Details from ielts.org, IDP India, the British Council India site and GOV.UK were read in October 2026 and can change, so check them before you book.
Online IELTS lessons for Kolkata: how they work
Mike holds the Cambridge CELTA, is based in Hanoi and teaches every session himself, live on Google Meet in English. His own IELTS result is 7.5 overall with 8.5 in Speaking; see about Mike.
There is no classroom in Kolkata and there are no group classes. If you are searching for IELTS classes in Kolkata that meet in a room, or a batch shared with other students, this is a different format: each lesson is just you and Mike. You choose the focus (Listening, Reading, Writing Task 1 and Task 2, or Speaking Parts 1 to 3), and feedback comes during the lesson rather than days later. Teaching is in English. No band is promised; progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions.
The booking page shows each slot in your own time and your price in your own currency, with its payment options, before you pay; the Meet link arrives by email after payment. A regular lesson is 60 minutes, and a paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on your first booking. There is no subscription or package, and you can move a lesson at no charge up to 12 hours before it starts. Cost from India is covered on the online IELTS tutor for India page; the coaching itself is described on the IELTS Speaking coaching and IELTS Writing feedback pages.
Kolkata and Hanoi: the time difference
Kolkata keeps Indian Standard Time, UTC+5:30, and Hanoi is on UTC+7. The IANA time zone database lists India (Asia/Kolkata) at 5:30 and Vietnam (Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh) at 7:00, with no daylight saving rule in use in either. Hanoi is therefore 1 hour 30 minutes ahead of Kolkata all year.
| Hanoi time | Kolkata time |
|---|---|
| 17:00 | 15:30 |
| 18:00 | 16:30 |
| 19:00 | 17:30 |
| 20:00 | 18:30 |
| 21:00 | 19:30 |
The table is a conversion only: open slots follow Mike's calendar and no particular hours are promised. The calendar already shows your own time, so you rarely need to convert.
IELTS test centre in Kolkata: what ielts.org and IDP India say
ielts.org lists IDP Education India - Kolkata - Park Street (PS Arcadia Centrum, 9th Floor, 69 Park Street, Kolkata, West Bengal 700016) for computer-delivered IELTS Academic and General Training, plus the UKVI versions. Band Booster IELTS is a private tutor, not the exam board or a test centre. It does not register candidates or set fees or dates, so this page quotes none; IDP India publishes test dates and fees on its own pages.
IDP runs IELTS testing in India
The British Council's India IELTS FAQ says it does not deliver the IELTS test in India and that all IELTS testing there is managed by IDP. Its India IELTS page adds that IDP is the sole distributor from 25 July 2021.
Park Street: the centre ielts.org lists
The ielts.org page for the Park Street centre shows IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, IELTS for UKVI Academic and IELTS for UKVI General Training (the versions for UK Visas and Immigration), each on computer. IDP India's IELTS on Computer page also lists "Kolkata - Park Street". IDP India's India test centres page says IDP has test centres in 75 cities across India, that test dates vary by location and test type, and that registering in advance is recommended. Which test you need depends on the organisation asking for your result; see IELTS Academic or General Training.
Other Kolkata entries that do not match
The ielts.org test centre finder, searched for India and Kolkata, shows two records. The second is simply called "Kolkata"; its own page lists only IELTS Life Skills A1 and B1, and its address block names the same Arcadia Centrum area. Ask IDP which test is held where.
IDP India's own Kolkata page describes an IDP office it calls a registration centre, in The Regency on Hungerford Street (Picasso Bithi Sarani). Its heading reads "IELTS Test Centre in Kolkata", but its text does not say tests are held at that address. The page looks partly out of date: its title carries 2025, and it still has an IELTS on Paper section whose date tables read "No Seats are Available". Treat Park Street as the venue ielts.org names, and confirm the address in your booking confirmation.
That Kolkata page also has an "IELTS Test Centres near Kolkata" list, but it names cities such as Chennai and Mumbai, which are not near Kolkata, so it is not used here; check IDP India's city list for other places.
Computer delivery, Writing on Paper and Speaking
ielts.org announced on 5 March 2026 that from mid-2026 it will no longer offer IELTS as a paper-based test, that all tests will be delivered on computer, and that timelines vary by market. IDP India says IELTS on Paper has been discontinued and presents Writing on Paper (Listening and Reading on computer, Writing handwritten) for selected locations; its main Writing on Paper page names none, while 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. The ielts.org finder labels Park Street "Computer" and shows no Writing on Paper label, so ask IDP whether Writing on Paper is offered in Kolkata.
Speaking is an interview with a trained examiner. ielts.org's ways to take IELTS page describes it at a test centre as face to face (its Guide for Test Takers says face to face or via video call), while IDP India's IELTS on Computer page describes it as a video-call interview and its Writing on Paper page says face to face, so read your booking confirmation for how your centre runs it. For results timing and section-by-section changes, see computer-delivered IELTS in India.
UKVI, One Skill Retake and IELTS Online
- IELTS for UKVI. ielts.org's IELTS for UKVI page says UK Visas and Immigration accepts only tests taken in person at an IELTS for UKVI test centre. The GOV.UK page on Secure English Language Tests says the test must be sat at an approved test location and awarded in the two years before the application. This page gives no visa advice.
- One Skill Retake. The ielts.org finder marks Park Street with a "One Skill Retake" label, although the centre's own page does not list a retake among its tests. ielts.org says to check that your centre offers it before booking the full test, that it needs an original IELTS on computer test, and that it is for one skill, once per original test. Both ielts.org and IDP India give a 60-day window from the original test. IDP India's page says the retake is available in all cities across India, naming Kolkata, and its key-features list also names Australia, New Zealand and the UK, so confirm with IDP. Check too that the organisation receiving your result accepts a retake; see One Skill Retake or full retake.
- IELTS Online. ielts.org says IELTS Online is for Academic only and offered in some countries, and that General Training is taken at a test centre. The IDP India pages read for this page do not confirm IELTS Online for India, and the Park Street listing shows only tests taken at the centre, so ask IDP before planning around it.
Before you book the test, confirm with IDP India or in your booking confirmation: the format on your date, how Speaking is run, whether Writing on Paper is offered, and whether One Skill Retake is available at your centre.
Practising before test day
ielts.org's IELTS Academic page says IELTS has four sections (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking) and gives the Academic test a total test time of 2 hours 45 minutes. Its sample test questions page has sample tests to try.
The rest is general teaching advice, not guidance from IDP or ielts.org, and it promises no band:
- Since ielts.org lists the Park Street tests as on computer, practise Reading and Writing on a screen as well as on paper.
- Write both Writing tasks in one 60-minute sitting and have them marked against the public band descriptors. A teacher's estimate is useful, but it is not a test result.
- Speak aloud with another person, because Speaking is a live interview. The Speaking Part 2 timer helps with timing a long turn.
In lessons, the time goes on live Speaking Parts 1 to 3 with feedback in the moment, and on Writing corrections explained during the session. See also IELTS Speaking tutor for India.