Test information was read on the organisers' own sites in October 2026. Venue lists change, so confirm with the organiser before you book.
Online IELTS lessons for someone in Tokyo
Lessons are live one-to-one video calls on Google Meet, taught in English by Mike from Hanoi. You can join from anywhere in Tokyo with a stable internet connection. Band Booster is online only: there is no classroom in Tokyo or anywhere else in Japan, and there are no group classes, so this is not an in-person IELTS class in the city. Lessons are in English only; the website can also be read in Japanese.
This page is about Tokyo. The page for Japan covers the country as a whole (who runs IELTS, IELTS Online, regional pricing), the computer-delivered IELTS in Japan page the format and practice tests, and the Speaking tutor page for Japan Speaking in detail.
Mike holds the Cambridge CELTA, and his own IELTS result is 7.5 overall with 8.5 in Speaking (About Mike). A lesson can cover Listening, Reading, Writing (marked against the public band descriptors) or Speaking (Parts 1, 2 and 3 in the real test format, with feedback during the lesson). See IELTS Speaking coaching and IELTS Writing feedback for how those lessons run (they quote prices for Vietnam). The booking page shows your price in your own currency before you pay, and a paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on your first booking. No band score is promised.
Where IELTS can be taken in Tokyo
Tokyo has more than one computer-delivered IELTS centre, and the organisers' lists differ. Eiken's venue page names three Tokyo Test Centres, in front of Tokyo Station, in front of Kojimachi Station and in Ichigaya. It labels all three IELTS official test centres and says the one in Ichigaya is run by another operator. JSAF's computer-delivered page names Takadanobaba and Higashi-Shinjuku. This page gives areas, not street addresses, so check the organiser's page for the venue on your date.
| Source | Tokyo venues it names | Worth noting |
|---|---|---|
| Eiken Foundation of Japan, venue page | Tokyo Test Centre (in front of Tokyo Station), Tokyo Test Centre (in front of Kojimachi Station) and Tokyo Test Centre (Ichigaya). The page labels all three as IELTS official test centres; the Ichigaya one is run by another operator, and the page says that operator is an IELTS sub-centre of the Foundation | Does not say which test types each venue offers. |
| British Council, Japan | For IELTS on computer: an Eiken centre in Chuo-ku and a second operator's centre in Chiyoda-ku | Also lists IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills in Tokyo and Osaka. |
| JSAF (Japan Study Abroad Foundation) | Its computer-delivered page names two Tokyo venues: Takadanobaba and Higashi-Shinjuku | IDP's Japan site lists a JSAF centre in Shinjuku-ku (Takadanobaba). JSAF's booking page venue menu has further Tokyo names whose format this page could not confirm. |
Band Booster IELTS is independent of the test organisers: it does not register candidates, set exam fees, run test centres or issue results. The Eiken and British Council lists name places differently (station areas against wards), so read the venue on your booking confirmation rather than matching names yourself. Both lists also include Yokohama. They differ elsewhere (Sendai, for example, is on Eiken's venue page but not the British Council's), so this page prints no centre count. Two more points:
- A new Tokyo centre has been announced. Eiken has announced a computer-delivered test centre in Tokyo (Kojimachi), alongside one in Sendai, and has since posted a further notice about applications for the new centres: see its first notice and later notice. The Kojimachi centre is now also listed on Eiken's venue page. For booking details, check Eiken's venue page and notices.
- Eiken, the British Council and JSAF describe computer as the format. The British Council's Japan page says the paper test has been discontinued, and Eiken's IELTS page says the paper version has ended. Other pages still mention paper: JSAF's English FAQ says it provides both, the British Council's Japan "which test" pages still say you can choose paper or computer, and none of the IDP Japan pages read says paper has ended. Confirm the format when you book. IDP's Japanese page also describes IELTS Online, taken at home (see the checklist below).
