Using your International English Language Testing System (IELTS) certificate

We may be able to accept your IELTS certificate as evidence of your knowledge of English.

What are our criteria?

Types of IELTS we can accept

We can accept your IELTS certificate as long as it was the Academic version of the test (including UKVI) and you’ve achieved our minimum scores.

We accept

• IELTS taken in person
• IELTS Online
• IELTS one-skill retake.

We do not accept the IELTS Indicator test.

Our minimum scores

• you took the academic version of the test
• you achieved a score of at least 7.0 in each testing area and an overall score of at least 7.5
• you achieved these scores in the same test
• you achieved these scores in your most recent sitting of the test
• you have the test report form (trf) which has the number and original stamp.

If you haven’t met the minimum score

Where you do not achieve our minimum score in one section of the full test, we will accept a One Skill Retake (OSR) pass in that section that achieves the required score. You are eligible for One Skill Retake, only once, if you meet all the following requirements:

• You have completed a full test at a centre that offers IELTS One Skill Retake.
• You sit your IELTS One Skill Retake within 60 days of their full IELTS test.
• Your full test was an IELTS on computer test – One Skill Retake is not available for the online or on paper tests.

More information and a video summarising the key information about One Skill Retake can be found on the IELTS website.

If you wish to submit acceptable IELTS scores to book PLAB part 1, please log in to your GMC Online account and go to the ‘My Tests’ section to enter them. If you have taken OSR please enter this TRF number. Your scores will then be sent for verification, which could take up to two working days to complete.

How long is your certificate valid for?

IELTS certificates are valid for two years. If you are taking the PLAB test, your certificate must be valid on the day you sit the PLAB part 1 exam. If you are applying for registration with a licence to practise, it must be valid when we approve your application. If your IELTS certificate is more than two years old, please refer to the next section of this guidance.

Please note, IELTS may not be acceptable evidence of your English language skills for the purposes of obtaining a UK visa. You will need to check with UK Visa and Immigration for their requirements.

Your IELTS certificate is more than two years old

If your IELTS certificate is over two years old, you may be able to provide additional evidence to demonstrate you’ve maintained your language skills.

I am applying to take the PLAB test

If you’re applying to take the PLAB test, you can submit your IELTS certificate plus references from a tutor or lecturer of a postgraduate course or from an employer completed in a country where English is the first and native language. All references submitted for consideration must cover at least three months full-time study or employment within the last two years.

I am applying for registration

If your IELTS certificate is over two years old, and you have passed PLAB 2 recently, we may be able to extend the validity of your certificate based on your PLAB pass. To be eligible for this extension, you must meet both of the following criteria:

• Your IELTS or OET certificate must be less than three years old on the date your application for registration was received, and
• You must have passed PLAB 2 less than three months prior to the date your application for registration was received.

If you do not meet these criteria, we may consider additional evidence that demonstrates how you can prove you have kept your English skills up to date since the date you sat the test. You can do this by submitting your test report form number found on your IELTS certificate and references from a tutor or lecturer of a postgraduate course or from an employer who is based in a country where English is the first and native language. All references submitted for consideration must cover at least three months full-time study or employment within the last two years.

If you are applying for registration with a licence to practise through the sponsorship route, we are unable to extend the validity of your IELTS certificate. If you are applying for registration through this route, you must demonstrate your knowledge of English using either an acceptable IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET) certificate awarded within the last two years. This only does not apply if you are a national of a country where English is the first and native language and you were awarded your primary medical degree from a country where English is the first and native language. Please check our list of countries where English is the first and native country towards the end of this guidance.