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You will receive information about the test venue and the starting time with your letter of confirmation.
The test starts at 9.30 am, so you must arrive at least at 9.00 am. If you arrive late, you might not be allowed to take the test on that date.
ID Check
The day starts with an ID Check at 9:00 am. Please remember to bring along the Passport that you stated in your application. National ID cards, driving licenses and student IDs are no acceptable proof of identity. Candidates without a valid ID will not be allowed to sit the test.
Cloakroom
After the ID check you will have to leave all your belongings in a cloakroom. The cloakroom will be locked for the duration of the exam, but we strongly recommend not to bring any valuables, mobile phones etc. to the test venue. We will provide you with writing materials. You will only be allowed to take your ID and a bottle of water into the examination room.
Test
At 9.30 am the test starts with a welcome and a short introduction from your invigilator. Please listen carefully to the instructions. If you have any questions please ask one of the invigilators. There are no breaks between the first three parts of the test.
- The first part of the test is the Listening Test; this takes 30 minutes, and you need to answer 40 questions. The recording will be played once only. At the end of the listening test you will be given 10 minutes to transfer your answers from the question booklet to an answer sheet.
- Then you continue with the Reading Test, for which you are allowed one hour, and again, you have to answer 40 questions.
- The third part is the Writing Test, for which you have to write two short essays (of at least 150 and 250 words respectively) in one hour. You should spend about 20 minutes on the first and 40 minutes on the second task.
- In the course of the afternoon the Speaking Tests will be held approx. between 13.00 and 17.30. Please ensure that you are free during this period. The Speaking Test takes about 15 minutes and is a face to face interview with an IELTS Examiner.
Occasionally speaking tests are conducted during the week before or after the test date. In that case you will receive a notification. However, we try to ensure that candidates travelling from other places to the test venue are tested on the same day.
Test Day Advice
1. Practice for confidence - understand the test format
Check the advice under "How to prepare" on this website. To do your best, you need to know what to expect. Make sure you understand the test format. At the very least, look at the free sample test pages to see the types of texts and questions.
2. Arrive on time to the test
Double check the time and date of your test and allow plenty of time to travel to the test centre, or make a test journey beforehand if you are not certain how to get there. If you arrive after the test has started, you will not be allowed to take the test. You can plan your trip by public transport with www.rejseplanen.dk, also available in English (click on the UK flag).
3. Try to be calm and relaxed
Get a good night’s sleep before your test. Do not cram your study. Try to remain calm at the test centre. We do our best to be friendly and assist you and understand that you may be nervous. Read the IELTS regulations before the test so you understand the rules - a copy was enclosed with your confirmation letter.
If you feel yourself becoming worried, take some deep breaths to calm down. Work calmly, focus on the questions, do not rush your answers and you will do your best!
4. Follow the instructions
Listen to the supervisor carefully and follow the instructions on how to sit the test. When you can open your test papers, read the instructions first before writing anything. Don not lose points for careless mistakes because you have not read the question properly. You will lose valuable time if you have to ask questions during the test.
5. Stay aware of the time
Every test room will have a clock on the wall. Stay aware of the time so you can complete all of your questions. Each part has a number of sections. Allow enough time for each section. Some questions have suggested time limits for you to follow.
TEST DAY DO'S AND DON'TS
| DO'S |
| Do keep an eye on the time: it will probably seem to pass very quickly, so take care not to spend too much time on any one passage or question. Remember that you only have 60 minutes to answer the questions and to transfer your answers to your Answer Sheet. |
| Do start at the beginning of the test and work through it. If you cannot do a particular question, leave it and go on to the next. You can then return to that question later if you have time. Put a mark next to this question on the Question Paper so that you can find it again quickly. |
| Do answer as many questions as you can. |
| Do look carefully at the title of the passage and any subtitles and illustrations it may have. You can get a quick idea of what the passage is about from these. |
| Do read the instructions for each set of questions very carefully: it is important to do exactly what you are asked to do. |
| Where appropriate do remember to skim the questions before reading the passage so that you have a purpose for reading. |
| Do make sure you give the passage a quick read through so that you are familiar with the topic and how it is developed in the passage. An understanding of the text structure can be very helpful in answering the questions. |
| Do pay attention to any examples that are provided. |
| Do make sure that your answers keep to the word limit asked for: if you are asked for ‘NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS’, for example, then do not write more. |
| Do make sure that you copy words accurately from the text: spelling mistakes will mean that you will lose the mark for that question. |
| Do make sure that where you have to write an answer yourself, your answer is grammatically correct. |
| DON'TS |
| Don't waste time reading the whole passage each time for each set of questions. Remember that many task types ask you to locate or check details in the text. In cases like this you need to skim quickly through the passage rather than read it all carefully. |
| Don't go back to the beginning of the passage for each question when you know from the task type that the answers will come in the order of the information in the passage. |
| Don't forget that questions can come before the reading passage as well as after. |
| Don't become anxious if there are questions you cannot answer. Leave them and move onto the next questions. You can always come back to the ones you couldn’t answer at the end of the test if you have time. |
| Don’t worry if you don’t understand every word. It may not be necessary to understand all the words in order to answer the questions correctly. |
| Don’t forget that you must write your answers on your Answer Sheet. You will not be given extra time to do this at the end of the test. |
| Don’t write more than one answer when only one is required; even if one of your answers is correct, you will not receive a mark. |
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