IELTS Testing Accommodations: How to Apply

By Muntasir Jul 24, 2026 6 min read

TL;DR

IELTS offers access arrangements for candidates with visual or hearing impairment, specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, and other medical conditions. Common adjustments include extra time (usually an extra 25%), supervised rest breaks, modified papers in large print or Braille, and a live-speaker version of Listening for hearing-impaired candidates.

You need supporting documentation: a medical report dated within 2 years of your test, or a formal learning-difficulty report prepared from age 13 onward. Contact your local test center directly, not IELTS.org, and apply at least 6 weeks before your test date for most arrangements. Headphone requests have a shorter 2-week notice rule.

IELTS Testing Accommodations: How to Apply

If you have a disability, medical condition, or learning difficulty, IELTS offers access arrangements to make the test fair for you. These arrangements range from extra time and rest breaks to modified question papers and support during the Listening test. Your test center handles every request, so you apply through them instead of through IELTS.org directly.

This article covers who qualifies, what adjustments are available, what documentation you need, and how far ahead to apply. If you have not booked your test yet, our guide on IELTS registration walks through the standard booking steps before you request an access arrangement.

Who Qualifies for Access Arrangements

IELTS offers access arrangements for candidates with a range of disabilities, medical conditions, and learning differences. Qualifying conditions include:

Visual impairment, including blindness and low vision
Hearing or speech impairment
Specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia
Temporary or long-term medical conditions, such as a broken arm, diabetes, or ADHD
Other circumstances, such as neurodivergence or breastfeeding and infant care

Available Adjustments

IELTS test centers provide several types of support, depending on your documented need. The sections below outline each option.

Modified Test Papers

For visual impairment, test centers provide large print papers in 18-point bold or Braille question papers. Photographs in the test material come with text or Braille descriptions where relevant. Pick the format you already use in daily study, because an unfamiliar format costs you reading time on test day. These papers are produced to order, so give your test center at least 3 months' notice for a modified version of the test, and supply your medical evidence at least 6 weeks before the test date.

Extra Time and Rest Breaks

Extra time normally works out to an extra 25% of the standard allowance, with visual impairment cases starting at 25% and hearing or speech impairment cases capped at 25%. Your test center approves the arrangement, so your supporting report needs to state how your condition affects your working speed. You are also allowed supervised rest breaks in a separate room, and you are allowed to split the test across two days as an access arrangement. Rest breaks and a two-day split suit conditions such as diabetes, where one unbroken sitting is not workable.

Listening Support for Hearing-Impaired Candidates

If you have a hearing impairment, request a live-speaker version of the Listening test. Instead of the standard recording, the supervisor reads the material aloud twice and pauses periodically during the second reading. Those pauses give you room to write your answers while you follow the speaker. Ask your center to confirm the approved format in writing, so nothing surprises you on test day.

You are also allowed to request a modified Listening recording with the audio played twice plus extra pauses for writing answers, sourced from Cambridge Assessment English. The extra pauses add writing time while keeping the recorded audio. If the live-speaker and modified-recording options are not sufficient for your needs, you are allowed to request an exemption from one or two test components, still subject to your test center's approval. Where an exemption is approved, a score for the missing component is estimated from your performance on the other components and used to calculate your overall band. Check what this estimate does to your overall band with our IELTS band calculator.

Assistive Equipment and Support Services

You are allowed to use your own hearing aid, headphones, or amplification equipment during the test, and wireless or personal FM systems are permitted too. Every device has to be declared to your test center in advance, and the notice period differs by equipment type, so check the table below before you book. Reader and scribe services, personal assistive technology, and computer-based answer writing are also available as access arrangements. Each request is subject to test center approval, and staff are allowed to ask for extra supporting evidence.

Documentation You Need to Apply

Every access arrangement request needs supporting evidence. The type of documentation depends on your condition.

For Learning Difficulties

If you request an arrangement for a learning difficulty such as dyslexia, give the test center a formal report about the learning difficulty. The report has to be prepared from age 13 onward, and it has to confirm the diagnosis came from appropriate, recognised tests. An assessment done in primary school fails the age rule, so book a fresh assessment if your only report predates your 13th birthday. Send the report with your request rather than after it, because the center reviews your evidence before approving anything.

For Visual, Hearing, or Medical Conditions

For visual impairment, hearing impairment, or other medical conditions, you need a medical certificate or report from a qualified professional. The report must be written in English, dated within 2 years of your test date, and give a clear statement of the disability or condition and how it justifies the arrangement you are requesting. Check the date before you send it, since a report older than 2 years fails the rule and needs replacing. Ask the professional to name the specific arrangement you want, because the report has to link your condition to the support you are requesting.

Advance Notice and How to Apply

Apply as early as possible. The notice period depends on the arrangement type.

Arrangement type	Minimum notice
Extra time, access technology such as screen readers, and most standard arrangements	At least 6 weeks before the test date
Wireless or personal FM systems	At least 6 weeks before the test date
Headphones or amplification equipment	At least 2 weeks before the test date
Modified test version (Braille or large print)	At least 3 months before the test date (medical evidence at least 6 weeks before)

Who to Contact

Contact your local IELTS test center directly to request an access arrangement, not IELTS.org. Every request is subject to the test center's approval, and the center is allowed to ask for extra supporting evidence. Put your request in writing so you hold a dated record of when you applied, and keep a copy of every document you attached. If the center has not confirmed your arrangement a week before the deadline in the table above, follow up instead of assuming the request went through.

For what to bring and expect once you arrive, our guide to IELTS test day covers the full checklist.