Tokyo is two hours ahead of Hanoi, all year
NICT, Japan's time-standard institute, gives Japan Standard Time as UTC+9 in its Q&A (in Japanese). The IANA time zone database lists Vietnam as a whole at UTC+7 and shows no current daylight saving for either country, so the gap stays at two hours: 18:00 in Hanoi is 20:00 in Tokyo. The booking calendar shows each slot in your own time zone, so you do not have to convert anything. Mike's calendar decides which slots are open and no particular hours are promised, so if you can study only at fixed times, check it first.
Speaking on test day
ielts.org's Speaking format page describes a face-to-face interview with an examiner, 11 to 14 minutes long, in three parts, and says it is recorded; the Guide for Test Takers on ielts.org adds that Speaking is taken face to face or via video call. For Japan the organisers word the format and timing differently: Eiken describes a face-to-face interview on the same day as the other three papers, while the British Council's English Japan pages say face to face or by video call, on the same day or up to a week before or after, and IDP's Japanese page on computer-based IELTS says face to face or by video call (its Japanese booking guide says the test centre decides). Your booking confirmation is what applies to you; the Speaking tutor page for Japan sets out the comparison.
One Skill Retake in Tokyo
One Skill Retake lets you retake one of the four skills within 60 days of a computer-delivered test. The British Council's Japan page describes it as available with Eiken and a second operator in Tokyo, JSAF's retake page offers it at its Tokyo (Takadanobaba) venue, and Eiken's results page says it can be taken only at centres Eiken operates. Those wordings do not match, so confirm the venue when you book. To choose between a retake and a full resit, see One Skill Retake or a full retake.
What to practise before test day
According to ielts.org's Academic test pages, Listening takes about 30 minutes (four parts of 10 questions, recordings heard once only), Reading 60 minutes (three sections, 40 questions), Writing 60 minutes (Task 1 at least 150 words in about 20 minutes, Task 2 at least 250 words in up to 40 minutes) and Speaking 11 to 14 minutes in three parts. Its General Training page lists the same Reading, Writing and Speaking times. The scoring page says Speaking is assessed on four equally weighted criteria: Fluency and coherence, Lexical resource, Grammatical range and accuracy, and Pronunciation. For the computer format and the organisers' own practice tests, see the computer-delivered IELTS in Japan page.
Using ielts.org's own preparation materials with your lessons
ielts.org's preparation resources list sample questions, Writing videos, apps, webinars, books and courses. Three are worth knowing about:
- Sample questions. The sample test questions page offers sample questions and answers for IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training and IELTS for UKVI Life Skills, and describes the practice papers as available at no charge.
- Writing videos. The Writing resources page has videos on the Writing scoring criteria that use sample responses.
- Trial Test. The IELTS Trial Test page describes a timed familiarisation test at a participating trial-testing location, covering the Listening, Reading and Writing sections (the page does not mention Speaking). It does not say whether any location is in Tokyo, so ask the organisers. It is separate from Band Booster's paid 30-minute trial lesson.
One way to combine these with lessons, offered as general teaching advice rather than organiser guidance:
- Do a sample Listening or Reading set on your own, to time, and note what went wrong.
- Write a Task 1 or Task 2 answer to time and bring it to a lesson, where Mike marks it against the public band descriptors and gives feedback during the session.
- Use Speaking lessons as timed practice in the real three-part format; a lesson can be recorded on request so you can listen back.
- Read the written progress notes in your account, choose what to practise next and repeat.
The sample materials show examples; feedback on your own Writing or Speaking is a different kind of help, which a lesson can give. No band is promised either way.
Five things to confirm when you book the test
- the venue and format on your date, since the lists differ and change;
- how and when your Speaking is held;
- the test type your university, employer or visa application asks for (see Academic versus General Training);
- whether One Skill Retake is open to you at your venue;
- whether the organisation receiving your result accepts the format, including IELTS Online, which IDP's Japanese page says is Academic only and asks you to check first.
Fees and dates: check the organisers
The exam fee and test dates are set by the organiser you book with, not by Band Booster, so this page quotes none, and both can change. Check Eiken's IELTS site, the British Council's Japan dates, fees and locations page, JSAF's computer-delivered page or IDP Japan's test dates page. Lesson prices are separate: the booking page shows yours before you pay.