IELTS Cancellation Policy for Academic and General Training

Please note: This is the policy for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. UKVI IELTS tests are covered by separate terms and conditions, please contact us for details.

You may change your test date:

· 15 or more days before the scheduled test date (first component) – free of charge

· within 5–14 days of the scheduled test date (first component) – an administration fee of up to 25% of the test fee will be charged

· within 4 days of the scheduled test date (first component) – no transfers can be arranged, except in the exceptional circumstances stated below; any transfer request in this period is treated as a cancellation

The transfer or rescheduled test date must be within three months of the original test date. If you are unable to attend on the transfer test date, neither a further transfer nor a refund can be given.

You can submit your test date transfer request at our Gem office or by email to ielts@thegeminstitute.com. We will review your request and process it by following the current British Council Transfer Policy.

If you cancel your IELTS test 15 or more days before the test date, you can claim a refund of 75% of the test fee paid.

If you cancel within 14 days of the test date, the test fee is non-refundable.

Please note that refunds can take four to six weeks to process, and an additional bank transfer fee may be deducted by your bank.

You may apply for special consideration if you are unable to attend, or your performance is affected on test day, due to illness, injury or another exceptional event outside your control. Recognised circumstances include:

· serious medical conditions which prevent you from attending or performing normally on test day; as verified by a medical certificate from a qualified medical practitioner** (does not include minor illness such as a mild cold)

· bereavement – loss of a close family member

· hardship/trauma – victim of crime, victim of a traffic accident

· other forms of significant hardship

· compulsory military service

To apply for special consideration or to cancel your IELTS (Academic and General Training) test, please submit a request along with supporting documentation/evidence to our GEM office or by email to ielts@thegeminstitute.com. Special consideration does not adjust band scores, and refund/fee outcomes are assessed case by case in line with current British Council policy – please contact us to confirm what applies to your situation.

Only medical certificates in English, from a certified medical professional, are accepted. If we have not received your request along with supporting documentation by email to ielts@thegeminstitute.com by the fifth working day after the test, you will be marked as absent and forfeit all claims.

Please note that we do not accept sick notes issued by family members.

If your test centre does not approve your exception request, then the standard transfer and refund policy, detailed above, will apply.

Under certain circumstances outside test centre control, we may have to cancel your test. These circumstances include, but are not limited to, extreme weather conditions, natural disaster, civil unrest, industrial action, a global pandemic, technical problems, issues at the venue, or other types of disruption or disturbance in the local environment. In these circumstances, your test centre will provide you with as much notice as possible and give you the choice of either of the below.

The British Council is not liable for any losses you incur as a result of a test cancellation.

· A full refund*, or;

· A transfer to a future test date, subject to availability.

* An additional bank transfer fee may be deducted by your bank.

** Only copies of medical certificates from a certified medical professional can be accepted. Please keep the original document with you as we may require it for further verification.