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  4. IELTS tests for UK Visas and Immigration
  5. UKVI cancellations and transfers policy

UKVI cancellations and transfers policy

Note: This policy applies only to IELTS for UKVI testing, including IELTS Life Skills. 

A. Cancellations

You can cancel your IELTS test registration at any time before taking your test by notifying your Test Centre. Refund terms depend upon when you cancel and whether exceptional circumstances apply.

1. Time to test date

1.1 More than 14 days before the test:

If you cancel your IELTS test registration more than 14 days before the test you will receive a 75% refund of the total test fee.

1.2 Within 14 days but more than two days before the test:

If you cancel your IELTS test registration within 14 days but more than two days before the test you will receive a 50% refund of the total test fee.

1.3 Within two days of the test:

If you cancel your IELTS test registration within two days of the test you will receive a 25% refund of the total test fee.

1.4 On the test day or after the test:

If you cancel your IELTS test registration on the test day or after the test no refund will be provided.

2. Test taker exceptions

You may make a case for exceptional circumstances to your test centre before the test and up to five days after the test date if you did not attend the test. Your test centre will respond to you within seven working days of receiving your case in writing. Your test centre will assess your case for exceptional circumstances.

All cases for exceptional circumstances and supporting evidence must be received by your test centre no later than five days after the scheduled test date.

If your test centre approves your case, you will receive a full refund less an administration fee of no more than 25% of the test fee.

If your test centre does not approve your case, then the terms given in Section 1 will apply.

We define exceptional circumstances as:

  • serious medical conditions which prevent you from attending or performing normally on test day; such conditions require supporting evidence of a medical certificate from a qualified medical practitioner
  • evidence of bereavement, trauma or other forms of significant hardship
  • military service.

3. Test centre exceptions

Under certain circumstances outside test centre control, we may have to cancel your test. These circumstances include, and are not limited to, extreme weather conditions, natural disaster, civil unrest and industrial action.

In these circumstances, your test centre will provide you with as much notice as possible and give you the choice of either:

  • a full refund, or
  • a transfer to a future test date convenient to you.

In cases where your test centre cancels a test under circumstances within its control then in addition to a full refund or transfer to another test date, you may be eligible to apply for compensation for expenses incurred. Your eligibility will be assessed as a reasonable claim or not by the test centre and any compensation will be awarded depending on the following conditions:

  • The test centre will assess whether the decision to cancel is within or outside its control.
  • Any compensation awarded will be limited to travel and accommodation expenses only and which are:

- directly incurred as a result of planning your attendance on test day
- evidenced by payment receipt(s)
- evidenced that cancelled travel and/or accommodation charges are non-recoverable from vendor
- benchmarked against lowest reasonable market rates for the expenses in question (this will be carried out by the test centre).

  • If you travel further than the closest test venue to your normal place of residence then the test center will not find your claim reasonable.

B. Transfers

4.1 More than 14 days before the test:

You may change your test date at any time more than 14 days before the test.

You must select a test date, where available, within the next three months from your original test date. If your preferred test date is more than three months after your original test date then your transfer will be treated as a cancellation.

You can only transfer the same booking once.

Your test centre may charge an administration fee of up to 25% of the total test fee.

4.2 Within 14 days before the test:

Any transfer requests within 14 days of the test will be treated as a cancellation. Please refer to Section A (Cancellations) of this policy document.

Notes

i. Your test centre is responsible for issuing refunds and organizing transfers.
ii. Under Section A.2, the test centre is responsible for decisions related to test taker claims for exceptional circumstances.
iii. Under Section A.3, the test centre is responsible for decisions related to compensation, including eligibility and any amounts awarded.
iv. If local consumer protection law in the country where you have registered to take the IELTS test provides for cancellation and transfer rights which are more favourable to the test taker than the rights set out above, then local consumer protection law will apply.