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All About IELTS

All there is to know about the IELTS test

IELTS One Skill Retake: why you should consider it

IELTS One Skill Retake

For some test takers this is a very familiar situation: you’ve taken the IELTS exam, the results are out, everything is what you hoped for… except for that one pesky little score, that’s just half a band lower than you need. Argh… now what?!

If that’s your experience and you’re in Australia, Cambodia, India, or the Philippines IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR for short) is a solution to that problem.

All you need to do is log into your IELTS profile, view your results, choose the skill you wish to retake and book your new test date.

IELTS One Skill Retake costs AUD $267 in Australia. Prices in other countries will be updated here as soon as they become available.

If IELTS One Skill Retake isn’t yet available in your country, this information is still useful, so read on. IELTS has just started the roll-out of this new option, using Australia as their testing ground. When IELTS One Skill Retake comes to your country, it will likely work the same as in Australia, so it’s worth knowing how it can help you and what it can do for you, for when you get access to it.

Where is IELTS One Skill Retake available now?

IELTS One Skill Retake is now available at IDP Melbourne, IDP Sydney, IDP Brisbane, IDP Adelaide, IDP Perth and IDP Cairns. The roll-out is in full swing and soon the option will be offered in many other test centres across Australia.

You can also opt for IELTS One Skill Retake in Cambodia, India, and the Philippines.

What will my IELTS One Skill Retake result look like?

After completing the IELTS One Skill Retake you will receive an IELTS certificate that will include the 3 unchanged scores from your previous full test and your new score from the One Skill Retake test. The date on the Test Report Form (TRF for short) will be the original date of your full test.

Important! Your previous TRF remains valid, and in case your score in the One Skill Retake is lower than the original one in your full test, you can still use the original TRF if it helps.

Is IELTS One Skill Retake acceptable for immigration and further study?

For immigration purposes some visa subclasses accept the IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR) and some don’t, so make sure to check the list of visa subclasses where OSR is allowed here.

For further study there are no known issues, because you will receive a new IELTS certificate including the unchanged scores from your previous test and your new score from the skill you took again.

What are the limitations of IELTS One Skill Retake?

1. You must take the IELTS test on computer, at a test centre that offers One Skill Retake.

At present IELTS One Skill Retake is only available to people who took their full IELTS test on computer and it’s not available to people who took the paper-based test. So if you are planning to go for IELTS One Skill Retake in case your score is lower than you need, book your full test on computer AND make sure your test centre offers IELTS One Skill Retake, to be eligible to retake just one skill later.

2. You need to apply for IELTS One Skill Retake within 60 days of your original, full test.

This shouldn’t generally be a problem, because for computer-delivered tests the results are available 3-5 days after your test, which leaves plenty of time for you to book your IELTS One Skill Retake.

3. You can only retake one skill for each full IELTS test that you’ve sat.

So, for example, if you took the IELTS test and you’re unhappy with your scores in Writing and Speaking, you can retake either the Writing or the Speaking as a single skill, but not both. If you need to change scores in 2 skills, the only way is to take the test again.

What if I have 2 skills where I need to raise my score?

Theoretically, you could apply for EOR (Enquiry On Result, also known as remarking) first, for both of the problematic skills, and see if one of your scores goes up as a result of that, then apply for IELTS One Skill Retake for the other score. According to IELTS.org, EOR takes anywhere between 2 and 21 days, and if you do receive the result of your EOR application within that time frame, that gives you up to 5 weeks to book your One Skill Retake. While in theory this might work, in reality, if there are delays with your EOR, you may run out of time to apply for your One Skill Retake.

Do you have questions about IELTS One Skill Retake? You can ask them in comments.

IELTS Online – everything you need to know

IELTS Online Frequently Asked Questions

There is a new way to take IELTS: it is called IELTS online and you take the test from the privacy of your home. At the moment you can only take an Academic IELTS test online (not General Training), and your IELTS certificate isn’t acceptable for immigration purposes.

Many people are curious about this convenient option, but also a little bit cautious because it is very new. It is only human to fear the unknown, and the best antidote is to get some information – which is why we have interviewed a student who took IELTS online very recently.

Francesco took IELTS online from his home in Italy, and here is what he said about his experience:

Before taking the test, Francesco downloaded a special software that locks your computer down to the IELTS test and doesn’t let you visit any other websites. It shuts down all the processes running in the background on your computer. IELTS needs your computer to have speakers and no more than one screen (they won’t allow two+ screens).

Before the test started, Francesco showed his passport to the proctor who took some time to verify the document. Who is a proctor? It is an IELTS invigilator who monitors your Listening, Reading, and Writing tests online.

The check-in process is very thorough as the proctor asks you to show every single angle of the room. Also, they don’t want you to move your head nor your lips when you read (and they interrupt you during the exam if you are doing so).

Once the identification process is over and the test begins, you don’t see the proctor anymore, but if they think there is something wrong with the way you behave (you are moving your lips, etc), they will block you and then you will see their face as they talk to you.

To take a bathroom break, you need to get the proctor’s attention by raising your hand and waiting until they respond to you. You can’t leave your desk without their permission. Only one 5-minute bathroom break is allowed and you must take it between test sections (after the Listening test and before the Reading test, or after the Reading test and before the Writing test). When you come back from the break, you need to go through the whole check in process again, grab your laptop and do another 360 degree check of the room (ceiling and floor included).

The order of the sub-tests is Listening, Reading and Writing. Each sub-test has a fixed duration, and the software takes you through them automatically, so you don’t need to do anything to go from Listening to Reading or from Reading to Writing. It is important to know that you can only change your answers while you’re in the same sub-test. For example, if the Listening test has finished and you were taken to the Reading test, you won’t be able to go back and change your Listening answers. The Speaking test is usually taken a day or two before the other 3 sections and you do it via a video call with the examiner.

Francesco’s first impression of the Listening test was that it seemed easier than the practice tests he did previously. In the first two parts, instead of filling in the blanks with his own words, there were alternatives presented that he could choose from. However, they didn’t spell two personal names on the recording so he couldn’t grasp them. He wasn’t allowed to use scratch paper in the Listening test to take notes, but it was possible to type notes on screen. You just need to right click on any part of the text, and then you’ll be able to type notes.

In the Speaking test, in Parts 1 and 3 the examiner asked the questions on a video call. In Part 2 they showed a cue card on the screen and then gave Francesco 1 minute to think and write down notes on the IELTS software. Francesco liked the attitude of the examiner who asked follow-up questions based on his responses, so that was really nice.

So, if you are interested in taking IELTS Online, here is the list of countries where it is currently available:

Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

If you intend to take IELTS Online (or the computer-delivered IELTS), the best way to prepare is on a computer, and we have developed a website with an interface very similar to the one you will see in your IELTS exam. Visit our IELTS Online Prep Platform today and make the most of your preparation by signing up for the free trial. You will be able to do a complete IELTS test (with or without time limits), see your score, check your answers and get help with understanding why these answers are correct. To continue practicing you can unlock more practice tests for a minimal fee – we intentionally made it extremely affordable for our students.

Do you have questions about IELTS online? You can ask them in comments.