The International English Language Testing System, more popularly known by its acronym, IELTS, is the most recognised English language proficiency tests. Introduced in 1980 by the British Council and the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, it was first known as ELTS – English Language Testing Service. Later on, owing to the increase in the demand for English language testing, the exam was redesigned and hence, in 1989, IELTS was officially launched through a partnership between British Council, Cambridge English and IDP Australia.
The original version of the test was entirely on paper wherein test takers completed the listening, reading and writing modules of the exam on paper and the speaking module was conducted face-to-face with an examiner. This format remained the standard format for decades to come and it still is the standard in many countries.
In December 2017, IELTS introduced the computer-delivered format of the test in Australia followed by a global rollout in several countries in 2018. The first IELTS on computer test in India was conducted in New Delhi on 23rd August 2018 and later, it was launched in several Indian cities. Today, in India, IELTS computer-delivered test is offered in almost every test centre where the paper-based test was or still is offered. However, IELTS made an announcement in 2026 that it is completely phasing out the paper-based format. Although, its official website still mentions that the writing module of the test might be offered on paper in select markets. While we do not know what those select markets will be as of now (when this article was written in June 2026), we have to assume that we will have to take the IELTS on computer with the writing module on computer as well.
What the computer-delivered IELTS is like:
While many people use the term IELTS CBT (computer-based test) or IELTS on computer, the official name used by IELTS is “Computer-delivered IELTS”. To begin with, it is important to note that the original flow of the test, the content of the test, question types, level of difficulty, assessment criteria, scoring, acceptance by institutions and every other aspect of the test remains unchanged.
In the listening and reading module of the computer-delivered IELTS, candidates are required to directly type their answers right next to the questions on the screen. In the reading modules, candidates are also able to see a timer on the top indicating how much time they have left to finish the module. Similarly, in the writing module, candidates are presented with the task prompts on screen and they are required to type in their responses in the respective answer boxes on the screen. In the writing module as well, candidates are able to see a timer on the top part of the screen indicating how much time they have left to finish writing. The speaking module still
takes place face-to-face but instead of meeting the examiner in person, the candidates are required to report to their respective test centres where they are seated in individual sound-proof cabins to the take the speaking test on a computer via an online video call directly with the examiner. There will be no one else in the cabin with the candidates.
One of the benchmarks set by IELTS is the overall quality of the test content which tests candidates’ English proficiency in a real-world context and the unparalleled quality of assessment. IELTS has always used trained human examiners who, unlike AI which is used in many other English tests, are able to understand the nuances behind every individual test taker’s performance and judge accordingly. This makes a huge difference. The good news is that the computer-delivered IELTS still does assessments through trained human examiners only.
It is a common misconception among people that since the computer-delivered IELTS results are declared much sooner, it must be assessed by AI. However, that is as far from the truth as it can possibly be. Originally, in the paper-based format, the answer sheets had to be couriered to examiners for assessment and once they were assessed, the sheets again had to be sent elsewhere to be reviewed for quality before the final results could be declared. This took a lot of time. Whereas, in the computer-delivered test, since all the candidate responses are stored and accessed by the examiners for assessment digitally, the whole process has become much faster and, not to mention, secure.
| ↓ Category Test format → | IELTS on paper | IELTS on Computer |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | Write answers on the question booklet while listening and later transfer them to the answer sheet. | Write answers directly on the screen with no need to transfer later. |
| Listening | 10 minutes transfer time given at the end of the listening module. | 2 minutes allowed to review the answers at the end of the listening module. |
| Reading | Answers to be written directly on the answer sheet provided. | Answers to be typed on the screen next to respective questions. |
| Reading | Can underline words or make notes in the passages. | Can highlight words or type notes in the passages on screen. |
| Writing | Answers to be handwritten on the answer sheets provided. | Answers to be typed on screen. |
| Writing | Wordcount needs to be done manually. | Wordcount is displayed and constantly updated on screen as words are typed. |
| Note-taking | Allowed to take handwritten notes on the question booklets in all the modules. | Allowed to take handwritten notes on the provided sheets of paper in all the modules. |
| Speaking | Conducted face-to-face with an examiner in person or online. | Conducted face-to-face with an examiner online. |
| Results | Declared in 7 days after the listening, reading & writing test day. | Declared in 2-3 days after the listening, reading & writing test day. |
| One-skill retake* | Not allowed | Allowed |
* One-skill retake is available for computer-delivered IELTS test takers who could not achieve desired scores in any one module and instead of taking the whole test again, they can choose to take the test only for that one module in which they need a higher score.
How this affects preparation:
As mentioned before, while the original flow of the test, the content of the test, question types, level of difficulty, assessment criteria, scoring, acceptance by institutions and every other aspect of the test remains unchanged, the way in which candidates prepare for the test has to change completely. It is safe to assume that if a candidate is beginning to prepare for the IELTS test now (when this was written in June 2026), it is highly likely that by the time they are ready for the test, the paper-based testing will have been completely phased out with only a few select markets, as mentioned on IELTS’s website, offering writing on paper. However, one cannot assume whether their location would be included in those ‘select markets’ and hence, candidates must prepare keeping in mind that the computer-delivered IELTS is the only option.
Below are the points you must focus on if you are a future IELTS test taker:
- Typing practice – you must get familiar with typing on a keyboard. This practice will certainly help you finish writing faster in the writing module and in the listening as well as reading module, you won’t have to constantly look at the keyboard trying to find the right alphabets to type.
- Reading online – if you are one of those individuals who prefers to read news or articles from a paper in hand, you must adapt and develop the habit of reading from a screen, at least for the duration of your test preparation. This won’t cause you any inconvenience in the reading module of the computer-delivered IELTS.
- Disabling your auto-correct – of course, in the computer-delivered IELTS, there will be no auto-correct feature which automatically corrects your spelling and grammar errors. Hence, you must practice to type without using that feature so you are forced to revise every word when you are finished typing.
To conclude, IELTS is just modernising and keeping up with the times. The test still remains one of the most authentic and the most widely accepted English language proficiency tests in the world.
At Amin Migration, we too like to keep up with the times and hence, all our IELTS classrooms are equipped with all the necessary technology to help you prepare for the computer-delivered IELTS test. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with all this, just know that we are here to assist you, every step of the way.