How we ensure IELTS test security

There are many established security measures that safeguard test takers, whilst also protecting the interests of the organisations that rely on the legitimacy of IELTS results.

Teacher giving IELTS writing tips on coherence and cohesion to students.

These security measures include:

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Regulations in regards to test papers
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Test taker registration and confirmation systems
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Training test centre staff in the identification of imposters, fraudulent behaviour detection, and cheating prevention
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Rigorous testing conditions
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Routine inspection of test results prior to release
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A free and secure online service to verify test takers results
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A Test Report Form (TRF) that has many security features, including security-enhanced paper, authenticated by an IELTS validation stamp, and a high-resolution photograph of the test taker.

Verify IELTS results online

As a recognising organisation, we encourage you to verify every result presented to you as an additional safeguard against fraudulent documents.

If you notice that a result presented to your organisation does not match the result stored by the Verification Service, you should contact the British Council investigations team by emailing IELTS.Verification@britishcouncil.org.

The IELTS Verification Service is a free and secure online service which lets you:

Verify applicants

Quickly verify that an applicant is presenting a genuine Test Report Form by checking that the results you receive match the results on the IELTS database

Retrieve reports efficiently

Conveniently download electronic Test Report Forms in batches.