The IELTS exam is hard! Students often take months preparing for the exam, hoping that they will get a good enough score to get into a university or secure a job in the UK. As a result, it can be torture waiting for the results! Luckily, the waiting time doesn’t seem to be that long. Hopefully, you’ll be able to hang on till then!
Usually, it takes 3-5 days for you to receive your computer based IELTS results. If you want to receive your results on paper, this will take a slightly longer period of time. There is an option to view provisional results 24 hours after taking the exam. However, these results could change, as they are not official.
If you want to find out more about how long you will have to wait to receive your IELTS results and more information about these results in general, check out the rest of this article!
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How long does it take to get IELTS computer-based results?
As already mentioned, you should receive your computer based IELTS results within 3-5 days of taking the test. You will then need to download your results if you want to print them off.
The document your results will be on is known as a ‘Test Report Form’ and provides evidence that you have taken the IELTS exam and have received a mark. You can discover more about when you will receive your IELTS results if you check out this article from the IELTS website.
How long do IELTS results take to get?
According to this article from the British Council website, you will never have to wait more than two weeks to receive your results from the IELTS exam! However, the amount of time you have to wait differs, depending on which type of exam you completed.
If you take the IELTS exam on paper, it will often take 13 days for you to receive your results! This is in comparison to the 3-5 days it takes if you take the test on a computer.
If you take the IELTS exam online, it will take 6-8 days for you to receive your results. There is also a special type of IELTS exam which assesses life skills. If you complete this life skills exam, it takes 7 days for you to receive your results.
If you want to discover more about the different IELTS exams which you can sit, check out this article from Think Student.
Can you get your IELTS results earlier?
Once you have taken the IELTS test and it has been marked, you will receive your results in a document called a ‘Test Report Form’. This is the official document, which displays your results.
However, you can view a set of ‘unofficial’ results before then. 24 hours after you have taken the test, a provisional score is calculated. If you just can’t wait the 3-5 days to get your IELTS results if you completed the test on a computer, then taking a look at your provisional score could be an option.
This provisional score will probably be similar to your real, official results. However, provisional results are subject to change, so don’t trust them completely!
These provisional results are then available for preview for a whole 28 days after the date of your test. You can discover more about this provisional score if you check out this article from the Apply Board website.
How long does it take for universities to receive your IELTS results?
Many individuals take the IELTS exam in order to get a place at an English-speaking university. After all, they need to show that they know a sufficient amount of English to study.
According to this article from the Apply Board website, you can submit your IELTS score to a maximum of five different institutions. Your score can be sent electronically or via paper, depending on your university’s preferences.
It can take up to five business days for a university to receive your electronic score. However, if you send a paper copy, this could take 5-10 business days!
Universities often require students to take the IELTS score as proof that they can use the English language sufficiently. If you are an international student and want to attend a university in the UK but are not really sure what the IELTS exams are all about, check out this article from Think Student.
How will you receive your IELTS results?
As already stated, you will receive a test report form which will display your IELTS results. Obviously, if you took the IELTS exam on a computer or online, you will receive this form as an electronic document.
This can then be downloaded from the Test Taker portal. You probably won’t be offered a paper version of the form. However, this doesn’t matter, as you can easily email your chosen universities your results this way.
You must be aware that there are only a certain number of countries who receive their results this way. You can find out which countries these are and more information about how you receive your IELTS results if you check out this page from the British Council website.
If you are going to receive a paper copy of the results because you completed written exams, the results could be posted out to you. However, there is a chance that you may need to collect your results from the test centre, so it is always best to check.
How long does it take to receive your IELTS results after a remark?
If you think that you will get better results if you get your IELTS exams remarked, then go for it! All you have to do is contact the test centre where you sat your IELTS exam and apply for a remark.
However, it’s best to do this sooner rather than later, as you can only apply for a remark within 6 weeks of receiving your results. It will then take between 2 and 21 days for you to receive your reviewed results.
You can find out more about remarks if you check out this article from the IELTS website.
What do your IELTS results mean?
During the IELTS exam, you will be assessed on your English speaking, reading, writing and listening. These are all equally weighted. When you do eventually receive your results, it can be confusing to try and understand them!
Put simply, each component is rated from 0-9. However, these scores do not have to be whole numbers! They can include increments, such as .25,.50 and .75.
An overall score is then produced from calculating the mean from the reading, writing, speaking and listening scores. This score is equivalent to a certain band.
If you manage to secure band 9, this means that you are an expert user in English. Band 8 means that you are a very good user and band 7 means that you are a good user.
Band 6 means that you are a competent user of the English language and Band 5 means that you are a modest user. However, if you get any band lower than 5, it shows that your English language capabilities are rather limited.
You can read what your results mean in more detail if you check out this article from the British Council. If you are not happy with your results, you can always retake the IELTS exam again, or request a remark.