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IELTS Exam to Study in the UK
The UK is one of the most popular study destinations. Students from all over the world travel to the UK for higher studies. But, to study in the UK students must appear for IELTS. It is also necessary to appear for IELTS to get a work or study visa.
IELTS is also known as the International English Language Testing System. It is an English proficiency test that students must take when moving to the UK. The score of this test may be asked for at the time of admission or when enrolling for a Visa.
The IELTS test is of five types:
- IELTS Academic
- IELTS General Training
- IELTS for UKVI (Academic)
- IELTS for UKVI (General Training)
- IELTS Life Skills
People going to the UK may have to give different tests depending on their purpose of moving. Read on to know more.
Table of Contents
- What is IELTS for UKVI?
- Why IELTS is Required to Study in UK?
- Difference Between IELTS vs IELTS UKVI
- Which IELTS Exam is for UK?
- IELTS Life Skills
- IELTS Requirement for UK
- IELTS Requirements for UK's Top 10 Universities
- IELTS Undergraduate Requirement for UK
- IELTS Requirements for Masters in UK
- How Much IELTS Score is Required for a UK Student Visa?
- Types of IELTS for UK Visa & Immigration
What is IELTS for UKVI?
IELTS for UKVI is an IELTS test that is specially designed by the UK Home Office. They are Secured English Language tests (SELT) that are approved by the UK Home Office. This test may be taken by Innovators, Skilled workers, Startups, Students, or ministers of Religion.
IELTS for UKVI can be divided into two types:
- IELTS for UKVI (General Training): This test is for people migrating for training. It is also taken by students who will pursue study below degree level in the UK.
- IELTS for UKVI (Academic): This test is for students who wish to pursue UG or PG level education in the UK. It is also taken by students who seek professional registration in the UK.
The IELTS test was taken, and the score needed depends on the person's purpose for moving to the UK.
Please Note – All UK universities and colleges accept scores of IELTS Academic. Thus, students don't need to appear for IELTS for UKVI rather they can submit scores of IELTS Academic.
Yet, to be safe students must check with the university once before taking any IELTS.
Related Reads:
Why IELTS is Required to Study in UK?
Taking an IELTS is necessary if a person wants to move to the UK. It helps understand the person's strength in the English language. It is an English proficiency test that acts as proof that a person knows the English language. A student needs to demonstrate a satisfactory level of written and spoken English to study in the UK. And IELTS exam helps us do just that.
Given below are some places where IELTS exam scores come to use:
- At the time of admission to any college or university in the UK
- At the time of application for a Student Visa or Work Visa
- When enrolling in courses that don't provide degrees (Certificate courses)
- When seeking professional registration in the UK
Difference Between IELTS vs IELTS UKVI
The IELTS and IELTS for UKVI do not have any major differences in format, content, scoring, and level of difficulty. But the test Report Form got IELTS for UKVI is slightly different than regular IELTS. It shows that the candidate has taken the test at an official IELTS for the UKVI location.
Some other differences between the two tests are:
| IELTS | IELTS for UKVI |
| It is not approved by the UK Home Office. | It is approved by the UK home office. It is a SELT. |
| It may or may not be accepted in UK universities | It is always accepted in UK universities and colleges. |
| It is not accepted at the time of immigration to the UK | It is the only test accepted when immigrating to the UK |
| The report form doesn’t show the location where the test was taken | The report form shows that the test was taken at a location approved by UK Home Office. |
Which IELTS Exam is for UK?
One needs to appear for IELTS for UKVI when moving to the UK. People need to take different IELTS tests depending on their purpose of moving to the UK. One must carefully go through all the requirements before giving an IELTS exam.
As mentioned earlier, there are 5 types of IELTS exams. Each of these is listed below with their details:
|
Types of tests |
Details |
|
IELTS Academic |
It is for students who wish to pursue UG or PG degree courses in the UK. It is also for people seeking professional registration in the UK |
|
IELTS General Training |
It is for people who wish to migrate to the UK under various circumstances It is for students willing to pursue training or study below degree level |
|
IELTS Life Skills A1 |
It is for candidates who wish to apply for a “family of settled person” visa. |
|
IELTS Life Skills A2 |
It is for people who apply for an extension of a family, spouse, or partner visa. |
|
IELTS Life Skills B1 |
It is for people applying for citizenship or indefinite leave to remain. |
IELTS Life Skills
IELTS Life Skills test is for people who need to prove their English speaking and listening skills. It has 3 levels A1, A2, and B3.
Given below are details of each test:
|
IELTS Life Skills A1 |
It is for candidates who wish to apply for a “family of settled person” visa. |
|
IELTS Life Skills A2 |
It is for people who apply for an extension of a family, spouse, or partner visa. |
|
IELTS Life Skills B1 |
It is for people applying for citizenship or indefinite leave to remain. |
IELTS Requirement for UK
All international students, moving to the UK must take the IELTS exam. However, the required score for each of them may differ. It may differ according to the university and program are chosen by a student.
