This month brings the most significant structural announcement in IELTS history: the end of paper-based testing. At the same time, IELTS made clear where it stands on secure English language testing for immigration, withdrawing from the UK Home Office’s HOELT tender. In immigration news, the UK has published a wide-ranging Statement of Changes, and Australia has overhauled its visa processing system. Read on for all the details.
IELTS Developments
The End of Paper-Based IELTS
Official Announcement: All Tests Move to Computer from Mid-2026
In the most consequential operational change in the test’s 36-year history, the three co-owners of IELTS — British Council, IDP, and Cambridge University Press & Assessment — have officially confirmed that paper-based testing will be discontinued worldwide from mid-2026. All IELTS tests will be delivered on computer. Exact timelines will vary by market, with rollout coordinated in phases alongside test centres.
The decision follows several years of data and candidate feedback, with the official announcement citing higher satisfaction rates among those who have chosen the computer-delivered format due to greater convenience, faster results, and the availability of features such as One Skill Retake.
A New ‘Writing on Paper’ Option
Acknowledging that some candidates prefer handwriting their responses, IELTS is introducing a new ‘Writing on Paper’ option in selected markets. This allows candidates to handwrite their answers to the Writing component while completing Reading and Listening on computer, retaining the benefits of faster digital results. Research conducted by the IELTS partners confirms that scores under this mode are comparable to fully computer-typed responses across all band levels.
Importantly, the One Skill Retake feature will be available to candidates who choose Writing on Paper, though the retake must be completed in the same mode as the original test. The test construct, skills assessed, scoring methodology, and global recognition remain entirely unchanged.
For IELTS candidates: All previously issued paper-based results remain fully valid for the standard two-year period. No action is required unless your test falls close to the transition date in your market. The IELTS for UKVI Secure English Language Test will only be available in fully digital format.
For candidates in markets where paper-based testing is still popular — including parts of South Asia — this change will require preparation adjustment. Test centres in those regions are working to ensure access to the computer-delivered format, and free computer-based practice tests are available through the IDP and British Council platforms to help candidates familiarise themselves with the interface.
IELTS and the HOELT Tender
IELTS Partners Withdraw from UK Home Office English Language Test Bid
The IELTS consortium has formally confirmed its withdrawal from the tender to deliver the Home Office English Language Test (HOELT), the new immigration language test the UK government is seeking to procure. The decision was confirmed in a post on the official IELTS website, with the partners citing concerns about the government’s proposed ‘fully remote’ and ‘digital-by-default’ delivery model.
In their statement, the IELTS partners argued that decisions as consequential as granting permission to live in the UK demand the highest levels of trust in assessment outcomes, and that evidence from research and regulatory practice demonstrates that fully remote testing cannot consistently meet those standards in the highest-stakes environments.
Francesca Woodward, Global Managing Director for English at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, stated: “The most secure approach combines human expertise and digital tools while retaining full control over the test environment.” The consortium added that it “cannot bid for HOELT as it is currently constructed” while maintaining its commitment to quality, integrity, and security.
Context for candidates: IELTS for UKVI remains a valid Secure English Language Test (SELT) approved by the UK Home Office and continues to be accepted for all current UK visa applications, including Skilled Worker, Student, and settlement routes. This development relates solely to a future government contract, not current IELTS recognition.
The Home Office has stated it is continuing to identify a provider capable of meeting the required standards. The tender process remains live, with a contract start anticipated in late 2026. Smaller providers with established remote-proctoring infrastructure are widely expected to be the leading candidates.
British Council Annual Report 2024/25
Key Data from the Official IELTS Partner’s Latest Report
The British Council has published its 2024/25 annual report, covering the 12 months to March 2025. Several figures are directly relevant to the health and reach of IELTS globally.
The British Council delivered 2.3 million IELTS tests during the year — identical to the previous year’s figure, demonstrating volume stability during a period of broader market turbulence for international education. IELTS Online, the fully remote delivery option, has been expanded significantly, now available in 25 EU countries and 28 countries outside the EU. The report notes that EU growth in IELTS delivery has been partly driven by the online product.
