IELTS Test FAQ

For more information about the test you can download the official Information for Candidates booklet.

For further information regarding IELTS test dates, test centres and policy, please visit ielts.org

It is your responsibility to ensure you have selected the correct test option: Academic or General Training. If you are unsure, you should check with the organisation that you are applying to.
The Academic module should be taken by those applying for tertiary, undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and for professional registration.

The General Training module should be taken by those who are going to English-speaking countries to complete their secondary education, or to undertake work experience or training programs not at degree level, or for immigration purposes.

General Skilled Migration Applicants should contact the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection for the specifics of what IELTS test score and module they need for their immigration. For details of changes to the general skilled migration requirements visit border.gov.au

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) have a range of specific requirements for candidates wishing to use English language tests for UK visa applications. It is important that you let us know before you register for the test if you are intending to use your IELTS result for UK visa purposes. Visit IDP IELTS for more information www.idp.com/australia/ielts/uk

No. You cannot re-sit part of the test. There is no time limit on re-sitting the test. However, we strongly recommend you do additional study before taking the test again. We offer a variety of IELTS test preparation courses to help you maximize your test result.

The test fee for IELTS is $395 (GST exclusive) or $434.50 (GST inclusive).

Yes, you can book and make online payments by credit card (MasterCard and Visa) with our ecommerce partners Westpac, through their secure payment service - Payway. We protect your personal and financial information by separating and outsourcing the financial portion of the transaction to Westpac.

You will be required to make another booking if you still wish to sit an IELTS test with Navitas English Test Centre Sydney.

You will receive a confirmation email after making your online payment and an official invoice within 72 hours of your online payment.

Online: pay online when booking via credit card.

In person: come into our office and pay over the counter during office hours with MasterCard, Visa or EFTPOS.

We do not accept AMEX or cash as payment. 

We make every effort to cater for special needs. It is our aim for the language level of all candidates, irrespective of disability, to be assessed fairly and objectively.

If you require a modified test to suit your needs, please inform us at least three months in advance when booking, as IELTS may require up to three month's notice to make appropriate arrangements. Medical evidence should be submitted to support special arrangement requirements.

No. Your original and valid passport is the only acceptable form of identification.

If you’ve booked, paid and uploaded your passport online, you can;

• visit the test centre during office hours, Ground Floor, 255 Elizabeth Street, Sydney to get fingerprinted or photographed 
• ensure you arrive on test day at 7.00am and you can get fingerprinted or photographed before your test.

No. If you wish to re-sit the IELTS test, you must take all four components.

You are allowed to bring a clear bottle of water into the test room. 

You must leave anything which you do not need, or which is not allowed, outside the test room or in the locked bag room. 

Sydney: NETC Sydney is located at Ground floor, 255 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, 2000. The test centre is directly opposite Hyde Park, close to Museum station or a short walk from Town Hall station.

Your speaking test will be held on the same day as your test between 1.00pm and 6.30pm. You will be notified of your speaking test time on test day. Please be aware that your speaking test may be as late as 6.30pm. The speaking component takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. Please make yourself available for the whole day.

On occasion speaking tests will be held both prior to and on test day. On these occasions candidates will be sent an email notifying them of an earlier speaking test, which you can then volunteer to complete the speaking test component prior to the test day. Note: this is completely voluntary and you can choose to keep your speaking test on the same day as test day.

No, stationary will be supplied.

We do our best to ensure that all candidates have a positive testing experience, if you would like to provide feedback about any aspect of our test centre operations, please complete a Feedback Form and submit it to IELTS@navitas.com.

Results will not be given by phone, fax or email. Results are usually released 13 days after your test day.

You can select on test day if you would prefer to pick up your results from our office or have your results posted to your nominated (Australian) address.

The test centre will issue you one (1) hard copy of your Test Report Form (TRF).

If a university or an organisation* requires a copy of your IELTS test result, we can send it directly on your behalf. You have the option of applying for up to five copies to be sent to recognised organisations free of charge.

* The Australian Department of Immigration & Border Protection (DIBP) has advised that they do not wish to receive hard copies of IELTS results. Results of IELTS tests can be submitted electronically by providing your IELTS Test Results Form (TRF) number when asked for an IELTS test reference number.

You can preview your provisional IELTS test results online. Results are usually available online 13 days after your test day from 5.00pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT). This preview of results is gradually rolled out over 24 hours. Your IELTS result will remain available for 28 days thereafter.