Given below are the IELTS requirements for different degree levels:
|
Degree Level |
IELTS Requirement |
|
University Foundation |
IELTS 4.5 (4.0+ in all skills) |
|
Bachelor’s Degree |
IELTS 6.5 (6.0+ in all skills) |
|
Pre-Master’s |
IELTS 5.0 (5.0+ in all skills) |
|
Master’s Degree |
IELTS 6.5 (6.0+ in all skills) |
IELTS Requirements for UK's Top 10 Universities
All UK universities have different IELTS requirements. The IELTS requirements for the top 10 universities are given below:
|
Rank |
University |
Global Rank |
IELTS minimum requirement (undergraduate programs) |
IELTS minimum requirement (postgraduate programs) |
|
1 |
University of Oxford |
1 |
7.0 |
7.5 |
|
2 |
University of Cambridge |
5 |
7.5 |
7.0 |
|
3 |
Imperial College London |
12 |
6.5 |
6.5 |
|
4 |
UCL |
18 |
6.5 |
6.5 |
|
5 |
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) |
27 |
7.0 |
7.0 |
|
6 |
University of Edinburgh |
30 |
6.5 |
6.5 |
|
7 |
King’s College London |
35 |
7.5 |
7.5 |
|
8 |
University of Manchester |
50 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
|
9 |
University of Warwick |
78 |
6.0 |
6.5 |
|
10 |
University of Glasgow |
86 |
6.5 |
6.5 |
IELTS Undergraduate Requirement for UK
The average IELTS score needed to pursue a UG degree in the UK is 6.5. Along with this students must have a 6.0 + score in all skills. However, this score may differ for UG courses in different universities. Given below are the IELTS score required to pursue UG in different universities:
|
Rank |
University |
IELTS minimum requirement (undergraduate programs) |
|
1 |
University of Oxford |
7.0 |
|
2 |
University of Cambridge |
7.5 |
|
3 |
Imperial College London |
6.5 |
|
4 |
UCL |
6.5 |
|
5 |
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) |
7.0 |
|
6 |
University of Edinburgh |
6.5 |
|
7 |
King’s College London |
7.5 |
|
8 |
University of Manchester |
6.0 |
|
9 |
University of Warwick |
6.0 |
|
10 |
University of Glasgow |
6.5 |
|
11 |
University of Bristol |
6.5 |
|
12 |
University of Birmingham |
6.0 |
|
13 |
University of Sheffield |
6.0 |
|
14 |
Queen Mary University of London |
6.0 |
|
15 |
Lancaster University |
6.5 |
|
16 |
University of Southampton |
Contact institution |
|
17 |
University of Leeds |
6.0 |
|
18 |
University of Nottingham |
6.0 |
|
19 |
University of Exeter |
6.5 |
|
20 |
Newcastle University |
6.5 |
IELTS Requirements for Masters in UK
The average IELTS score required to study master's in the UK is 6.5. Along with this students must score 6.0+ score in all skills. Given below are the IELTS requirements for masters in different universities in the UK:
|
Rank |
University |
IELTS minimum requirement (postgraduate programs) |
|
1 |
University of Oxford |
7.5 |
|
2 |
University of Cambridge |
7.0 |
|
3 |
Imperial College London |
6.5 |
|
4 |
UCL |
6.5 |
|
5 |
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) |
7.0 |
|
6 |
University of Edinburgh |
6.5 |
|
7 |
King’s College London |
7.5 |
|
8 |
University of Manchester |
6.0 |
|
9 |
University of Warwick |
6.5 |
|
10 |
University of Glasgow |
6.5 |
|
11 |
University of Bristol |
6.5 |
|
12 |
University of Birmingham |
6.0 |
|
13 |
University of Sheffield |
6.0 |
|
14 |
Queen Mary University of London |
6.5 |
|
15 |
Lancaster University |
6.5 |
|
16 |
University of Southampton |
Contact institution |
|
17 |
University of Leeds |
6.0 |
|
18 |
University of Nottingham |
6.0 |
|
19 |
University of Exeter |
6.5 |
|
20 |
Newcastle University |
6.5 |
How Much IELTS Score is Required for a UK Student Visa?
Students also need to appear for IELTS if they want to get a UK student visa. The required score to get a UK student visa is 6.0 or above. Students must also score at least 5.5 in all four IELTS bands.
However, it differs with the degree the student is going to pursue. Given below are the IELTS scores required for different degrees:
|
Degree |
IELTS Score |
|
Bachelor’s Degree |
6.0 or 6.5 |
|
Pre-Masters |
5.0 or 5.5 |
|
Graduate Degree |
6.5 (6.0+ in all skills) |
|
Master’s Degree |
6.5 or 7.0 |
|
Engineering program/ Teaching or Education Studies |
7.0 (6.5+ in all skills) |
Types of IELTS for UK Visa & Immigration
There 3 types of IELTS for UKVI these are IELTS for UKVI (Academic), IELTS for UKVI (General Training), and IELTS Life Skills. The IELTS Life skills can further be divided into 3 levels: A1, A2, and B1.
Given below are the details of each of these:
|
Types of tests |
Details |
|
IELTS Academic |
It is for students who wish to pursue UG or PG degree courses in the UK. It is also for people seeking professional registration in the UK |
|
IELTS General Training |
It is for people who wish to migrate to the UK under various circumstances It is for students willing to pursue training or study below degree level |
|
IELTS Life Skills A1 |
It is for candidates who wish to apply for a “family of settled person” visa. |
|
IELTS Life Skills A2 |
It is for people who apply for an extension of a family, spouse, or partner visa. |
|
IELTS Life Skills B1 |
It is for people applying for citizenship or indefinite leave to remain. |
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