The British Council also delivered nearly 90% of all Secure English Language Tests (SELTs) globally in its capacity as part of the IELTS Secure English Language Test Consortium working for the Home Office — underscoring IELTS’s dominant position in the UK immigration testing market prior to any HOELT transition.
The report does note lower demand in some IELTS markets across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, attributed to shifts in international student mobility policies and the emergence of new study destinations that do not require an IELTS test. This has been partially offset by continued growth in the China market.
English Language Testing Landscape
TOEFL iBT: First Impressions of the Overhauled Test
The New TOEFL Is Now Live — and Under Scrutiny
The fully redesigned TOEFL iBT, which launched on 21 January 2026, has now been taken by candidates worldwide, and early first-hand accounts are beginning to emerge. The new format represents ETS’s most substantial overhaul in years: the test now runs to approximately 85–90 minutes (down from around two hours), uses a new 1–6 band scoring scale aligned with CEFR, and introduces adaptive Reading and Listening sections that adjust difficulty based on individual performance.
New task types include ‘Build a Sentence’ and ‘Complete the Words’ (a fill-in-the-blanks format previously associated with the Duolingo English Test), as well as a ‘Listen and Repeat’ speaking task and a more conversational interview-style element. Traditional integrated writing tasks have been removed entirely.
Among the positives noted by test-takers, ETS has distributed custom noise-cancelling headphones to test centres globally, and timers are now clearly displayed for each listening item — an improvement on the old format’s less intuitive timing indicators. Score delivery has been reduced to around 72 hours.
However, the transition has also created practical complications for institutions and candidates. The new 1–6 scoring scale means that universities are in the process of establishing new score requirements, and some institutions have not yet published guidance. The new format has also been described as less predictable in difficulty, partly due to its adaptive nature, and some observers note that the shorter reading passages increase the potential for prior subject knowledge to influence question responses — a psychometric concern being actively discussed in testing research circles.
IELTS Research Questions New TOEFL’s Construct Validity
In a significant development for the testing landscape, IELTS’s research team has published a comparative validity report examining the new TOEFL iBT 2026 alongside both the former TOEFL (2023 format) and IELTS Academic. The report, authored by Latimer, Inoue, Chan, and Lam and published on ielts.org, raises substantive concerns about the new TOEFL’s construct validity.
The research concludes that the revised TOEFL represents a substantial construct shift compared to earlier versions, noting reduced text length and complexity, narrower task types, and potentially greater susceptibility to coaching effects. The report warns that legacy concordance tables — used by institutions to align TOEFL scores to IELTS equivalencies — are likely to be unreliable in the context of the new test, and that score misinterpretation is a real risk for institutions that have not yet updated their requirements.
For IELTS candidates: IELTS Academic remains accepted at all major institutions worldwide and continues to carry well-established concordance tables with no uncertainty about score interpretation. Institutions seeking reliable comparisons between tests are advised to verify whether their TOEFL requirements have been updated for the new 1–6 scale.
Market Context: IDP Share Price and Broader Pressures
The IELTS market is not immune to the pressures affecting international education globally. IDP Education — one of IELTS’s three co-owners and its primary distributor in many markets — has experienced a significant decline in share price over the past year, driven partly by lower volumes of international student placements and partly by a decline in testing volumes in key markets such as India.
IELTS test fees in India will increase from 1 April 2026, rising by ₹1,000 to bring the total cost to ₹19,000. This follows a series of annual fee adjustments. Some industry observers have noted the tension between continued fee increases and competitive pressure from test providers offering lower-cost alternatives, particularly in a market where candidates are highly price-sensitive.
That said, IELTS retains critical institutional advantages: universal acceptance across all major study, work, and migration destinations, the widest network of physical test centres globally, and — as evidenced by the HOELT withdrawal — a principled stance on testing integrity that many institutions and governments continue to value.
