending or performing normally, you can make a case to the test centre. The page lists these examples:
- a serious medical condition, supported by a medical certificate from a qualified medical practitioner;
- bereavement, trauma or other significant hardship, with evidence;
- military service.
If you did not attend, the page sets a limit of five days after the scheduled test date for your case. The centre responds within seven working days of receiving your case in writing. If the case is approved, you receive a full refund minus an administration fee of no more than 25% of the test fee. Check the page for what happens if a case is not approved.
Note the five-day limit. A late certificate or a delayed email may be too late to be considered, so send your case as soon as you can.
If the test centre cancels
When the centre cancels for reasons outside its control, such as extreme weather, natural disaster, civil unrest or industrial action (the page says its list is not exhaustive), you get a choice of a full refund or a transfer to a future date that suits you. When the cause is within the centre's control, you may also apply for compensation. It is limited to travel and accommodation costs, and it is judged against lowest reasonable market rates. Check the page for the receipts and evidence it asks for. The page adds that a claim is not treated as reasonable if you travelled further than the closest test venue to your home.
Consumer law may help you
The page states that where local consumer protection law gives you cancellation or transfer rights more favourable than its own, that law applies. It does not say what those rights are in your case, and we cannot advise on that. Ask your test centre, or an independent consumer advice service, if your situation does not fit the bands above.
A short checklist before you cancel or move
- Find your test date and count the days. The 14-day and two-day lines decide your refund band and whether a transfer is possible.
- Read your booking confirmation for the centre's contact details and any extra terms.
- Decide whether you want a refund or a new date. A transfer can happen only once, so choose the new date carefully.
- If you missed the test for a serious reason, gather evidence and contact the centre promptly, keeping the page's five-day limit after the test date in mind.
- Keep copies of everything you send and receive.
If you are also waiting on a result and want it reviewed, that is a separate service. The general ielts.org page describes an Enquiry on Results, whose fee is fully refunded if your band score changes. Results may arrive the same day or up to 21 days after you apply. See our page on UKVI results and the TRF for the rest.
How lessons with Mike can help with this
Mike cannot change a booking, claim a refund or speak to your test centre for you. What he can do is make a new date useful. If your test moves, you can use the extra weeks for one-to-one Writing and Speaking practice: Writing Task 1 and Task 2 marked against the public band descriptors, and Speaking Parts 1 to 3 in the real format with feedback in the moment. Lessons are 60 minutes, live on Google Meet, taught by Mike himself in English, and he leaves written progress notes in your account. The booking calendar shows each slot in your own time zone, and a lesson can be rescheduled at no charge up to 12 hours before the slot. A paid 30-minute trial is available once per student on the first booking. You can see the calendar and the price before you pay, and read more about Mike first.
