IELTS Eligibility 2024 - Age Criteria, Education Qualifications

IELTS Eligibility 2024 - IELTS is an International English language testing system conducted by IDP in India. There is only one specific IELTS exam eligibility specified by the IDP i.e., any candidate who is above 16 years of age regardless of their gender, region, religion, race etc., is eligible to attempt the IELTS exam. This simple IELTS test eligibility, make it a popular exam preferred by most people.

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This Story also Contains

1. IELTS Eligibility
2. IELTS Eligibility for Exam Retake
3. IELTS Accepting Countries & Organisations
4. Common Queries of IELTS Eligibility
5. Types of IELTS Exams
6. Details of IELTS Test Types and Their Purposes
7. IELTS Registration

The IELTS exam is available in most of the countries. Students who are willing to study abroad can check the IELTS eligibility for age and proceed with registration. Read the article below containing the aspects related to the eligibility criteria for IELTS like age limit, minimum educational qualification and other useful information.

IELTS Eligibility

Along with the age criteria for IELTS exam 2024, there are a few mandatory requirements to be met by Indian applicants at the time of IELTS registration as follows.

• IELTS Age Limit - Minimum 16 years is the age limit for IELTS exam.

• Education Qualification - A secondary level of education like 10th class must be completed.

• ID Proof - A passport copy has to be uploaded while registering for the test. It is a mandatory requirement during the test registration and testing day.

Kindly refer the below images which specify the IELTS test eligibility while registering for the test.

IELTS Age Limit

Here, the disclaimer specifies that minimum 16 years is the IELTS exam age limit. However, there is no restriction on the upper age limit to attempt the exam.

IELTS Eligibility - Educational Level

In the 19th question, the minimum secondary education level must be selected by the candidate to attempt the IELTS exam. So, students below 9th class or age below 16 will not meet the IELTS eligibility criteria. These things can be check by candidates while registering for the test.

IELTS Eligibility for Exam Retake

Candidates who have scored low marks and are willing to improve their IELTS score can retake the IELTS test. There are no IELTS test eligibility conditions or criteria mentioned by IDP for reattempting the exam. So, candidates can re-attempt the test, once they are ready for it.

IELTS One Skill Retake - There are 4 sections in the IELTS test. With this one-skill retake facility, the candidate has the opportunity to reattempt the one particular section that scored less. The candidate is eligible to take an IELTS one-skill retake within 90 days of the IELTS test results.

IELTS Accepting Countries & Organisations

IELTS is one of the most popular exams worldwide. The test is accepted by 11,500 organisations in 140 countries across the world. The IELTS score is accepted for study and immigration purposes in many countries. The IELTS eligibility for any country is the same for everyone.

Popular Countries Accepting IELTS are

• USA
• UK
• Canada
• Australia
• Germany
• New Zealand
• Ireland
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Japan
• South Korea

The IELTS selection procedure can vary depending on the type of IELTS exam accepted by the institute or organisation. Each university or the immigration authorities has its own minimum IELTS score requirement. Candidates must check the IELTS requirements of each institute and each course individually before admission application. Here are the minimum IELTS scores required for studying masters at top universities in the World.

Common Queries of IELTS Eligibility

Here are a few mostly asked questions and their answers regarding the IELTS exam criteria. Please check.

Q1. Am I eligible for the IELTS exam?

Any candidate who is above 16 years of age and completed education above or equal to secondary level meets the IELTS exam eligibility. People from any country can attempt the test at the authorised IELTS test centres or at home, based on their convenience and requirements.

Q2. What is the 12th percentage required for taking IELTS?

IDP specifies no minimum 12th percentage. Candidates in India who pass the 10 or 12th class meet the IELTS eligibility in terms of education. However, 12th-class percentages or GPAs are used by the abroad universities as a selection tool or shortlisting criteria for admission purposes. A good IELTS score may not guarantee successful admission for a candidate with low scores in 12th standard.

So, study abroad students having good scores in 12th standard will add additional credit points to a candidate's resume. Many universities in the UK, and Australia also accept English subject scores in 12th as proof of English proficiency instead of IELTS. In such cases, a minimum of 70% marks in the English subject is accepted by universities abroad.

Q3. Can I furnish an alternate national ID for the IELTS exam?

The ID proof required for the IELTS exam criteria differs from country to country. For India, the candidates need to furnish a passport as ID proof. For other countries, it may also accept the government-issued ID. The exact requirements can be checked while filling the IELTS application form. Students who are carrying the ID proof to the IELTS test centre must show the same which is selected during the IELTS registration.

Q4. Why to take the IELTS Exam?

Candidates who are willing to migrate to English-speaking countries to study, work, and live, etc., can take the IELTS exam. Students who are willing to study abroad attempt the IELTS exam to get admission to the universities. About 140 countries in the world such as the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK, Germany, and New Zealand, accept IELTS scores. The IELTS exam eligibility for the age and education, is the same for these IELTS-accepting countries. However, the ID requirement may change.

Types of IELTS Exams

There are various modes and formats for the IELTS exam. Each type has specific IELTS eligibility and certain conditions which are discussed below.

IELTS Test Types

• IELTS Academic

• IELTS General

• IELTS Life Skills

IELTS Test Formats in Academic & General

Details of IELTS Test Types and Their Purposes

The following are requirements and purposes of various IELTS tests are as follows.

IELTS Academic - Students who are willing to pursue higher studies in English-speaking countries can attempt the IELTS academic to get admission into the abroad universities. Students who are below 16 years of age can not meet the IELTS eligibility for the academic version.

IELTS General Training - Candidates who are willing to study, work or migrate to other English-speaking countries meet the IELTS exam criteria for General training.

IELTS UKVI - The UKVI-based IELTS exam is available in both modules of IELTS General and IELTS Academic. Candidates who are attempting the exam to study, and work and settle in the UK, meet the IELTS exam criteria for UKVI. Here UKVI stands for UK visa Immigration purposes.

IELTS Computer -based or paper-based can be attempted based on the location of the candidate. Candidates who have the computer-based IELTS test centres in their nearby location can attempt the IELTS computer-based for the Academic /General. Candidates who do not have the facility of IELTS computer-based test centres in their nearby locality can only meet the IELTS eligibility and attempt the paper-based test.

The IELTS syllabus has four sections, listening, speaking, reading and writing. In the syllabus, the listening and speaking sections are common and reading and writing are different in both IELTS General and Academic. However, the IELTS pattern is the same for the tests.

IELTS Lifeskills - Candidates who are migrating to the UK country should attempt the IELTS Lifeskills test. This IELTS life skills for the UK consists of an IELTS listening and speaking section to evaluate the candidate's English proficiency.

To attempt any of these tests, the IELTS age criteria of 16 years and a minimum education

IELTS Registration

Once the candidate checks the IELTS eligibility, they can proceed with the IELTS registration process. The IELTS application form 2024 can be filled out online at the IDP IELTS official website. The candidate can select the nearest IELTS test centre and convenient IELTS exam dates for attempting the test.