IELTS is the global test for international mobility. More than 12,500 organisations in over 140 countries worldwide already accept IELTS scores for education, employment and immigration.
IELTS is the top choice for entry requirement for English-taught degree programmes. If you need to ascertain the language skills of your students, staff or potential candidates, IELTS is the only test you will need.
The IELTS test can help you:
- check the English language level of staff or students when recruiting them
- assess the English language level of your students when they are applying for international mobility programmes
- equip your students with the world’s most popular international English language test at the point of graduation to help them stand out in today’s competitive jobs market.
How to become an IELTS recognising organisation
You can help raise the profile of your institution to prospective candidates by applying to become an IELTS recognising organisation. Your organisation will then be given a free listing on Who accepts IELTS? and all IELTS websites.
Simply contact our IELTS team in Greece, who will be more than happy to help you.
Alternatively, you can apply using the online application form. It only takes a few minutes and once we have received the form, we will let you know if your application has been successful.
All organisations need to state that they recognise IELTS on their websites, wherever they are based in the world.
How to use IELTS
The IELTS test is recognised by the Council of Europe, and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages provides a basis for the mutual recognition of language qualifications, thus facilitating educational and occupational mobility.
The table below suggests how to align IELTS scores with CEFR language levels:
| IELTS scores | CEFR level |
| < 4.0 | Below Β1 |
| 4.0–5.0 | B1 |
| 5.5–6.5 | Β2 |
| 7.0–8.0 | C1 |
| 8.5–9.0 | C2 |
How should the CEFR be used by recognising institutions wishing to set language ability requirements?
In fulfilling its purpose as a common reference tool, the CEFR was not designed to provide the basis for precise equating, nor was it intended to be a prescriptive tool to impose standardised solutions. Rather it was designed as a common framework of reference, primarily intended as ‘a tool for reflection, communications and empowerment’, as described by John Trim, its coordinating author (Saville, N 2005).
Therefore, we would recommend that all recognising institutions should look at the IELTS band score descriptors and use the IELTS Scores Guide DVD to ascertain the appropriate level of language ability required for their institution or course.
Keeping your applicants informed about required IELTS scores
We recommend that you publish the IELTS scores that you require on your organisation’s website as this will assist prospective candidates in their decision making. It will also help streamline your application processes and reduce the need to respond to detailed enquiries.
Our team in Greece can provide you with official IELTS logos to include on your website. For more information, please contact our IELTS team in Greece.
Please download the IELTS Guide for Organisations (PDF, 1 mb) for further information.
IELTS Test Report Form (TRF) Verification Service
IELTS is used by many organisations as evidence of competence in English. A candidate who has taken IELTS is given a Test Report Form (TRF), which details the candidate's test scores. In order to check that the candidate is presenting a genuine TRF and that the candidate and the TRF match, we have developed an online verification service.
Access to the service is free and it will help you to ensure that anyone presenting you with a TRF is entitled to claim the level of competence detailed on the TRF. Access to the site is restricted in order to protect the data we hold on candidates. You will not be able to carry out general searches of the data we hold; you will only be able to search on complete TRF numbers.
Access or apply for access credentials to the IELTS Test Report Form (TRF) Verification Service.