To work as a doctor in the UK you register with the General Medical Council (GMC). If you use IELTS to prove your English, you need the Academic test with 7.5 overall and at least 7.0 in each of the four parts. This guide explains what that rule means and how to prepare for it.
Doctors registering with the GMC need IELTS Academic 7.5 overall and at least 7.0 in each of the four parts, from one test and your most recent sitting, or OET instead. A One Skill Retake within 60 days counts; certificates are valid two years.
Source: gmc-uk.org ·
The GMC sets two conditions, and you must meet both. Your overall band has to be at least 7.5, and every one of the four parts (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking) has to be at least 7.0. The second condition is the one that catches doctors out. Imagine a result of 8.0 in Listening, 7.5 in Reading, 8.0 in Speaking and 6.5 in Writing. These four bands average exactly 7.5, so the overall condition is met, but Writing is below 7.0, so the certificate does not count. A strong part cannot make up for a weak one.
| IELTS Academic | Minimum band for the GMC |
|---|---|
| Overall | 7.5 |
| Listening | 7.0 |
| Reading | 7.0 |
| Writing | 7.0 |
| Speaking | 7.0 |
So do not aim for a 7.5 average. Aim for 7.0 as a floor in every part, and build your weakest part up first. Your practice results tell you which one that is, long before test day.
IELTS comes in two versions, and the GMC accepts only IELTS Academic. You can take it in person or as IELTS Online, and the UKVI version is also accepted; IELTS Indicator is not. Check the test name before you pay: a General Training result will not be accepted, however high it is. The two versions share some parts and differ in others.
Listening and Speaking are identical. Writing Task 2, an essay, appears in both versions. Speaking is a face-to-face conversation with an examiner.
Reading uses three long academic passages. Writing Task 1 asks you to describe a chart, a graph or a diagram, not to write a letter as in General Training.
Doctors often speak English every day at work and still lose half a band on the test, because IELTS rewards exam technique as well as language. The test takes 2 hours 45 minutes, is now taken on a computer, and is scored from 0 to 9 in half bands. Treat each part as its own target.
Practise writing answers while the audio keeps going, and check the spelling of every answer you write, because careless slips cost you marks you had earned.
Three long academic passages under time pressure. Doctors read quickly, but the questions test exact meaning, so train on each question type until you stop guessing.
Task 1 describes a chart or diagram; Task 2 is an argued essay. Write full timed answers, get feedback on each one, and watch your weakest criterion, not your average.
A live conversation with an examiner. Practise speaking at length on everyday topics, not only on medicine, and record yourself to hear hesitation and repetition.
The GMC also accepts OET, a test built for health professionals. If you choose IELTS, it must be the Academic version with the scores above.
The GMC accepts an IELTS certificate for two years. All your scores must come from one test, your most recent sitting: you cannot combine the best parts of two test dates. Plan your test date so the certificate is still valid when you apply.
Book when timed practice shows 7.0 or more in every part, not only a good average. Fees are set locally by each test centre, so check the price list in your country.
IELTS offers a One Skill Retake: after a computer-delivered test you may repeat one of the four parts, once, within 60 days, in the same country. It is not available in the USA. The retake result replaces the original score for that part on a new Test Report Form, even if it is lower. The GMC accepts a One Skill Retake result when your full test was IELTS on computer and the retake is within 60 days.
A retake costs time and money. It is cheaper to find the weak part in practice. Take full timed mock tests, compare your bands part by part, and spend most of your study time on whichever part is lowest until it sits safely at 7.0 or above.
You need IELTS Academic with an overall band of at least 7.5 and at least 7.0 in each of the four parts: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
No. The GMC asks for at least 7.0 in every part as well as 7.5 overall. One part at 6.5 means the result does not meet the requirement, however strong the other three parts are.
No. Only IELTS Academic is accepted. General Training has a different Reading section and a letter instead of a chart description in Writing Task 1, and it does not count for GMC registration.
Yes. The GMC accepts OET as an alternative to IELTS Academic. OET is designed for health professionals. This page covers the IELTS route; if you choose OET, check the grades the GMC asks for on its own website.
Your IELTS certificate is valid for two years. Your scores must all come from the same test and from your most recent sitting, so you cannot combine the best parts of two different test dates.
Yes, if your full test was IELTS on computer and you took the retake within 60 days of it. IELTS lets you repeat one part once, and the new score replaces the old one for that part.
Fees are set locally by each test centre and differ from country to country, so check the price list where you plan to sit the test. Plan your preparation so you need to pay only once.