International Migration News for IELTS Candidates
United Kingdom
March 2026 Statement of Changes to Immigration Rules
On 5 March 2026, the Home Office published a wide-ranging Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules, introducing a raft of amendments across work, study, settlement, and protection routes. Changes take effect on a staggered schedule running from March 2026 through to March 2027.
Key changes affecting IELTS candidates include:
- Settlement English language upgrade confirmed: From 26 March 2027, the English language requirement for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) under multiple routes — including Skilled Worker — will increase from CEFR B1 to B2. This change has now been formally written into the immigration rules with a one-year lead time to allow affected individuals to prepare. For IELTS candidates, B2 corresponds broadly to an overall band score in the range of 5.5–6.0 depending on the specific route.
- Visa fee increases from 8 April 2026: Application fees across most immigration routes will rise, including Skilled Worker visas, settlement applications, and citizenship applications.
- Visa Brake introduced: From 26 March 2026, nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan cannot apply for UK Student visa entry clearance. Afghan nationals are also barred from applying for Skilled Worker entry clearance.
- Global Talent expansion: A new pathway for design professionals will open from 1 July 2026, expanding an already flexible route that does not require a separate English language test where a degree from an English-speaking institution is held.
For IELTS candidates planning settlement in the UK: The formal confirmation of the B2 settlement requirement from March 2027 means that candidates who originally qualified under the B1 threshold will need to take additional steps. IELTS for UKVI is one of the approved Secure English Language Tests (SELTs) accepted for UK visa and settlement applications. Begin preparation well in advance — moving from B1 to B2 is typically estimated to require around 200 hours of additional study.
Australia
New Visa Processing System Launches
The Australian Department of Home Affairs launched an overhaul of its visa processing infrastructure on 25 March 2026, with the aim of significantly reducing processing times for high-demand visa categories including student visas and skilled worker visas. The new system introduces real-time application tracking for applicants and upgraded backend processing to prioritise decision-making in categories experiencing the highest volumes.
The government has set a planning level of 295,000 student visa places for 2026, an increase on the previous year’s 270,000, signalling a measured reopening of the student market after several years of policy tightening. Australia continues to accept IELTS as the primary English proficiency test for both the Student Visa (Subclass 500) and Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485).
Temporary Graduate Visa Fees Rise
From 1 March 2026, the base application charge for the Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa increased to AUD $4,600 for primary applicants, up from the previous rate. Secondary applicants aged 18 and over pay AUD $2,300. These changes affect international students who have completed Australian qualifications and are seeking post-study work rights.
For IELTS candidates applying to Australia: IELTS Academic is widely accepted for both Student and Temporary Graduate visa applications. Minimum scores vary by institution and visa subclass — always verify current requirements with your institution or the Department of Home Affairs before applying.
Canada
2026 Study Permit Caps Confirmed
Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has confirmed that 408,000 study permits will be issued in 2026, of which 155,000 are new arrivals. This represents a decrease of approximately 7% compared to 2025 allocations, reflecting the government’s continued policy of managed growth in the international student sector. Allocations are distributed across provinces and territories, with some variation in processing priority depending on the recognition tier of the institution.
Canada also published its first-ever AI Strategy for Immigration Processing in March 2026, outlining how artificial intelligence tools will be incorporated into immigration decision-making workflows going forward. The strategy emphasises that AI will support — not replace — human officers in final decisions.
For IELTS candidates planning to study in Canada: IELTS Academic and General Training are accepted for study permit applications. For permanent residency through Express Entry, IELTS General Training remains one of the primary language assessment options, with a minimum CLB 7 (equivalent to IELTS band 6.0) typically required across all four skills for Federal Skilled Worker applications.
Further Reading & Verification
All immigration rules and visa requirements are subject to change. We recommend verifying current requirements at:
- IELTS Official — ielts.org
- British Council — britishcouncil.org
- IDP IELTS — ielts.idp.com
- UK Immigration Rules — gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules
- Australia Department of Home Affairs — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Canada IRCC — canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship
Immigration rules change frequently. Always verify requirements on official government websites before making decisions. IELTS scores cited are indicative — individual visa categories may carry specific sub-score requirements.
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