IDP India and ielts.org details as read in October 2026.
Online IELTS lessons for students in Chennai
Lessons are online only: Band Booster IELTS has no classroom in Chennai, and there are no batches or group classes. Mike teaches every session himself, one-to-one and live on Google Meet, in English only, so explanations are not given in Tamil, Hindi or another language. He holds the Cambridge CELTA, is based in Hanoi, and his own IELTS result is 7.5 overall with 8.5 in Speaking. See about Mike for his background. No band is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions.
This page covers what is particular to Chennai. For pricing, payment and booking steps across India, see the online IELTS tutor for India page, and for the computer format in general, computer-delivered IELTS in India.
Chennai time and Hanoi time
Chennai is on Indian Standard Time (UTC+5:30) and Hanoi is on UTC+7, so Hanoi is 1 hour 30 minutes ahead. The IANA time zone database lists a single zone for India, Asia/Kolkata (its zone1970.tab file has one India entry), and its asia data file gives that zone a standard offset of 5:30 with no current daylight-saving rule and puts Vietnam at 7:00. Neither place changes its clocks, so the gap is the same all year.
| Chennai time | Hanoi time |
|---|---|
| 07:00 | 08:30 |
| 18:00 | 19:30 |
| 19:00 | 20:30 |
| 20:00 | 21:30 |
This is a conversion only. Which slots are open depends on Mike's calendar, and no particular hours are promised. The booking page shows every slot in your own time zone.
IELTS test centres in Chennai: IDP lists Egmore and Adyar
IDP India lists two Chennai locations, Egmore and Adyar, and ielts.org has a separate listing for each that shows computer-delivered tests only. Band Booster IELTS is a private tutor, not the exam board or a test centre. It takes no test registrations and sets no exam fees or dates, so this page quotes none. IDP India's 2021 announcement says that, under an agreement with the British Council, IDP would deliver all IELTS tests in India from 25 July 2021. This is what four sources say about the Chennai venues.
| Source | What it says about Chennai |
|---|---|
| IDP India, Chennai test centre page | Two locations, Egmore and Adyar. The page also carries older paper wording (see below). |
| ielts.org test-centre directory: IDP Education India - Chennai and IDP Education India - Chennai - Adyar | A separate listing for each venue. Each lists only tests on computer: IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training and the UKVI versions of both. No paper test is listed at either. |
| IDP India, IELTS on Computer page | Lists "Chennai" and "Chennai - Adyar" among its computer test centres. |
| IDP India, IELTS for UKVI centre list | Both Chennai entries carry labels including "IELTS on computer", "UKVI Approved" and "One Skill Retake". |
Taken together, the sources point to two IDP venues, Egmore and Adyar, both listed for computer-delivered IELTS. Street addresses are on the ielts.org listings linked above and are not copied here, so you read the current ones at the source. Which test you need depends on your purpose: ielts.org describes IELTS Academic as the test for undergraduate or postgraduate study or professional registration, and IELTS General Training as the one for migrating to an English-speaking country or for training or study below degree level. Ask the organisation requesting your result which one it requires, and see Academic or General Training.
IDP India's Chennai centre page has a booking section with a date list, and its test-dates page covers India generally. Both still carry some paper-era wording, so read dates and fees at the source and check the format on your booking.
What the sources do and do not confirm for Chennai
Paper or computer, and Writing on Paper
IDP India's IELTS on Computer page says IELTS on Paper has been discontinued, and ielts.org (5 March 2026) says that from mid-2026 IELTS will no longer be offered as a paper-based test, with exact timelines varying by market. Yet IDP India's Chennai centre page still says IELTS is available in two formats, computer and paper-based. The ielts.org listings for both Chennai venues show computer tests only. Prepare for computer-delivered IELTS and confirm the format on your booking; the national picture is on computer-delivered IELTS in India.
IDP India also says test takers in selected locations will be able to choose a Writing on Paper option when they book the IELTS test on computer. Its Writing on Paper page names no location, although its articles on Writing on Paper in India give a start date for the option in India of 1 September 2026 in most of them (with advance booking from 1 July) and of 1 July 2026 in one, and ielts.org says only that the option is introduced in selected markets. IDP India's Chennai centre page lists "IELTS (Writing on Paper)" as a choice in its booking menu, but the same option appears in menus across the IDP India site, so that is not a confirmation for Chennai. None of these sources says whether Chennai offers it, so do not assume it.
Speaking: face to face or by video call
ielts.org's ways to take IELTS page describes the Speaking test at a test centre as a face-to-face session with an examiner, while its Guide for Test Takers says face to face or via video call. IDP India's own pages differ: its Chennai centre page and its Writing on Paper page say Speaking stays face to face with a certified examiner, while its IELTS on Computer page and computer FAQ describe a video-call interview. Confirm how Speaking is held for your booking.
One Skill Retake in Chennai
IDP India's UKVI centre list tags both Chennai entries with "One Skill Retake", and its One Skill Retake page says the option is available in all cities across India, naming Chennai as an example. The same page's availability line, however, names only Australia, New Zealand and the UK. ielts.org says the full test must have been IELTS on computer, the retake must be sat within 60 days, and your centre should offer it before you book the full test, so ask IDP India first. To weigh it against a full retake, see One Skill Retake or full retake.
UKVI tests and IELTS Online
The ielts.org listings for both venues include the UKVI Academic and General Training tests on computer, and ielts.org says tests taken to secure a UK visa must be taken at an IELTS test centre. It also says IELTS Online is offered in some countries, for Academic only. None of the IDP India pages read for this page describes the IELTS Online test, so availability in India is not confirmed.
Worth confirming with IDP India when you book the test: the format on your date, whether Writing on Paper is offered, how Speaking is held, whether One Skill Retake is offered at your venue, and whether the booking is for Egmore or Adyar. Fees and dates change, so read them at the source.
Booking lessons from Chennai
Choose a slot on the booking page. Each time is shown in your own time zone, and the price appears in your own currency before you pay; the page lists the payment options. A regular lesson is 60 minutes, there is no subscription and no package to commit to, and a paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on a first booking. You can move a lesson at no charge up to 12 hours before it starts; a cancellation inside 12 hours is not refunded.
A session can cover Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking, alone or mixed, and no band, timeline or number of lessons is promised. For how the sessions run, see IELTS Speaking coaching, IELTS Speaking tutor for India and IELTS Writing feedback. Between lessons, the Speaking Part 2 timer and the IELTS band score calculator are on this site. If you are still comparing options, see how to choose an online IELTS tutor, or online IELTS tutor by country and city.