Please note: This is the policy for IELTS (Academic and General Training), you can find the UKVI cancellation and refund policy here.
Please visit our Take IELTS site for the IELTS Online cancellation policy.
To cancel your non-UKVI IELTS (Academic and General Training) test, please log in to the Test Taker Portal and submit a cancellation request, along with an upload of supporting documentation/ evidence.
Transferring your test date
You may transfer your test date:
- five weeks before the scheduled test date (first component) – free of charge
- less than five weeks before the scheduled test date (first component) – a 25% administration fee will be charged*
- less than three days before the scheduled test date (first component) – no transfers can be arranged, except in the exceptional circumstances stated below.
Your chosen and preferred new test date must be at least fifteen days after the submission of completed application and within three months of the original test date. This is to ensure we have enough seats for the test to facilitate your request.
(E.g. If you submit your application on 1 JUL 2022, you should select a new test date from 16 JUL 2022 onwards.)
If you are unable to attend on the transfer test date, neither a further transfer nor a refund can be given.
Cancelling your IELTS test
You may cancel your test:
- five weeks before the scheduled test date (first component) – you will be eligible for a refund of 75% of the test fee*
- less than five weeks before the scheduled test date (first component) – you will not be eligible for a refund, except in the exceptional circumstances stated below.
Note that refunds can take up to eight to twelve weeks to process. To transfer or cancel your test date, please contact: examinations@britishcouncil.org.hk*.
Exceptional circumstances
You may be able to request for an exception to be made to the standard transfer or cancellation policies, with supporting evidence, in cases of:
- serious medical conditions which prevent you from attending or performing normally on test day; as verified by a medical certificate from a qualified medical practitioner** (does not include minor illness such as a mild cold)
- recent family bereavement
- hardship/trauma – victim of crime, victim of a traffic accident
- other forms of significant hardship
You must submit your exception request in writing to the test centre no later than on the first working day after your scheduled test date. Supporting evidence must be submitted within a maximum of five working days after your scheduled test date. Requests without supporting evidence cannot be considered. Your test centre will respond to you within seven working days.
If your test centre approves your exception request, you will be able to transfer to a new test date with 25% admin fee charged for deferral or be eligible for a refund of 75% of the test fee*
If your test centre does not approve your exception request, then the standard transfer and refund policies, detailed above, will apply.
Test centre exceptions
Under certain circumstances outside test centre control, we may have to cancel your test. These circumstances include, but 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.
* An additional bank transfer fee may be deducted by your bank.
** Only copies of medical certificates from a certified medical professional can be accepted. Please keep the original document with you as we may require it for further verification.