General IELTS Info and How to Apply

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is the most widely administered test of English skills in the world – 1.5 million candidates take this test annually. BridgeEnglish has been the first and only IELTS test center in Colorado since 2008. We currently test around 2,000 candidates per year - a number that continues to grow.

IELTS is accepted by over 3,000 colleges, universities, and companies in the USA. A complete list of recognizing institutions can be found here.

Click on the following topics to learn more:

How to Apply for the IELTS Test

There are three ways you can apply to take the IELTS test:

Apply online and pay online - then email as a scanned attachment in JPG format the copy of your passport and two passport pictures without glasses (if you did not download it online).
Come to our IELTS center and apply in person. Our IELTS office is open Monday-Thursday from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Saturday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.
Download the application form and send it by mail along with all required documents and a money order or cashier's check.

Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

To submit a complete application, there are four required elements:

1. Fully completed official IELTS Application Form

Apply online at ieltsregistration.org or download the application here.
All questions on the application form must be fully answered.
All four pages of the application must be submitted, including signing and dating the last page.
Pages i, ii, iii and iv should be retained and read by the candidate and not submitted.
If incomplete applications are received, there will be a delay in processing and confirming your test date. Candidates will not be registered for a test date until a correct and completed application is submitted.
Candidates are required to read ‘Information for Candidates’ prior to the test date. If you have not received a copy of IELTS Information for Candidates, please make sure you download it from www.ielts.org or right here:

2. Two passport-sized photos, attached to the application indicated

Both of the photos must be the same image, without glasses, be the same passport-size, have been taken in the last six months, and have a light background. Digital or digitally scanned photos are not acceptable. They must be signed on the backside.

Photographs must:

be in color
be identical
be no more than 6 months old
be taken against plain background so that features are clearly distinguishable
be undamaged
be in sharp focus and clear
be print quality of professional standard
be a close-up of the head and shoulders

show the candidate looking straight at the camera
show the candidate with a neutral expression
show the candidate with mouth closed
show the candidate with eyes open and clearly visible
show the candidate without glasses
not show any shadows
not show anything covering the face, the outlines of the eyes, nose or mouth

3. A photocopy of your passport

The passport must be the same document that has been indicated on your application form. The passport must be valid and unexpired. Submit a photocopy of the page(s) containing the photo, date of birth, passport number, date of expiry, and signature (if any). If your passport contains a current extension stamp, please also include a photocopy of that page. No other form of identification is accepted.

4. Test fee payment of $185

You must pay the test fee of $185 before completing the application form. There are four possible ways to make payment:

Pay online with a credit card through our secure IELTS Online Registration.
- After you pay for the test with IELTS Online Payment, you can continue with IELTS Online Registration ieltsregistration.org.
- Once the online registration has been submitted online, you will receive a confirmation e-mail stating the application has been received.
Download a credit card authorization form, complete it and send by mail with all documents, or as a scanned email attachment, or by fax. You can download the form here.
Mail a money order or cashier’s check for $185 made payable to Bridge-Linguatec. You may mail your check along with your completed application to the address below:

BridgeEnglish
IELTS Center
Attn: IELTS Administrator
915 S. Colorado Blvd.
Denver, CO 80246 USA
Pay by cash in person at our test center. Cash payment must be made within five days of applying online in order to hold your reservation or immediately if the application is submitted in person.

Test Date Confirmation

You will receive a confirmation email with full details within 5 business days of submitting a completed IELTS Application Form with all required documents. All correspondence will be by email, so please provide a valid email address on your application form. Please check your email regularly, including a careful check of your junk/spam mail box. Please contact us if you do not receive a full confirmation email by one week before your scheduled test date.

Application Deadlines

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and does not guarantee a first choice of test date. It is therefore important that you register as early as possible since there is limited capacity for each test date. Applications are processed in the order that they are received.

The application form asks you to complete first and second choice test dates. Please complete both boxes for first and second choice test dates. If your first test date choice is not available on receipt of your application, we will automatically schedule you for your second test date choice. You must therefore be available to take the test on both your first and second choice test dates. If neither the first nor second test choice date is available, we will contact you to arrange a convenient test date.

Test Day Schedule and Information

Candidates are expected to arrive at the test center no later than 8:30 am. Doors will open and registration will begin at 8:00 am. Passports are required on the day of the test. No other form of identification is accepted. The test begins at 9:00 am and the total test time is 2 hours 45 minutes (Listening, Reading and Writing). The Speaking test is scheduled either in the afternoon of the Friday before the test or on Saturday after the written portion of the test between 12:15 pm and 5:30 pm. You should therefore be prepared to remain at the test center the whole day on Saturday.