To access your provisional online results you will need the following information:
→ Test date
→ Date of birth
→ Given name(s)
→ Family name or Surname

To view your provisional IELTS result online please visit: results.ieltsessentials.com

Yes. You will be given the opportunity on test day to choose either to pick up your results from our centre or have them posted to your nominated (Australian) address. You can also authorise another person to pick up the results on your behalf. Please ask Navitas English Test Centre for an Authorisation Form.

You can collect your results from the test centre, Ground Floor, 255 Elizabeth Street during office hours 13 calendar days after your test.

Results not collected within 5 working days will be posted to the (Australian) address you nominated during the application process.

You will be need to provide the test centre with a self-addressed prepaid international envelope from Australia Post, on the day of your test or prior to test day.

If you do not provide a prepaid international envelope, your results will be sent to your Australian address.

You may take the IELTS test as many times as you like. There is no time limit on re-sitting the test. However, we strongly recommend you do additional study before taking the test again. We offer IELTS preparation courses to help you improve your English and maximize your test score. 

If your TRF is lost or damaged, the test centre can provide you with up to two (2) additional personal copies.

Additional TRF’s must be requested in writing (via email or letter) and your ID document must be presented on collection.

You are required to bring your Test Report Form and your original passport with you to Navitas English Test Centre in order to correct the error. You will need to surrender the incorrect Test Report Form.  Please allow up to 5 working days for the replacement Test Report Form to be processed.

We can provide your IELTS test results - the Test Report Form (TRF) - to an institution of your choosing. If you have already taken your test and would like to request additional copies of your TRF, you can do so by completing an Additional Test Report Form and returning it to your test centre.

On the Additional Test Report Form, you are required to write the date, month and year of your chosen test (must be NO older than 24 months), your candidate number and complete details of the institution where your additional TRF needs to be sent.

You need to send the completed  Additional Test Report Form back to us.

You are welcome to visit our office and apply in person with your completed Additional Test Report Form and your valid passport.

We will process your request within 5 business days of receiving your Additional Test Report Form.

Results are available 13 calendar days after your test.

To request a remark, or Enquiry on Results (EoR), you must submit an IELTS Enquiry on Results Form within 6 weeks of your test date. You can apply for a remark on one or all of the modules. You must complete and lodge an EoR form with the test centre. The remark fee is $176 ($160 plus GST). Remarks take from 2 days to 21 days to be processed. If your result is marked upward you will receive a full refund ($176). If your results are unchanged, no refund will be issued.

To submit your EoR complete the IELTS Enquiry on Results Form and a Credit Card Payment Form and post it to the address below. Alternatively you can submit your forms in person.

Navitas English Test Centre Sydney (NETC Sydney) IELTS Administrator, Ground floor, 255 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000

If you are ill on test day you must present a medical certificate to our office no more than 5 working days after your test date. The medical certificate must be from a registered practitioner and must include the provider number of the practitioner. If you do not present a valid medical certificate within 5 working days of your test, you will not be eligible for a transfer or refund.

Cancellation requests must be submitted more than 5 weeks before your test date. To qualify for a refund, you must notify the test centre of your intention to cancel at least 5 weeks before your test date. 
Download a Refund Form

Transfer requests must be submitted more than 5 weeks before your test date. You must present your valid passport when applying for a transfer or we cannot transfer your booking and a refund will be issued. Download a Transfer Form

You will lose the full test fee. However, if a medical certificate is provided as per the above then the full fee is refunded. Transfers or cancellations of the test cannot be processed if you do not provide your valid passport.

Test takers who seek to cancel their registration or transfer test dates within a 7-day period prior to the test date will only receive a refund if they can satisfy the Administrator that their ability to sit the test has been affected by illness or serious cause. Serious causes include*:

• illness e.g. hospital admission, serious injury or illness (does not include minor illness such as a mild cold)
• loss or bereavement, death of a close family member
• hardship/trauma, victim of crime, victim of a traffic accident
• military service.

*If you cancel your test within 7 days of the test date for any reason apart from the ones mentioned above, you will not be eligible for a transfer or refund.

You are only allowed to cancel or change your test date or test type (Academic / General Training) if your test day is more than 7 days away. Download a Transfer Form

Please bring your passport to submit a cancellation or transfer request.

We will offer you an alternative test date (the next available test date). You will be required to complete a Request for Transfer Form.