About IELTS

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) gives a detailed assessment of the English language skills of non-native English speakers who need to study, train, or work in English. The test is administered in the Netherlands by the British Language Training Centre (BLTC) in conjunction with the British Council and Cambridge Assessment English. The test centres are in Amsterdam, Den Bosch, Zwolle, Eindhoven, and Rotterdam.

• Over 3 million people take the IELTS test globally a year.
• The test is administered in the Netherlands at least 8 times a week.
• IELTS tests all 4 language skills: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. It gives a separate mark for each skill, as well as an overall score.
• The test is for either Academic or General Training skills.
• The test can be taken on paper or on computer.
• For IELTS on paper, the results are available 13 days after taking the test. For IELTS on computer, the results are available 3-5 days after taking the test.
• Tests can also be held in educational and commercial institutes anywhere in the Netherlands.
• There is a free 30-hour online preparation package (Road to IELTS). This is free for all candidates who register with the BLTC. See the Test Drive version of Road to IELTS here.
• No feedback will be available for your IELTS exam

IELTS tests, both on computer and on paper, are fully supervised and carried out only at our test centre and offsite locations in the Netherlands under secure exam conditions. 

Taking the IELTS test

Registration is online on a first-come, first-served basis. You cannot register for the IELTS on the day of the test. 

After your payment, the email you receive confirming both your payment and test date may take up to 3 days to be sent to you - perhaps longer if you pay before a weekend. Do not worry about this, we need to manually check the ID document you uploaded when you registered and paid in order to ensure that all your personal information is correct in our system.

Click here to register for an IELTS test

More information

• Who accepts IELTS?
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• If you are not an EU or EFTA (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) citizen and you are applying for a visa to move to or remain in the UK, please read this important information about the IELTS test for UK Visa and Immigration purposes.
• For further information on the IELTS test for UK Visas and Immigration, you can write to the British Council at ieltsukvi.netherlands@britishcouncil.org

Are you ready? IELTS preparation courses at BLTC

Are you ready to take the IELTS test? BLTC offers intensive and extensive IELTS preparation courses throughout the year. Find out more. 

Try the new IELTS preparation app!