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Language tests and levels

IELTS Academic

Definition

IELTS Academic is the academic version of the International English Language Testing System, an English test jointly owned by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Health regulators in the UK and Ireland use it, alongside OET, as proof that an internationally trained professional can communicate safely in English.

Also called: IELTS, International English Language Testing System, IELTS Academic for UKVI, academic IELTS

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What is IELTS Academic?

IELTS has two main versions. IELTS Academic is the one the IELTS partners recommend if you are seeking professional registration, and they name doctors and nurses as examples. IELTS General Training tests everyday English and is used mainly for immigration. Listening and Speaking are the same in both versions; Reading and Writing differ.

The test has four sections and takes 2 hours and 45 minutes: Listening (about 30 minutes), Reading (60 minutes), Writing (60 minutes) and Speaking (11 to 14 minutes). You can sit it at a test centre or online, but not every regulator accepts every format.

Each section gets a band from 0 to 9. The overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. Band 7 is described as a "good" user and band 8 as "very good".

Who needs IELTS Academic, and what score

Most regulators set a score for each skill, not just an overall band. The main ones for health professionals are:

  • GMC (UK doctors): at least 7.0 in each skill and 7.5 overall, in the same test and your most recent sitting. See our GMC page.
  • NMC (UK nurses and midwives): 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing. The NMC lets you combine two sittings of the same test taken within 12 months of each other. See our NMC page.
  • NMBI (Irish nurses and midwives): 7.0 overall, with 7.0 in any three skills and at least 6.5 in the fourth, from one test. NMBI does not accept combined results, IELTS One Skill Retake or IELTS Online. See our NMBI page.
  • Medical Council (Irish doctors): 7.0 overall and at least 6.5 in each module, in a single sitting within the last two years. IELTS Online and the IELTS Indicator are not accepted. See our Medical Council page.
  • VisaScreen (US nurses): for tests taken after 12 May 2026, TruMerit lists 6.5 overall with 7 in speaking for registered nurses. See VisaScreen certificate.

Other UK regulators set their own scores; our guide IELTS or OET for UK healthcare regulators compares them side by side.

How to take it

  1. Check your regulator's page for the version (Academic), the score in each skill, and whether it accepts online or computer-delivered tests.
  2. Book through an official IELTS test centre run by the British Council or IDP.
  3. Sit all four sections. Speaking may be on the same day or within a few days of the others.
  4. Receive your Test Report Form. IELTS says results for computer-delivered tests usually arrive in 1 to 5 days, and IELTS Online in 6 to 8 days.
  5. Send your result to the regulator through the IELTS Results Service, as the regulator verifies scores at source.

How long results last, and common problems

IELTS recommends that results are treated as valid for two years after the test. Regulators set their own rules, and they measure the two years from different dates: the NMC at the date it assesses your complete application, the Medical Council at both submission and registration, and NMBI at the point you submit your registration application.

The most common problems are missing one skill by half a band, resitting after a pass and scoring lower (the GMC looks at your most recent sitting), and booking a format your regulator does not accept. For the UK visa, standard IELTS Academic is not on the Home Office list of Secure English Language Tests; if you need a test for the visa as well, see evidence of English.

Questions

Not by the GMC, NMC, NMBI or Medical Council, which all name the Academic version. The HCPC in the UK is an exception and accepts General Training for the professions it regulates. Check your own regulator before booking.

The NMC allows it for two sittings of the same test taken within 12 months of each other, provided you meet its minimum scores in both. The GMC, NMBI and Medical Council require all scores from one sitting.

IELTS for UKVI is a version of the test approved for UK visa applications. The GMC says it accepts the Academic version including UKVI, and NMBI accepts the IELTS Academic Test for UKVI. Ask your regulator if you are unsure which version you booked.

It depends on the regulator. The GMC accepts IELTS Online, but the Medical Council and NMBI do not. If you may apply in more than one country, sit the test at a centre.

Both are accepted by the GMC, NMC, NMBI and Medical Council. OET uses healthcare material and profession-specific writing and speaking tasks, while IELTS Academic uses general academic material. The right choice is the one you can pass in every skill at one sitting, in a format your regulator accepts.

It is the average of the four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. IELTS says an average ending in .25 is rounded up to the next half band and one ending in .75 is rounded up to the next whole band.

Sources