Please leave personal items (such as cell phones, cameras, iPods, calculators) at home or in your vehicle as you will not be able to take them into the test room. You do not need to bring pencils, erasers or pencil sharpeners, as these are provided to you in the test room. You are allowed to bring into the test room up to: 2 pens, 2 pencils, 1 eraser, 1 pencil sharpener, drinking water in a transparent bottle, and/or reading glasses if needed (no case). If you need other forms of liquid or food in the test room for medical reasons, you should request permission from the IELTS Test Administrator on duty before the test starts. Please let us know well before the test date if you have any questions regarding what is and what is not permitted in the test room.

Cancellation and Test Transfer

Candidates wishing to cancel or transfer five weeks or more before the test date will receive the total test fee minus a 25% administrative charge.

Candidates wishing to cancel the test within five weeks of the test date for any reason apart from medical reasons will not be eligible to receive a refund. Candidates will have to pay the entire test fee again to register on a different date, either at the same or at a different center.

Candidates seeking cancellation or transfer within five-weeks of the test date for medical reasons can receive a refund or transfer minus the 25% administration fee if they can provide supporting medical evidence within five working days of the test date. Only evidence of serious illness will be considered. Only original medical certificates will be accepted and must state inability to appear for the test on the scheduled date.

Requests for cancellation or postponement of the test should be made in writing. A Test Day Refund/Transfer form should be requested from the test center and must be completed and returned with full supporting documentation not more than five working days after the test date before refunds or transfers can be considered.

Test Results

Test results are mailed by regular United States Postal Service (USPS) mail 13 calendar days after the test. If, for example, a candidate takes the test on Saturday the 15th, then the results will be available on Friday the 28th. Results can only be issued by regular mail or given to the candidate in person at the test center where they took the test. Test centers are not permitted to give results over the phone or by fax or email.

Candidates wishing to pick up their results in person can do so between 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm at the test center on the 13th day after the test. They will need to bring the same passport that was used for identification on test day.

Preview Your Test Results Online
You may now preview your IELTS test results online. The preview of your IELTS result is usually available online 13 days after your test date, and will remain available for 28 days thereafter. Your official Test Report Form will be mailed to you 13 days after the test. Please note the preview of your IELTS result cannot be used as official confirmation of your test result.

Disclaimer: The online preview of your test result may not be used as an official score report. IELTS International, the test center and the IELTS Partners give no guarantee as to the accuracy of the preview result, and will not accept any responsibility for an inaccurate score. IELTS International, the test center and the IELTS Partners will not accept any responsibility in the event that your result fails to display, whether due to technical fault or administrative procedures.

Click on the button below to preview your test results:

Pick-up Authorization:
If the candidate wishes to nominate another person to pick up their results, this needs to be arranged with the test center before the 13th day. The nominated person needs to bring:

A completed TRF Pick-up Authorization form signed by the candidate. The form is available at the test center or you can download it here.
The nominated person’s own valid ID to be used for identification purposes.

Any TRF not picked up by 5:00 pm will automatically be mailed to the address provided on the application form.

Additional information on test results:

Candidates can arrange for express shipping of their results at the cost of $30 within the U.S. or $70 internationally. Express shipping for requests must be arranged and paid for in advance. Results will not be issued earlier than 13 calendar days after the test day under any circumstances.
Once candidates have completed their application for a test, paid the test fee and attached all necessary documents, there is a $5 fee to change the candidates mailing address.
The candidate automatically receives one copy of the Test Report Form. On his/her application form, the candidate may request up to five additional Test Report Forms to be sent to academic institutions, government agencies, professional bodies and /or employers (but not to an individual at a residential address). These Test Report Forms are mailed directly to the receiving organization from the test center, or made available for electronic download, on the 13th day.
Candidates may additionally request one extra copy of the Test Report Form. This additional copy is for candidates that are required to submit an original Test Report Form with any professional registration or immigration application.
Requests in writing (letter, fax, or email) for additional Test Report Forms to be mailed may be made at any time up to two years after the test date. There is an administrative charge of $10 for the first Test Report Form requested and $5 for each additional one. IELTS Scores remain valid for 2 years, so additional Test Report Forms cannot be sent more than two years after the test date.

Please note:

Test centers are not permitted to give out test results over the telephone, by email or by fax to either candidates or receiving organizations.

Enquiry on Results

Candidates who are not satisfied with their results may request to apply for a rescoring of the test (called Enquiry on Results) at the center where they took the test. This application must be made within six weeks of the test date. The candidate can choose which modules to be re-marked (one, two, three or all of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking).

There is a fee for this service of $90 plus shipping. If the score on any module that is re-marked is increased, there is a full refund. If there is no change in test scores, no refund is received. The Enquiry on Results process takes up to six - eight weeks from the point that test material is sent from the test center to the UK to be rescored.

Receiving Organizations

The www.ielts.org website has comprehensive information on organizations globally that accept IELTS band scores:

The Global Recognition Service (GRS) is designed to help candidates to locate recognizing organizations that use IELTS test band score results for admissions and registration purposes. The GRS is an interactive tool and is available for free at http://bandscore.ielts.org
A full list of educational institutions in the US that recognize IELTS, including the required band scores, is available at http://ielts.org/usa.aspx